2021 Election Watch: April 6 General Elections

2021 is not an off-year — the elections happening right now are more important than ever. As thousands of municipal races take place across the country, we’ll continue to inform you of the superb RFS-endorsed candidates running for office and how you can help their campaigns.

On April 6, thirty-one candidates are running in Illinois, Alaska, Massachusetts, Missouri, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, and Colorado. Learn about their races, their goals, and what you can do to support their candidacy, in-person or virtually.

CANDIDATES

ALASKA

Carl Jacobs
Anchorage School District School Board, Seat G
How To Help

Carl is running for Seat G on the Anchorage School Board. The Anchorage School District (ASD) is Alaska’s largest, and one of the most diverse in the entire nation.

Carl is running as someone who has spent their career engaged in public service as an investigator and regulatory enforcement specialist, serving and protecting elders and children in licensed facilities. He and his wife, Alicia, have also served as licensed therapeutic foster parents for the last decade, having cared for dozens of at risk youth with behavioral or mental health challenges.

He is committed to making ASD more responsive to the needs of his community, while increasing accountability and transparency. Anchorage parents deserve leadership willing to engage and tackle the significant challenges facing our district head on. Carl will work tirelessly to do just that.

COLORADO

Harrison Wendt
Durango City Council
How To Help

Harrison is 23 years old. He is an educator, activist and community organizer. Harrison identifies as queer and has fought and continues to win his battle with addiction and mental health. Over the last year Harrison saw how his community had been both awakened and challenged. Through a pandemic, which hurt the working and middle class people and through Social uprisings after the murder of George Floyd. Harrison saw the people of Durango come together to support those grieving loss and saw a movement start in defense and advocacy of Black Lives. Harrison was honored to be a part of the Southwest Movement for Black Lives. Harrison believes that Black Lives Matter and that Indigenous lives must be valued, in every level of government. Harrison heard the calls from his community for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

ILLINOIS

Amy Burrell
Village of Orland Park Board of Trustees
How To Help

From the southwest suburbs of Chicago, Amy is excited to invest in her community by running for village trustee of Orland Park, where she calls home with her husband and two dogs. Amy’s goal is to be a leader and representative for the younger generation in the community, and she hopes to inspire them to take an interest in their town — after all, the local level is where any vote carries the most weight. Amy recognizes the importance of having elected officials who reflect the diversity of one’s community, and she wants to work with her town to find more future leaders who will speak to the concerns of every voice in Orland Park.

In her term as trustee, Amy hopes to implement change in two other areas: the economy and the environment. With Orland being the major shopping center in the region, Amy is passionate about diversifying the town’s economy, as shopping trends are changing away from the traditional experience that Orland has to offer. Planning for the village’s success means preparing for an ever-changing future, and she wants to be involved in this process to invest in the long-term growth of her community. To further her other plans for Orland, Amy will use her background in animal sciences and sustainability to be an advocate for the environment. Her goal is to expand upon the existing open lands program to protect areas of Orland Park from unnecessary development, in addition to forming community garden spaces and implementing municipal composting.

Arjun Nair
Aurora City Council, 10th Ward
How To Help

Arjun has been a resident of Aurora, IL for almost decade now. He has been an activist for progressive issues like environmentalism and labor rights. I want to ensure that all voices across Aurora’s 10th Ward are heard. I want to ensure that they feel heard by and connected to city government. I want to work to get high-speed internet access to all Aurorans. I want to fund more services for the youth as well as the elderly. I want to be the voice for Aurora’s youth in city government.

Brian LaVaque
Lombard City Council, District 1
How To Help

Brian has lived in Lombard Village, District 1 for eight years. His wife Diana actually grew up not too far from where they are trying to raise their children Leo and Margot. They wanted their kids to grow up in a place that had a great sense of community, and so were drawn to Lombard’s little downtown. Like a lot of suburban commuter communities, the area went through a slow decline for decades. More aggressive towns nearby successfully reimagined their town centers, while Lombard just kind of sat there. There’s so much potential in the city, but his neighborhood needs more attention from the Village.

