15th Annual Leaders Conference
Washington, DC | November 19-21
More than 75 NewDEAL Leaders from across the country came together last week in Washington for the 15th Annual Leaders Conference. They delved into solutions to the nations’ greatest challenges — from the cost of housing, energy, and health care to the future of AI and public safety — and charted a path for the Democratic Party to rebuild. Their innovative, pragmatic approach to governing and ability to get results continues to inspire us and to remind us why we can be hopeful about building a better future for all Americans. A full recap of the conference sessions is below.
If you weren’t able to join us, be sure to watch the video recordings from the plenary sessions here. And stay on the lookout for information regarding the 2026 NewDEAL Forum Ideas Summit.
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Watch recordings of all plenary sessions, including the fireside chats with U.S. Senators Ruben Gallego and Elissa Slotkin.
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Follow the NewDEAL across social channels and join us on our Substack, The Roadmap.
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Join the Champion Circle to empower NewDEAL’s future with monthly contributions and regular fundraising goals.
- Watch our 15th Anniversary Video:
Welcoming Remarks from NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan
NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan reflected on the 2025 election results and the challenges facing state and local leaders throughout this year of federal turmoil. She said, “You are on the front lines of so much every single day. You are fighting back, speaking up and doing the work. I want you to know that we see you. We thank you. And we are honored to support and stand with you in these most consequential times for our country.”
Future of the Democratic Party with U.S. Senator Gallego
In an interview with journalist Jonathan Capehart (MS NOW), U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) urged candidates and elected officials to trust themselves when it comes to their knowledge of their own communities and states, emphasizing that voters respect authentic, honest candidates who stand for something rather than rely on pollsters and consultant-approved language. “[Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger] decided that they wanted to win and figured out how to get there. They figured out what voters wanted: affordability. They decided to have a strong focus on that. They did not get distracted,” said Senator Gallego.
Looking Back & Moving Forward
A session featuring Jesse Ferguson (Dover Street Strategies); Bobby Clark (Winning Jobs Narrative); Samson Signori (Campaign Manager for Abigail Spanberger); Lindsey Daugherty (Colorado State Senator); and Tanya Miller (Georgia State Representative) focused on the power of language and the message from voters for leaders to put economic issues first. “We completely took the mantle of the economy from Republicans this cycle,” said Signori. “We’re in a position right now where… voters who had ranked the economy, costs, jobs, and inflation at the very top of what concerned them most, were all overwhelmingly voting for Abigail Spanberger.”
State of the Economy: Tariffs, Trade, and Future Risks
In a conversation with Chris Slevin of the US-China Commission, Martha Gimbel of The Budget Lab at Yale discussed uncertainty about the state of the economy and provided perspective on the impact of tariffs. She noted that while companies are absorbing some of the costs for now, that could change as soon as January, when many companies adjust their pricing. She also pointed out that data shows “no sign of anything that makes it look like AI is having a major impact on the labor market.” Additionally, she advised local leaders to double-down on workforce training infrastructure – potentially partnering with local community colleges – and focus on bringing in new employers.
Health Care Triage: Navigating Threats to Public Health
Republican cuts to Medicaid mean fewer people will have access to affordable health care in the coming years according to experts like Dr. Aditi Mallick (Chief Medical Officer at Hopscotch Primary Care); Lisa Hunter (Senior Director of Federal Policy and Advocacy at United States of Care); and Lee Harris (Shelby County Mayor). “People are not suddenly going to be less sick,” Mallick said, noting that more people will delay care or skip it altogether, meaning more expensive emergency room visits. At the state level, legislatures will need to figure out how to deal with these revenue challenges, which could lead to further cuts to Medicaid benefits. Mayor Harris provided a note of optimism, explaining how his ShelbyCares program tries to fill in the gaps and provide preventative care access to residents through a program that could be replicated by other localities.
Fireside Chat: U.S. Senator Slotkin in Conversation with James Hohmann of The Washington Post
U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan kicked off her keynote comments saying she “will not shut up” in the face of threats from President Trump after he called a video released by her and other veterans of the military and intelligence communities “seditious behavior.” She emphasized that courage can be as contagious as fear, adding “I refuse to be intimidated out of fighting for the country I love.” Outlining her concept of “Coach Energy,” she discussed the need for leaders who inspire confidence, offer a clear plan, go on offense, and present a positive, forward-looking agenda that clearly communicates what Democrats are for, not just what they oppose.
