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Leaders

Melisa Franzen

Senator / Edina, MN

Pro-Growth Progressive Idea: Using “return on investment” measurements to compare which public investments make the best impact with taxpayer dollars

Senator Melisa Franzen was elected in 2012 and is serving her second term in the Minnesota Senate. She represents Senate District 49, which includes the communities of Bloomington, Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, and Edina. Senator Franzen serves on the Finance, Health and Human Services Finance and Policy, and Transportation and Public Safety Finance Committees. She is also a member of the Task Force on Medical Cannabis Therapeutic Research, and the Co-Founder and President of NewPublica, a public relations and strategic communications firm.

She began her career as an attorney at Target Corporation for eight years where she held several roles, titles, and responsibilities in Government Affairs and Community Relations divisions. Senator Franzen holds a Masters of Public Policy with a concentration in Economic and Community Development from the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota and holds a J.D. from Hamline University School of Law.

Senator Franzen grew up in Puerto Rico, where she was active in volunteering, Girl Scouts, and in 4H. Today, she is part of the HOPE Latinas Binational Fellowship Program, an executive leadership program for outstanding Latina professionals, and was recently selected nationwide to join the Class of 2018 Aspen Institute-Rodel Fellowship in Public Leadership amongst 24 national leaders. She is the former President of the Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association and Regional Vice President of the Hispanic National Bar Association and formerly served on the Board of Directors for the Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys as well as Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio (CLUES). She also received a 2020 Hispanic National Bar Association Top Lawyers Under 40 Award this year.

Latest News

  • NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan's Op-ed in RouteFifty: Roe is Gone. States and Localities Must Protect Reproductive Rights

    By Debbie Cox Bultan, CEO, NewDEAL JUNE 27, 2022 05:14 PM ET   COMMENTARY | The 50-year era of Roe v. Wade has ended. We need […]

    READ MORE

  • Rebecca Perkins Kwoka Opinion in the Concord Monitor: Climate change is our generation’s make-or-break moment

    By Rebecca Perkins Kwoka Rebecca Perkins Kwoka is a state senator representing NH’s 21st District. She is a member of NewDEAL’s national network of state […]

    READ MORE

Recent News

NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan’s Op-ed in RouteFifty: Roe is Gone. States and Localities Must Protect Reproductive Rights

June 28, 2022
By Debbie Cox Bultan, CEO, NewDEAL JUNE 27, 2022 05:14 PM ET   COMMENTARY | The 50-year era of Roe v. Wade has ended. We need […]
https://newdealleaders.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Debbie_pic.jpg 906 764 Jordan Smith https://newdealleaders.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/logo-tnd-300x74.png Jordan Smith2022-06-28 14:04:372022-06-28 14:04:37NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan’s Op-ed in RouteFifty: Roe is Gone. States and Localities Must Protect Reproductive Rights

Rebecca Perkins Kwoka Opinion in the Concord Monitor: Climate change is our generation’s make-or-break moment

June 27, 2022
By Rebecca Perkins Kwoka Rebecca Perkins Kwoka is a state senator representing NH’s 21st District. She is a member of NewDEAL’s national network of state […]
https://newdealleaders.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/perkins-kwoka.jpg 1116 1116 Jordan Smith https://newdealleaders.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/logo-tnd-300x74.png Jordan Smith2022-06-27 16:25:312022-06-27 16:25:31Rebecca Perkins Kwoka Opinion in the Concord Monitor: Climate change is our generation’s make-or-break moment

NewDEAL Statement on Supreme Court Opinion Overturning Roe v Wade 

June 24, 2022
For Immediate Release:                                                                 June 24, 2022                                                                          Contact: Jonathon Dworkin (NewDEAL), 202-660-1340 x5, jonathon@newdealleaders.org   NewDEAL Statement on Supreme Court Opinion Overturning Roe v Wade  Washington, […]
https://newdealleaders.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Roe-ruling-02.png 833 833 Jordan Smith https://newdealleaders.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/logo-tnd-300x74.png Jordan Smith2022-06-24 15:22:162022-06-24 15:34:30NewDEAL Statement on Supreme Court Opinion Overturning Roe v Wade 

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