With his interest in how the local government worked, and looking for an opportunity to help out the community, Brian volunteered to work for the Village in 2013. He was appointed to our Economic and Development Committee, where he served for six years. He could see up close both what the real challenges are in a very competitive landscape, and the resources that exist to face them — if they could just improve our focus.

Brian is a key account representative for a major food company where he works every day to help both some of the largest companies in America and small family owned businesses that are the heart of their communities. Brian knows how to do this. He wants to have the chance to bring his unique insights, personal experience, and creative new ideas to the Village Council to help build the future for the town that he loves.

Bryan Amezquita
Rockford City Council
How To Help

Bryan is running as a candidate for Rockford’s 4th Ward. He was born and raised in the Rockford area and graduated from Rock Valley College with an Associates of Arts and Rockford University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Education with a special education endorsement. Him and his high school sweetheart were married in Rockford and they both went on to teach at RPS 205. Currently, he is a small business owner, the CEO of a local company. When Bryan is not focusing on expanding his ventures, he enjoys spending time with his wife, son, and their dogs.

Bryan is running because he believes we need leaders that are proactively working to better our community. Someone who knows the importance of being openly transparent in what they are working towards for the needs of our people and their best interests. Bryan’s goal is to be a main figure who will ensure Rockford continues to work on being the best city to work, invest, and raise our families. Along the way his hope is to get younger people involved with our local government and show their voices can be heard. He believes if we work together we can take pride in the place we call home.

Gail Eisenberg
New Trier Township Supervisor
How To Help

Gail lives in Wilmette, IL with her husband, David, and two children. She was elected to a four-year term as New Trier Township Trustee in 2017 and is running for Township Supervisor in 2021 to ensure efficient, empathetic government for the changing times. In addition to her civic work, Gail works as a civil rights attorney at Loftus & Eisenberg, focusing on workplace discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.

Gail emphasizes pro bono service. As a cooperating attorney with the ACLU’s Judicial Bypass Project, for instance, Gail has represented more close to thirty young people who are attempting to effectuate their well-informed choice to have an abortion without notifying an adult family member. As a volunteer attorney with the National Immigrant Justice Center, Gail obtained asylum for a transgender woman from Mexico who had faced persecution for her gender identity, and through the Domestic Violence Legal Clinic helped a woman obtain and enforce emergency and plenary orders of protection against her boyfriend.

She is active in the community, currently serving on boards and committees for her local school district, her synagogue, the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago, the March of Dimes, Women Employed, and the National Employment Attorneys Association -Illinois, Chicago Bar Association, and the Decalogue Society of Lawyers, while also co-leading her daughter’s Brownie Girl Scout Troop.

Gavin Cunningham
McLean County School Board, Unit 5
How To Help

Gavin is a former student of McLean County’s Unit 5 School District and is running because he believes that he can make important and lasting change. He attended the school district that he is running to be on the school board for all thirteen years that he was able to and has been extremely active in the community. His positive experiences in the school district have led him to majoring in special education at Illinois State University.

Gavin is running on three main issues. The first is that he would advocate for a committee to be formed of students, teachers & staff, and community members to reform the current K-12 history curriculum. Too often what students are being taught does not line up with actual history. By making what students are taught accurate and diverse, an additional amount of students will feel included and less like they’ve been lied to when they’re older. The second area of Gavin’s platform is that he would bring a youth perspective and representation to the school board. Students often don’t have a voice, and Gavin would be just that. The final major reason why Gavin is running is to represent the west side of the school district. Currently, there is zero representation on the board from anyone who lives in an area that feeds into the school on the western side of the district.

Jackie Gunderson
Mayor of Bloomington
How To Help

Jackie is a clear-sighted leader who is dedicated to ensuring Bloomington is a welcoming and inclusive city where everyone has a seat at the table. She possesses the motivation, creativity, and leadership skills necessary to serve and represent Bloomington residents. Jackie firmly believes that government should be serving the people it represents, and people should have access to their government. She felt called to run because our local government has some work to do in order to be more transparent and accessible to its residents, and she wants local government to reflect the amazing individuals that call this city home. Jackie wants to bring a fresh perspective of continuous improvement and forward progress, with everyday working people at the center.