State of the Media: Understanding the New Media Landscape
Political journalist Linda Douglass moderated a discussion with Tara McGowan (Founder & Publisher of COURIER); Navin Nayak (Executive Director of Resonate); and Chris Cillizza (journalist, and author) on how the media landscape is changing and what leaders can do to adapt. “The way people consume media has fundamentally changed and people are not going back,” said Cillizza. “There is a new muscle that we have to learn,” said Nayak, about the new ways leaders need to reach people. “We have to use all of the tools that are available to us across all these platforms… to figure out how you’re going to get your message out.”
Messaging That Breaks Through
Ryan Coonerty (NewDEAL Alumnus and An Honorable Profession host) moderated a conversation with Kayla Young (West Virginia State Delegate) and Olivia Julianna (activist and content creator) about how elected officials can break through online. Some tips included: Post as often as possible (algorithms reward volume and consistency); be authentic (voters yearn for authentic people, whether you are a data nerd or boisterous or quietly confident); and be on multiple platforms.
Public Safety: Solutions that Work
Andy Berke (NewDEAL Alumnus and new Board Chair) led a conversation with Edward Pollard (Houston, TX Councilmember) and Zach Klein (City Attorney of Columbus, OH) on impactful policy solutions to improve public safety. The discussion focused on how fundamental public safety is for residents and the vital role state and local leaders play in improving not just the data, but also the perception of community safety.
Some of the policies offering tangible results include:
- Project Taillight – offering free minor car repairs to resolve safety issues and reduce unnecessary traffic stops.
- Community Immersion Training – a 2025 Ideas Challenge winner, that helps officers build stronger community understanding.
- PEACE Program – providing wellness practices like yoga to support officer health and performance.
Dollars and Sense: Pragmatic Ways to Address the Cost of Living
Heather Long (chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union) moderated a conversation with Lauren McLean (Mayor of Boise, Idaho) and Sarah Rosen Wartell (President of the Urban Institute) on pragmatic ways state and local officials can address the affordability crisis. McLean has taken an “all hands-on-deck, all tools are available “ approach when it comes to affordability, building more houses to address high costs as well as expanding the tree canopy in the city, which can reduce cooling costs for homes and businesses in the summer. Other approaches include zoning reform to allow for more (and more affordable) housing, as well as expanding access to city- or state-run child care centers to reduce the financial burden on young parents.
Tech Talk: Understanding the AI Future
Vivek Chilukuri (senior fellowCenter for a New American Security) led a conversation with tech experts including John Bailey (senior fellow at American Enterprise Institute), Francesca Ioffreda (Chief Innovation Officer for the Executive Office of the Maryland Governor Moore), Todd O’Boyle (Executive Director for AI Policy at JP Morgan Chase), and Chris Rieth (Head of Revenue at Authorum) on the rapidly evolving role of AI and its implications for state and local governments. The panel emphasized the importance of leadership in leveraging these opportunities, citing real-world examples of AI deployment in both the public and private sectors. Ioffreda said, “I think AI adoption is also fundamentally a human capital challenge, and in the public sector in particular, there is a skills gap. And so it’s incumbent upon us as public sector leaders to create the right supportive structures and the resources to help people understand the art of the possible and how to use AI.”
Conversations on Leadership: Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?
Maxine Dibert (Alaska Representative), Natalia Macker (Teton County, WY Commissioner) and Adar Cohen (Mediator) shared inspiring insights on leading with integrity and grace, even in challenging times, breaking down perceived political divisions through both structural and cultural approaches—such as Macker earning the trust of her colleagues as the only Democrat to lead the WY County Commissioners Association. Dibert shared her own perspective on how her state’s shared governing structures and ranked-choice voting have encourages cross-party collaboration and led to shared meals with Republicans on the campaign trail. They emphasized the importance of showing up, defying assumptions, being curious, genuinely listening, and finding points of connection.
Opening Plenary:
Thursday Afternoon Plenary:
Friday Morning Plenary:
Closing Plenary:
Our 15th Annual Leaders Conference in Washington, D.C., will be hosted November 19 – 21, 2025. This convening offers NewDEALers a space to connect with one another, assess the current political climate both nationally and at home, and share ideas to address the greatest challenges facing American communities.
