Top 5 Things to Know about NewDEAL’s New Class
Twice a year, NewDEAL welcomes a new class of state and local officials to be a part of our organization. In mid-October, 19 elected officials from around the country were selected to join NewDEAL. Hailing from 17 states, this class includes some of the brightest and most engaged officeholders from around the nation.
We are in a moment of both unprecedented challenges and incredible opportunities for state and local officials, whose work will have a huge impact on our nation’s ability to fight the effects of climate change, address racial injustice, adapt to the changing nature of work, and combat threats to the core values of our nation. Members of the new class of NewDEALers exemplify the thoughtful, results-oriented approach to governing that our nation needs, and we look forward to highlighting and spreading their work across the country.
Here are five key things to know about the newest class:
A New Class that Reflects America’s Diversity: In our continuing effort to ensure NewDEAL Leaders are broadly representative of all Americans, we’re excited that this is one of our most diverse classes ever. More than half of the new class (53%) are people of color and eight are women.
And NewDEAL is proud to promote and support young, up-and-coming officials. More than half (10 out of 19) of the new class members are under the age of 40, with the youngest being Arturo Alonso, a state representative from Oklahoma. And 95 percent of the new class members are younger than 50.
As for their elected positions, this year’s class includes 13 state legislators, five local officials, and one statewide official (Austin Davis, Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania).
With state and local leaders facing issues like systemic racism, a Supreme Court taking away rights from women, the climate crisis, and new technologies like AI, NewDEAL is excited to welcome the leaders who will guide us to a better future.
School Board Members on the Front Line of Education Policy: As book banning and attacks on educators continue to spread on the right, NewDEAL is proud to welcome three school board members who are committed to ensuring safe, high-quality education for every child. Welcoming these members reiterates the NewDEAL mission to lift up a wide range of local officials who make key policy decisions, including school board members, city council members, county commissioners, and mayors. The three new school board members are:
- Ethan Ashley, Orleans Parish School Board, Louisiana
- Carrie Douglass, Bend-La Pine School Board, Oregon
- Danielle Gonzales, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Climate Change, Criminal Justice Reform are key issues for several members: Much of the national media focuses on federal policy, such as President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act or Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and NewDEALers have key roles supporting implementation major national efforts, but a great deal of policymaking directly impacting our lives comes from state and local elected leaders. This newest class brings expertise in a wide range of issues, including both climate change and criminal justice reform.
Among the new members focused on climate issues are:
- Meghan Lukens, Colorado Representative
- Aaron Rouse, Virginia Senator
- Laura Terech, Arizona Representative
In addition, two new members have taken leadership roles on making our criminal justice system more fair and just:
- Joanna McClinton, Speaker of the House, Pennsylvania
- Tanya Miller, Georgia Representative
NewDEAL looks forward to introducing the entire new class to policymakers and experts from around the country, so that their new ideas can be shared and they can learn from others engaged in these and other issues, including education, broadband access, housing, democracy and more.
Leading Pro-Democracy Efforts in 2024 Battleground States: The state of American democracy is one of the most important topics facing elected leaders from the President to city officials. As NewDEAL looks forward to the critical 2024 elections, we’re excited to welcome seven new members from purple states:
- Austin Davis, Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor
- Joanna McClinton, Speaker of the House, Pennsylvania
- Tanya Miller, Georgia Representative
- Marcelia Nicholson, Milwaukee County Board Chairwoman, Wisconsin
- Aaron Rouse, Virginia Senator
- Laura Terech, Arizona Representative
Democratic Officials Making a Difference in Conservative States: NewDEAL recognizes the need to support strong pro-growth progressive leadership in every state and our members have a track record of navigating every political climate. That includes being at the forefront of dealing with issues ranging from voter suppression to abortion bans in states with conservative leadership and super majorities. NewDEAL welcomes six new members from states that historically lean conservative:
- Arturo Alonso, Oklahoma Representative
- Ethan Ashley, Orleans Parish School Board, Louisiana
- Tom Beckius, Lincoln, Nebraska, City Council
- Salman Bhojani, Texas Representative
- Phillip Ensler, Alabama Representative
- Megan Srinivas, Iowa Representative
You can read more about our NewDEAL Leaders here, including all the members of this new class.