Jackie is a Procurement Manager at Illinois State University, responsible for construction and facilities purchases, public bidding and solicitation processes, evaluating proposals, securing contracts, and reporting to the State of Illinois. She has previous leadership experience in environmental, health, safety, and risk management in a manufacturing setting. Outside of her professional roles, she serves as the Director of the Penguin Project of McLean County, a non-profit organization creating unrestricted access to the performing arts for children and young adults with developmental disabilities.

Jeremy Brzycki
Joliet City Council, At-Large
How We Help

Jeremy is a father, a devoted husband, and a passionate advocate for the city of Joliet, IL. He got involved in politics two years ago to protest a large development on the Southside of Joliet that threatened nearby Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie and Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery. Jeremy is running for Joliet City Council to bring the voice of the people back to the government, and to help his city chart a course ahead for the next 50 years and beyond. His top priorities are: providing critical resources for the underserved areas of Joliet, increasing government transparency, police reform, and bringing more living-wage jobs to his city.

As a project manager and process coach for the last six years, Jeremy has experience working with companies of many different sizes to increase their morale and customer focus. He will bring this skillset to the city council and work to pair neighborhood groups with the resources they need to help improve the community. Jeremy lives in the Marquette Gardens neighborhood of Joliet with his wife, two boys, two dogs, and a cat.

Kelby Cumpston
Bloomington City Council, Ward 7
How To Help

Kelby is a townie, a longtime Ward 7 resident, a husband, and a father to an adopted dog named Frank.

He never thought he would run for elected office. He has been in organizing spaces in Bloomington-Normal for over a decade, but has always taken more of a supporting role. He was the guy that combs through hundreds of pages of city council agendas. He doesn’t come from a political family, He doesn’t have a political science degree. But he is motivated to run because he sees his neighbors hurting and a city council that does not represent them.

Kelby’s heart lies with his community and those most disenfranchised. He has marshaled a two-day march from Decatur to Taylorville to advocate for the rights of our immigrant community. He has fought against payday lenders who prey on the vulnerable. He coordinated grassroots efforts like the Bloomington-Normal Really Really Free Market and the McLean County COVID-19 Mutual Aid project to support and uplift our local community.

Kelby has been a general member of Black Lives Matter Blono for five years, doing what has been asked of him by our Black leaders.

He will carry this into his work on the City Council by listening to all residents of Ward 7 and prioritizing the voices of our BIPOC neighbors. He believes it’s his responsibility to use his privilege as a white man and his seat at the City Council as a way to amplify the voices that are too often silenced in our local government. As your representative on the Bloomington City Council, Kelby will continue to advocate for the people of Ward 7 and humbly asks for your support and your vote.

Kevin Hall
Edwardsville Township Supervisor
How To Help

Kevin is running for Edwardsville Township Supervisor because our community can do more to help the people struggling in the Township, especially in the midst of our current pandemic.

If elected, Kevin will help the Township work within our means to provide additional resources to those needing help with basic necessities like food, medicine, and diapers. As the father of two boys in diapers, he cares about the future of our township and will bring a fresh perspective.

Nashra Mohammed
Lincolnwood District 74 School Board
How To Help

Nashra is currently attending DePaul University where she is majoring in Management Information Systems and minoring in Community Service. She aspires to pursue a career in Law. She worked with the Democratic Party of Evanston in support of Laura Fine and Jan Schakowsky where she helped by holding phone banks and gathering signatures in the area. Working with Laura Fine during her senior year of high school heightened her passion for a push for quality education.

Nashra worked as an election judge her senior year where she became more interested in her community. Mohammed has been part of several charity organizations in hoping to make the world a better place. She worked with organizations such as Feed My Starving Children, The Chicago Coalition of the Homeless, and The Humanity Projects throughout her career.