Leader Attendees
Jocelyn Benson is Michigan’s 43rd Secretary of State. In this role she is focused on ensuring elections are secure and accessible, and dramatically improving customer experiences for all who interact with our offices.
Benson is the author of State Secretaries of State: Guardians of the Democratic Process, the first major book on the role of the secretary of state in enforcing election and campaign finance laws. She is also the Chair of Michigan’s Task Force on Women in Sports, created by Governor Whitmer in 2019 to advance opportunities for women in Michigan as athletes and sports leaders.
A graduate of Harvard Law School and expert on civil rights law, education law and election law, Benson served as dean of Wayne State University Law School in Detroit. When she was appointed dean at age 36, she became the youngest woman in U.S. history to lead a top-100, accredited law school. She continues to serve as vice chair of the advisory board for the Levin Center at Wayne Law, which she founded with former U.S. Sen. Carl Levin. Previously, Benson was an associate professor and associate director of Wayne Law’s Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights.
Prior to her election, she served as CEO of the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE), a national nonprofit organization using the unifying power of sports to improve race relations.
Benson is co-founder and former president of Military Spouses of Michigan, a network dedicated to providing support and services to military spouses and their children.
In 2015, she became one of the youngest women in history to be inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame.
Jonathan Capehart is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who is co-host of the morning edition of “The Weekend” (7am – 10am) on MS NOW and the NYT bestselling author of “Yet Here I Am: Lessons from A Black Man’s Search for Home,” published in May 2025. From 2020 until 2025, he was the anchor of “The Saturday/Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart.” At PBS, Capehart serves as a political analyst on “PBS News Hour” and is featured on the popular Friday segment “Brooks and Capehart.”
Capehart was deputy editorial page editor of the New York Daily News (2002-2004) and served on its editorial board (1993-2000). His editorial campaign in 1999 to save the Apollo Theater earned the board the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing.
Vivek Chilukuri is the senior fellow and program director of the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). His areas of focus include accelerating U.S. leadership in AI, quantum, and biotechnology, the U.S.-China technology competition in key emerging markets, securing critical digital infrastructure, and the U.S. Congress and technology policy.
Before joining CNAS, Chilukuri served as a senior staff member for Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Chilukuri served as Bennet’s senior policy advisor for technology, deputy chief of staff, legislative director, and chief speechwriter. During his tenure on Capitol Hill, Chilukuri worked on legislation to strengthen America’s technology competitiveness, promote responsible governance for digital platforms and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, and expand access to high-speed broadband through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Previously, Chilukuri served at the Department of State as a policy advisor to the undersecretary for civilian security, democracy, and human rights, and as a program officer on the Middle East and North Africa team at the National Democratic Institute.
Chilukuri has published articles in Foreign Policy, TIME, Lawfare, and Nikkei Asia, and his analysis and commentary have been featured in The New York Times, Politico, CNN International, NPR, BBC News, Wired, CBC News, and Business Insider.
Chilukuri received an MPP from the Harvard Kennedy School and a BA in international studies from UNC-Chapel Hill, where he graduated as a Robertson Scholar.
Bobby Clark is a communications strategist and independent consultant focused on projects that build winning majorities for elections and policy change. Bobby helped found and serves as senior advisor to the Winning Jobs Narrative project – the most expansive project undertaken to rebuild connection with working class voters across race and geography. As an early member of Howard Dean’s presidential campaign, Bobby helped pioneer digital communications in campaigns. He returned to Colorado to help found and build ProgressNow Colorado and the ProgressNow national network. As Vice President for Communications and Programs at the Gill Foundation, the nation’s largest funder of LGBTQ equality, Bobby helped develop persuasive messaging and campaigns for the successful effort to win broad majority support for the freedom to marry. Bobby also serves currently as a senior advisor to the BuildUS collaborative fund.
Ryan Fecteau, 32, is serving his fifth non-consecutive term in the Maine House and his second term as Speaker. In addition to his legislative service, he serves as Senior Officer of Planning and Partnerships at Avesta Housing, a non-profit housing developer based in Portland, Maine. Following his previous legislative service, Ryan was an advisor to Governor Janet Mills in 2023. During his legislative service between 2014-2022, Ryan served as Speaker of the Maine House Representatives from 2020 to 2022, Assistant Majority Leader from 2018-2022, and Chair of the Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research, and Economic Development from 2016-2018. Ryan is the first legislator to return as Maine’s Speaker of the House since 1966 and the first since 1856 to do so following a gap in legislative service.
Born the son of immigrants and raised by a single mom, Ruben Gallego knows what it means to live the American Dream. After growing up poor and working every job he could find to help support his mom and three sisters – at a pizza joint, construction sites, and a meat-packing plant – Ruben became a first-generation college student, graduating from Harvard University.
Motivated to give back to the country that had given him such opportunities, Ruben enlisted in the Marine Corps and deployed to Iraq in 2005 as an infantryman, serving with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines.
His Company saw some of the worst fighting of the Iraq War, losing 22 Marines and Navy Corpsman to enemy action in eight months. Following his experience in Iraq, Ruben committed to ensuring that servicemen and women are never sent into harm’s way without a plan for winning the fight and securing their well-being.
Ruben was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2010 where he pushed to expand Medicaid and worked across the aisle to secure in-state tuition for all veterans.
In 2014, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Over his ten years in the House, Ruben fought tirelessly for hardworking Arizonans – distinguishing himself as the highest-ranking Latino on the House Armed Services Committee and defending Arizona’s water supply and natural beauty as a member of the House Natural Resources Committee.
In November 2024, Ruben was elected to the U.S. Senate. He was sworn in on January 3, 2025, with the promise to fight for all Arizonans.
Ruben lives in South Phoenix with his wife, Sydney, sons Michael and Cooper, and daughter, Isla.
Maya Gibbs is the Policy Advisor for Deployment on the Climate and Energy team at Third Way, a center-left think tank and advocacy organization based in Washington, DC. Her work addresses the barriers slowing the deployment of clean energy infrastructure across the country. Prior to joining Third Way, Maya worked as a Policy Strategist for a renewable energy company in Boston, focusing on solar and storage development.
In August 2018, Lee Harris was elected as the 6th Mayor of Shelby County, Tennessee. Prior to his election, Mayor Harris served in the Tennessee Senate and the Memphis City Council. Throughout his political career, Mayor Harris has been an unwavering voice for neighborhoods, public safety, environmental protection, and a strong middle class. He has won numerous awards because of his work in politics and government, including selection to the prestigious Aspen-Rodel Fellows program and as a New Deal Leader.
Mayor Lee Harris is a proud product of the public schools in Memphis (Alcy Elem., John P. Freeman Middle, and Overton High). He was a top student at Morehouse College and worked his way through law school at Yale. After law school, Mayor Harris practiced law and later joined the faculty of the University of Memphis Law School. He is believed to be the first African American tenured full professor of law at the University of Memphis.
Mayor Lee Harris is married to Professor Alena Allen and, together, they have three children, Lee Allen, Claudia, and Lou.
James Hohmann is a deputy opinion editor, with responsibilities that include overseeing the Editorial Board. He is also a Stanford University lecturer, teaching courses on the presidency, Congress and campaigns. Hohmann grew up in Apple Valley, Minnesota, and now lives with his wife, the journalist Annie Linskey, in Arlington, Virginia. He was previously a columnist, national political correspondent and the chief commentator for live video coverage at The Post. He first joined the newspaper in 2008 and returned in 2015 after six years at Politico. Hohmann has launched three podcasts for The Post and founded The Daily 202 newsletter franchise. He started his career at the San Jose Mercury News and also wrote for the Los Angeles Times and Dallas Morning News. Hohmann contributed to the Jan. 6 coverage that earned the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Public Service and he was part of the team that won a Webby for live video coverage of the riot; and received the award in 2017 for best email newsletter.
Francesca Ioffreda is Maryland’s first Chief Innovation Officer, appointed by Governor Wes Moore. She leads efforts to advance the Governor’s key priorities, with a focus on reducing childhood poverty and increasing economic mobility.
A recognized leader across sectors, Francesca has driven large-scale economic growth, innovation, and workforce initiatives. She founded Breakthrough Strategy Partners, a consulting firm focused on economic development and opportunity, and previously served as Vice President for Inclusive Growth and Talent Initiatives at the Greater Washington Partnership; Engagement Manager and Chief of Staff for Deloitte Consulting’s Smart Cities practice; policy fellow for former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel; and Fulbright Fellow in Bogotá, Colombia.