Over the course of the summer of 2020, Nashra worked with Northwestern University to establish an efficient way to provide basic civic education and facilitate voter registration to first-year students and transferees at DePaul University. She saw that students were uniquely susceptible to a large number of barriers while voting and wanted to find a solution. Nashra is also the recipient of the Community Service Scholarship at DePaul University and completes 90 service learning hours every year.

In addition to running for the school board for the second time, Nashra is currently the youngest board member for The Chicago Area Peace Action Organization, the founding member and President of IGNITE DePaul and she also serves on the Environmental Committee for the Village of Lincolnwood and the Dean Student Advisory Board at DePaul University. At the age of 20, Nashra is full of enthusiasm to change the world.

Nathaniel Booker
Mayor of Maywood
How To Help

Nathaniel is a 3rd generation Village of Maywood homeowner, with his family being residents of Maywood since 1961. He currently serves as Founder & Chief Engagement Officer of Astute Culture Consulting an Organizational & Leadership Development enterprise. He has served in Executive Hotel Operations and Human Resources for Marriott International and InterContinental Hotel Group (IHG). After serving in the hospitality industry for 15 years he rose to Area Director in Training & Performance Improvement for IHG overseeing the brands InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, and EVEN Hotels corporate properties. While with IHG, Booker was an essential piece in the opening of the first 4 corporate EVEN Hotel properties where he collaborated to establish brand policies and training practices.

Nathanniel’s career ambitions have had him serve in Chicago, Nashville, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Dallas, and New York. Booker’s education includes Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Tennessee State University (Psychology), American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) (Certified Hospitality Trainer), Franklin Covey (Ultimate Competitive Advantage Certified Facilitator), Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville (Illinois Economic Development Certified) and much more.

Nathaniel Groh
Palatine Township Trustee, IL
How To Help

Nathaniel is running for Palatine Township Trustee because he believes in the need for good governance and is dedicated to standing up for economic and social justice for the people of Palatine Township.

Nathaniel has a long record of political organizing and government service. He served as State Representative Mark Walker’s District Office Director where he worked daily to ensure the Representatives constituency was well served by state government. His work in political organizing has given him a deep understanding of community engagement and active mobilization of people and their power.

Nathaniel is committed to listening to scientists and believes that during these challenging times of COVID-19 the stark realities of our institutions have been highlighted and the deep economic and social injustices made worse. The need for representatives who listen to science and prioritize community health is apparent and the long neglect for community health both economic and social has borne out stale fruit. Good governance, over the long term, is vital to battling the current and future crises. Nathaniel believes that that good governance must start here, at home, in Palatine Township.

Patrick Lawler
Bloomington City Council, Ward 5
How To Help

Patrick is an educator who decided to run for City Council to make sure that Bloomington isn’t just serving the needs of the affluent and those who own businesses. Having grown tired of City leaders emphasizing economic development over the struggles facing his students and their families, Patrick decided to take his service beyond the walls of his classroom to City Hall.

He believes that people should be placed at the forefront of every decision made by the City. With the pandemic being far from over, Patrick would like to see Bloomington prioritize direct aid to vulnerable families. As a teacher, he also knows that proactively addressing the unmet needs of students is a more effective way to help them than using reactive, punitive measures. He wants Bloomington to operate in the same manner. Instead of leaving problems that arise from homelessness and a lack of mental healthcare services to be managed by the police, Patrick wants the Council to focus on addressing those underlying issues in a manner that uplifts local families.

Ricardo Martinez
Lyons Township District 204 School Board

Ricardo is running for IL Cook County District 204 school board because he wants to give a strong voice for equity in achievement and access to opportunity. LTHS has a diverse student population (~28% non-white) but lacks racial equity. There is an immense achievement gap (37–56 pt gap comparing Latinx & Black students to White students). Ricardo researched K-12 racial equity plans and led a community activist group in speaking at a school board meeting to ask for action. LTHS also has not done enough to maintain facilities; after learning that students faint in classrooms that can be 90°+, Ricardo organized community members to advocate using a portion of the reserves to implement air conditioning. This led to a commitment to cool one school wing that year. The school has additionally failed to invest in technology; while schools that feed into LTHS have 1–1 computing, LTHS does not and are relying on a patchwork of devices to facilitate e-learning. Students have been encouraged to use their own device, which doesn’t serve the 11% of low-income students nor the 1% homeless.