She is a Senior Advisor to the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University and a Nonresident Senior Fellow at Brookings Metro. Francesca holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, an MPP from Harvard Kennedy School, and a BA from Claremont McKenna College.
Victoria Knight is a freelance health care reporter based in Washington, D.C. She has previously worked for Axios and KFF Health News covering health policy issues in Congress, federal agencies and presidential administrations. She’s an alumni of the University of Tennessee and University of Georgia.
Christopher Knittel is the deputy director of policy at MITEI and the George P. Shultz Professor of Energy Economics in the Sloan School of Management MIT. He is also the director of MIT’s Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research, which has served as the hub for social science research on energy and the environmental since the late 1970s. Knittel is also a co-director of The E2e Project, a research initiative between MIT, UC Berkeley, and the University of Chicago, to undertake rigorous evaluation of energy efficiency investments. He joined the faculty at MIT in 2011, having taught previously at UC Davis and Boston University. At MIT, he teaches Energy Economics and Policy to undergraduates, MBA students, and graduate students from outside of the Sloan School of Management.
Heather Long is chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union and a frequent economic commentator on TV, radio and social media. She is widely known for spotting trends early and making economics accessible and engaging for all. Prior to joining Navy Federal, she worked at an investment firm in London and was an award-winning economics reporter at The Washington Post, CNN and her hometown paper, The Patriot-News in Harrisburg, Pa. Heather is a regular contributor to Marketplace Radio.. She holds master’s degrees in financial economics and Medieval Literature from Oxford University, where she was a Rhodes Scholar.
Natalia D. Macker is Chairwoman of the Teton County Board of County Commissioners. She was appointed to the commission in 2015 and won re-election in 2016. Her record demonstrates a commitment to rural healthcare solutions, support for women and working families, and a commitment to balancing economic development with ecosystem stewardship. While she has been in office, the county has developed its first affordable housing supply plan, won approval from voters for extending the lodging tax, adopted an integrated transportation plan, developed a county sustainability plan, and began implementation of a road-to-zero-waste initiative. In addition to an ongoing focus on affordable housing, current efforts include implementing a health-in-all-policies framework, completing a human services funding plan, a county-wide water quality plan, and an early childhood education initiative spearheaded by Commissioner Macker.
Macker’s service extends beyond the borders of Teton County, and she was recognized by her peers from around the state as Commissioner of the Year by the Wyoming County Commissioner’s Association (WCCA) for her outstanding service to counties and the state. Macker serves as statewide chair of the Health, Safety, and Social Services committee for the WCCA, mentors new commissioners, and is on the steering committee for Wyoming’s first statewide health needs assessment. She was appointed by the governor to serve on the Wyoming Council for Women’s Issues and the Land Quality Advisory Board (DEQ). As the youngest member and only woman on the commission, Macker collaborates with several Wyoming-based organizations to secure the economic future of Wyoming women and families. This includes helping propose pregnant workers fairness legislation, supporting statewide ECE efforts, and championing gender wage gap solutions at the state and local level, and implementation of suicide and substance abuse prevention infrastructure. In 2019, she was nominated for the Young Elected Officials’ Network Barbara Jordan Leadership Award and for a Wyoming Woman of Influence Award.
Dr. Mallick brings over a decade of clinical and executive leadership experience to Hopscotch. She has served in senior leadership roles at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, where she developed clinical strategies and led collaborative efforts to advance value-based care and quality improvement. Prior to CMS, Dr. Mallick ran statewide COVID-19 response efforts for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and was an engagement manager in the healthcare practice at McKinsey & Co.
Dr. Mallick is dedicated to collaborating with teams to advance clinical excellence, promote health equity, and improve patient access and outcomes.
Dr. Mallick earned her M.D. from Stanford University School of Medicine and completed her internal medicine residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School before serving on the clinical faculty at Johns Hopkins and George Washington University Hospitals. She earned her A.B. from Harvard College.
Amy K. Matsui is Vice President for Child Care & Income Security at the National Women’s Law Center. She works on a broad range of economic issues affecting low- and moderate-income women and families, with special emphasis on federal and state tax policy. Her work comprises policy analysis, state and federal advocacy, and public education and outreach. Prior to joining the Center in 2002, Ms. Matsui was an associate at Farella Braun + Martel LLP, in San Francisco, CA. She clerked for the Honorable Carolyn Dineen King, then-Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, in 2000. She is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, and Stanford Law School.
Tara McGowan is the founder and publisher of COURIER, a fast-growing left-leaning news network with local newsrooms in eleven states as well as national coverage. COURIER is building a more informed, engaged, and representative democracy by reaching tens of millions of Americans where they are online with factual, values-driven news that inspires civic participation.
A former journalist and political strategist, Tara has seen firsthand how America’s growing information chasm has contributed to increased polarization and the rising threat of authoritarianism. Recognizing the need for a new model of media that exists explicitly to protect and strengthen our fragile democracy, Tara founded COURIER in 2019. COURIER is a network of state newsrooms whose on-the-ground reporters and correspondents deliver factual and empowering pro-democracy news directly to the social newsfeeds and inboxes of communities who have been left behind by traditional media. COURIER is one of the fastest-growing news networks in the country, with over 8 million online subscribers, including nearly 4 million TikTok followers, and an average weekly reach of 120 million across national and state newsrooms.
Earlier in her career, Tara led some of the largest digital advertising and marketing programs supporting progressive causes and candidates in U.S. politics, including at ACRONYM, Priorities USA, NextGen Climate, and as a digital strategist on President Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign. She studied journalism and political science at NYU and began her career reporting and producing long-form journalism for both 60 Minutes and PBS Frontline.
A champion of the middle class and working families, Assemblyman Raj Mukherji proudly represents Hudson County in the NJ General Assembly, where he serves as Deputy Speaker, Chair of the Judiciary Committee, and Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee. From 2018-2020, he served as Majority Whip of the General Assembly. A lawyer and serial entrepreneur with healthcare, real estate, technology, and regulated cannabis holdings, he was previously an information technology CEO, Deputy Mayor of Jersey City, and a Sergeant in the U.S. Marines. He has also served as a local prosecutor for six years and an Adjunct Professor at New Jersey City University, where he taught Constitutional Law. Raj has achieved a half billion dollars in aggregated enterprise value across companies he founded and led as CEO or co-owner, while creating hundreds of jobs along the way.
During his four terms in the Legislature, Assemblyman Mukherji has earned a statewide reputation as a prolific, effective lawmaker. His bills and appropriations priorities have focused on economic development and job creation; infrastructure and mass transit; college affordability; protecting seniors and expanding their access to healthcare, prescription drugs, and essential services; environmental protection; veterans’ affairs; public safety; social justice; addiction prevention and treatment; animal welfare; helping small businesses thrive and grow; and myriad other issues of importance to his constituents. He was named the Assembly’s “Humane Legislator of the Year” recipient for 2015 by the Humane Society and 2015 Legislator of the Year by the NJ Law Enforcement Police Officers Brotherhood. In 2017, he was recipient of the Mortar & Pestle Award from the NJ Pharmacists Association, awarded annually to a non-pharmacist with the greatest contributions to the profession of pharmacy and the public. Assemblyman Mukherji was also named a 2015 honoree of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hudson County for championing the expansion of teens’ access to mental health services, and he received the 2015 Legislator Award from the NAACP for his civil rights advocacy. He was a 2021 Sierra Club Award recipient for his stewardship on natural resource protection and climate change.
Navin has more than two decades of advocacy and electoral experience in Washington DC. including a long stretch of leadership roles in the climate community at the League of Conservation Voters. He never shies away from a political fight and prides himself on trying to meet challenges that are not getting enough attention. It is this spirit that compelled him to launch a new organization focused on trying to reach Americans who have stopped consuming news, particularly from traditional sources, and to improve the brand of the Democratic Party by communicating effectively in the modern media environment. Prior to this new venture, he served as the President of the Center for American Progress Action Fund for seven years, where he more than doubled the size of the organization including building cutting-edge digital communications campaigns. He was also the catalyst behind the widely successful effort to brand the GOP as Extreme MAGA Republicans, a framework that was adopted across the entire Democratic Party and deemed critical to Democrats’ success in the 2022 midterms.