Ricardo works in analytics and will use data to guide decisions. Current research in pedagogy suggests a strong link between belonging and achievement; students who feel discrimination both socially and due to a lack of resources will struggle academically. Ricardo could be one of the first elected minority members who also experienced poverty as a child and young adult, thus adding a fresh, diverse voice to the D204 school board.

Sandra Gonzalez
Waubonsee Community College College Board, District 516
How To Help

Sandra is a former teacher, community organizer, and doctoral student. She worked as a high school Spanish teacher in Aurora, having advocated for students affected by immigration and educational issues that impacted their experience and held educational stakeholders accountable. She is the oldest daughter of Salvadoran migrants, having fled the country’s civil war in 1992 while her mother was three months pregnant. She is the first in her family to pursue a doctoral program and the first to graduate from university in the U.S. Likewise, she is a Ph.D. student at Illinois State University, studying educational administration and foundations in order to pass on knowledge to her community and ultimately work with students as they navigate opportunities for advanced degrees.

She wants to make WCC equitable for all students. Sandra understands being a student during COVID and is determined to alleviate the stress students and faculty are facing during this time. Her interest is not making a career out of politics. Her career is in higher education and the board needs someone with that perspective. With that said, her priorities include bringing the student and faculty voice to the table; holding the administration and the Board of Trustees accountable along with decision-making information being transparent to the public; and lastly, keeping tuition affordable to increase retention at the institution. Sandra is looking forward to advocating for the needs of the students, faculty, and staff of Waubonsee Community College and working with and for the campus community.

Stacy Ellis
Mayor of Antioch
How To Help

Stacy grew up in a small working class town with humble beginnings. As the first in her family to attend college, Stacy received her bachelors in social work from Western Illinois University. She has a long history of working in social services. Within that time she got married and had two daughters. Being a working mother is extremely rewarding.

On March 30th, 2019 Stacy’s husband, State Trooper Gerald “Jerry” Ellis, died on duty when a drunk driver was driving the wrong way on I94 hitting Jerry head on changing her family’s life forever. She was showered by love, not only by the Illinois state police, but the community and her neighborhood. The support she received made a huge difference in the grieving process. The outpouring of support was so powerful she wanted to give back.

The power of the community and difference they could make encouraged her to run for mayor. Between working in social services and the events of Jerry’s death She wanted to give back to the same community who supported her. Stacy wants to use her experiences to make a positive difference and to make Antioch a place people want to live, work and play. To be inclusive and welcoming for everyone.

MASSACHUSETTS

Bryan Cole
Milford Planning Board
How To Help

Bryan works as a research analyst in the baseball operations department of the Chicago Cubs. He earned a doctorate in electrical engineering from Boston University in 2012, and a bachelor’s in electrical engineering and mathematics from Tulane University of Louisiana in 2007. He lives in Milford with his wife, Ashley and daughter Mattina.

If elected, Cole will work to proactively tackle quality-of-life issues, including protecting the environment and preserving Milford’s historical character, and build relationships with state agencies, other town departments, and local residents and business owners to streamline efforts to make Milford a great place to live, work, and raise a family.

Cole currently serves as vice-chair of the Milford Cultural Council and as chair of the Milford Democratic Town Committee. Cole also is a member of the Milford Area Humanitarian Coalition, a town meeting member in precinct 8, and a consultant with the Town Meeting Study and Improvement Committee. Cole recently served as co-chair for the town’s election working group, which sought to improve turnout in local elections and organized annual candidate forums and registration drives at Milford High School.