Todd O’Boyle has worked on tech policy for more than 15 years across academia, civil society and industry. He leads US AI and Data Policy for JPMorgan Chase. Before that, Todd oversaw led tech policy for Chamber of Progress, a center-left trade association. He also held leadership roles at Twitter and Lime and served as Deputy Director of Next Century Cities. Todd has a Ph.D. in Public Policy from the University of Delaware and a Bachelors in German from Guilford College.
Casey Peeks is the senior director of Early Childhood Policy at American Progress. Prior to joining American Progress, Peeks was the director of federal policy and policy advisor at the Children’s Defense Fund. She previously served as a professional staff member focused on early childhood and child welfare for the House Committee on Education and Labor under Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), where she drafted legislation related to affordable child care and universal preschool. She also served as a federal policy analyst at Child Care Aware of America and as an education policy fellow on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions under Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA).
Before working in policy, Peeks taught kindergarten for four years, first as a Teach for America corps member in St. Louis and later in her hometown of Oakland, California. Peeks holds a master’s degree in education policy and management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she was awarded a Saul Zaentz Fellowship in early education. She received her bachelor’s degree in communication and political science from the University of Pennsylvania.
Chris Rieth is the Chief Revenue & Customer Strategy Officer at Authorium, a public-sector focused workflow platform applying practical AI to procurement, contracts, budgeting, and legislative analysis. He partners with federal, state, and local leaders to turn policy and process complexity into simple, secure, auditable workflows—emphasizing value, adoption, and guardrails for responsible AI. Previously, Chris served six years in Maryland state government as Director of the Governor’s Office, leading statewide innovation, performance management, and data initiatives. He later worked at the Johns Hopkins Center for Government Excellence and Socrata, a pioneering startup in the early open data movement, helping governments build data- and outcome-driven performance and analytics programs. Chris brings a practitioner’s lens on efficiency and modernization in government operations today.
Dylan Roberts represents Senate District 8 in the Colorado State Senate which encompasses Clear Creek, Eagle, Garfield, Gilpin, Grand, Jackson, Moffat, Rio Blanco, Routt, and Summit Counties. Senator Roberts serves as the Chair of the Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee and as a member of the Judiciary Committee and the Local Government & Housing Committee.
Senator Roberts was elected to the Senate in 2022. From 2018-2022, Dylan served in the State House representing Eagle & Routt Counties. His work at the legislature has focused on lowering the cost of health care and prescription drugs, protecting our environment and water, funding more affordable housing development, and promoting rural economic development. In 2019, he wrote and passed the law that made Colorado the first state in the nation to cap the cost of insulin and in 2022, he helped pass the largest single-year investment into affordable housing in Colorado history. Prior to and during his service in the legislature, Dylan has worked as a Deputy District Attorney for Eagle County. Dylan grew up in Routt County and now lives in Summit County with his wife Sarah and their son Teddy and daughter Claire.
In 2012, Sarah Rosen Wartell became the third president of the Urban Institute since its founding in 1968. Urban is a nonprofit research organization with hundreds of staff working to provide data and evidence to accelerate solutions and create a future where every person and every community has the power and opportunity to thrive. It serves as a trusted source for changemakers who seek to strengthen decisionmaking, create inclusive economic growth, and improve the well-being of families and communities. Urban has delivered facts that inspire solutions, and this remains our charge today.
Before joining Urban, Wartell was the founding chief operating officer and then executive vice president of the Center for American Progress, where her work focused on the economy and housing markets. She also served as deputy assistant to the president for economic policy and deputy director of the White House National Economic Council. At the US Department of Housing and Urban Development from 1993 to 1998, Wartell advised the federal housing commissioner on housing finance, mortgage markets, and consumer protection. She was later a consultant to the bipartisan Millennial Housing Commission. Before her government service, Wartell practiced law with the Washington, DC, firm Arnold & Porter.
Wartell serves on the boards of Enterprise Community Partners and is a former board member of Georgetown Day School. She is also a member of the steering committee for the 10-year Roadmap for Public Housing Sustainability, executive board of the National Academy of Public Administration’s Center for Intergovernmental Partnerships, and Bank of America’s National Community Advisory Council. Her areas of expertise include community development, consumer finance, asset building, and housing finance.
Wartell has an AB with honors in urban affairs from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, a JD from Yale Law School, and an honorary doctorate of public service from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
Nassau County Comptroller Jack Schnirman was elected in November 2017.
As Comptroller, Jack has brought a new energy to his position as the County’s Chief Financial Officer. He has increased transparency through innovative approaches such as the Open Nassau Transparency Hub, including the Comptroller’s Scorecard and Community Indicators Index, launched audits that have achieved results, and strengthened oversight of the County’s finances and contracting processes.
His administration launched a Policy and Research Unit focused on data-driven reports, fact sheets, and analysis to help inform the policy-making process, highlighting critical demographic trends, Black Economic Equity, veterans data, women entrepreneurship, food insecurity, the 2020 Census, and how the County can retain and meet the demands of the next generation. The Comptroller’s office has forged new partnerships with leaders in the nonprofit, MWBE, and tech communities, advocating for local businesses and pushing to grow our economy.
As Brookhaven Chief Deputy Town Supervisor, Jack took on the culture of corruption that was so deep the town was known as “Crookhaven.” Jack also helped improve town services while saving taxpayers millions by implementing ServiceStat, a management initiative that helps hold town departments accountable.
Prior to being elected Comptroller, Jack served as Long Beach City Manager. He helped put the City on the road to recovery from the brink of bankruptcy and the devastation from Superstorm Sandy. On Jack’s watch, Long Beach’s bond rating was upgraded twice and received nine consecutive credit positive reviews. Jack helped implement smart reforms like instituting a new performance management program, and creating a 3-1-1-style smartphone application for residents.
Jack lives in Long Beach with his wife, Joan, their daughter, Sage, and son, Oz. He has served as a career advisor to the NYU Wagner School of Public Service’s Fellowship for Emerging Leaders in Public Service and also as co-chair of the Curriculum Committee for the New Leaders Council. He is also a member of the New York State Government Finance Officers’ Association, the Energeia Partnership, and has been a member the Regional Economic Development Council’s infrastructure working group, and has served on the board of the Long Island Chapter of the New York League of Conservation Voters.
Todd Schulte is the President of FWD.us and the FWD.us Education Fund, having been part of the organization since its founding in 2013. Under his leadership, FWD.us has driven impactful work on immigration and criminal justice reform through federal and state policy campaigns, ballot initiatives, strategic litigation, and large-scale public engagement efforts. Together with Executive Director Zoë Towns, Todd helps shape the strategic direction of the organization.
Over the past decade at FWD.us, Todd has directed successful efforts to make the case that immigrants and immigration power the U.S. economy, help us win the global race for talent, and strengthen the American workforce. He has overseen winning campaigns that resulted in new and expanded protections for millions of individuals and families due to national and state policy changes. This has included defending DACA recipients and Dreamers, national legislative campaigns, securing and renewing temporary protections and work authorizations for millions of people, access to work authorization, access to education and more. He has played a critical role in decisive wins at the Supreme Court, including defending the DACA program and ending the Remain in Mexico program.
Todd is regularly called upon as a national expert on immigration policy, the political dynamics around these issues, and is a resource for policymakers at the highest levels and business and civic leaders across the country. He regularly works with major companies and business leaders, higher education and research institutions, and faith and community advocates across the country to advance commonsense immigration and criminal justice policies that strengthen the United States. He and his work is regularly featured in national media.
Todd brings extensive experience in political and electoral strategy and policy across nearly every level of government. Before joining FWD.us, he served as Chief of Staff at Priorities USA Action, the super PAC that supported President Obama’s successful reelection. From 2009 to 2010, he was Chief of Staff to Congressman Scott Murphy (NY-20). Earlier in his career, Todd spent two election cycles at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, helping Democrats regain and grow their House majority in 2006 and 2008. He remains in close contact and a resource to candidates across the country.
In addition to his work on immigration and criminal justice, Todd has engaged in policy efforts related to healthcare and financial regulatory reform. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife, Lindsey, their daughters, Sylvia and Serena, and their two labs, Pippa and Penny. He loves the band Phish and misses playing water polo.
Chris Slevin is an advisor to nonprofit policy organizations and foundations, including the Institute for Progress and the NobleReach Foundation. He is also a senior advisor at the College Board. Chris was appointed by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries to serve on the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. He served previously in the Biden Administration as Deputy Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs, and then as Chief of Staff at the U.S. Commerce Department under Secretary Gina Raimondo.