RJ Sheedy
Milford School Committee
How To Help

RJ is running for School Committee in Milford, Massachusetts because he cares about and loves his town and wants to give back where he sees he can. His commitments to the Town of Milford includes serving as an elected Town Meeting Member, being the vice chair of the Milford Democratic Town Committee, and being a member of Milford TV since its inception, where his credits include hosting, producing, and editing many shows, including his own, since 2013.

MISSOURI

Alisha Sonnier
St. Louis Public Schools Board of Education
How We Help

Alisha was born and raised in the Gateway to the West, Saint Louis, Missouri. She is an unabashed mental health advocate and an impassioned community organizer, and she’s running for the SLPS Board of Education to establish every child has a gateway to success, not less. The catalyst for Alisha’s dedicated community advocacy was the unnecessary fatal shooting of Michael Brown in 2014, sparking her involvement in the Ferguson Protests. Alisha has always understood the opportunity in intellect, and following Ferguson decided to lobby her own higher learning institution for investment in local areas, leading a campus sit-in that became known globally as OccupySLU. The occupation was resolved with Saint Louis University allocating resources to a variety of educational initiatives aimed at empowering STL youth.

Alisha’s voice only grew from there, as she has become a prominent leader in St. Louis for social movements far before their time: such as the “Fight for $15,” Bernie Sanders’ 2016 Presidential candidacy, and electing Cori Bush to the U.S. House. Now holding a Bachelor’s in Psychology, Alisha works as a mental health advocate, and believes in a renaissance of STL through a holistic reimagining of childhood development and education. She believes off the back of a pandemic is the time to implement innovative and transparent reforms that center the child and community, and nurture a new normal for the bedrock of Saint Louis: our kids.

Andrea Waner
Columbia City Council, Ward 2
How To Help

Andrea is a communicator and public servant with diverse experience in public health, human rights, public policy, and education. She is running to represent the Second Ward for the Columbia City Council, with a focus on protecting public health, preserving good-paying jobs, and creating a Columbia where everyone has the opportunity to prosper. Andrea serves as Chair of the Human Rights Commission for Columbia. As a leader on the commission, Andrea worked to broaden Columbia’s nationally recognized workplace, fair-housing, and civil-rights ordinances to include contractors. The ordinances led to Columbia earning an all-star rating and a perfect score of 100 points on the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index for the past three years.

Andrea is passionate about equity, diversity, and inclusion in the public sector, and prides herself on her commitment to transparency and accountability in all settings. She is a graduate of the Harry S. Truman School of Public Affairs at the University of Missouri and was inducted into Pi Alpha Alpha, a global honor society for public affairs and administration. She is the mother to son Henry, wife to Joseph, and proud owner of four chickens: Sandra, Ruth, Elena, and Sonia.

Anne Schweitzer
St. Louis Board of Aldermen, 13th Ward
How To Help

Anne was born and raised in South St. Louis City, where she is running for office. She received a Politics and Environmental Studies degree from Brandeis University in Massachusetts. When she was 20, she rode her bike across the country in support of affordable housing. After college, Anne worked as a community organizer at a community development corporation, mostly around tenants’ rights. In 2012, she moved back to St. Louis and began working as a publicist, writing words for candidates, companies, and non-profits. As a candidate, her priorities are boosting St. Louis and holistically addressing safety, education, and development.

Anne volunteers as a clinic escort with NARAL. She co-founded the Young Friends of Forest ReLeaf and has planted dozens of trees in the St. Louis region. She is a member of the Friends of Carondelet Park Board, an urban homesteader (talk to her if you have thought about backyard chickens!), a foster parent and foster coordinator with Stray Haven Feline Rescue, and a member of the First Neighbor Program with St. Joseph Housing Initiative.

Heather Hardinger
Springfield City Council, General Seat A
How To Help

Heather is a candidate for City Council, General Seat A in Springfield, MO. In volunteer roles and as a professional, Heather has dedicated time, energy, and effort to understanding the issues that face the city and wants to work to foster a community where everyone can thrive.

A growing economy can solve so many challenges in a community, and Springfield is a thriving and energetic metropolitan area that is the perfect incubator for a wealth of industries and jobs. One of Heather’s priorities is to support existing businesses so that they can grow and expand in the area while working to attract new companies and good jobs.

Heather’s entire career has been dedicated to public service in some capacity. She is committed to listening to citizens about their needs and working to lead Springfield’s economy into an era of robust growth so families can thrive and maintain a good quality of life.

Dr. Ian Shadrick
Jefferson City Board of Education
How To Help

Ian has over 16 years of experience in education, disability and blind rehabilitation services, counseling, administration, and public health. Ian is married and a parent of two children who are deaf and hard of hearing. As a person with low vision and a parent, he understands the importance of access to high quality education.

Ensuring quality education for all students is a fundamental role of a community. Community involvement and investment in the education of its students is vital to helping all students succeed. From early intervention and Pre-K to High School, a high-quality education has a lasting impact on students and the community. Ian is running for the board of education because he has dedicated his professional life to advocating for access to quality education for all students. Having worked with students statewide, he has seen the impact of increased access to educational opportunities and services on students’ lives. These are two of Ian’s top priorities for JCPS. Additionally, guaranteeing decisions are made based on data. Increasing professional development opportunities for staff and improving district communication are also priorities.

Ian brings experience and leadership skills to help strengthen JCPS for all students, and would be honored to serve as a board member. Ian holds a doctorate of education in special education leadership and educational leadership, with masters in rehabilitation teaching and counseling. He currently works remotely as a Blind Rehabilitation Specialist at Walter Reed Military Medical Center, and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Special Education at Hunter College.

NEBRASKA

Jasmine Harris * (Primary Race)
Mayor of Omaha
How To Help

Jasmine is a public health expert and community organizer born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. Jasmine is running for Mayor of Omaha because she understands that the solutions to the city’s challenges lie with those who actually experience them. Too many of the issues that Jasmine faced as a Black woman and single mother 19 years ago are still holding the city back. All over, Omahans are struggling to make ends meet — and city leaders have failed to address the most basic issues felt by everyday people.

After getting a Master’s degree in Public Health from UNMC, Jasmine turned her focus to addressing the underlying conditions that impact quality of life for Omaha residents. Since then, she has been a proven leader of people, mobilizing local residents and grassroots experts to change government in meaningful ways — together.

Jasmine knows that Omaha needs a leader who will work proactively and inclusively to help everyone in the city thrive, regardless of race or zip code. Jasmine will manage COVID-19 by listening to public health professionals, maximizing vaccine distribution, and helping small businesses. She will also improve public safety by addressing the root causes that bring people into contact with the criminal justice system, such as mental health, poverty, and inequitable access to resources. Finally, Jasmine knows that it’s time for Omaha to provide reliable, equitable transit, modern and accessible city services, and an active commitment to sustainability.

OKLAHOMA

Molly Ooten
Oklahoma Senate, District 22
How to Help

Molly is a speech pathologist, mom and lifelong Oklahoman. She graduated from Edmond Memorial High School and went on to earn a dual degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and Spanish from Harding University in Arkansas. Returning to her roots, she furthered her education by attaining her Master’s degree in Speech Pathology at the University of Oklahoma in 2013.

Since then she has worked in both the adult and pediatric settings, but most notably she has been employed for the last 6 years by Oklahoma County SoonerStart, an early intervention program serving local children and their families. In this role she has had many leadership opportunities, including providing training and in-service to fellow SoonerStart employees, being a guest lecturer at the University of Central Oklahoma, and presenting at two consecutive state conferences in the field of speech pathology. In 2018 she completed the Partners in Policymaking training, a national program to develop and support advocates for people with disabilities.

She and her husband Michael have been married for 7 years and have two kids, Henry and Mazie. They moved back to Molly’s hometown of Edmond and are privileged to be able to live close to both of their extended families. Molly has recently enjoyed serving as a deacon at their church, Mayflower Congregational United Church of Christ. She is currently also in the process of earning a second Master’s degree in Public Administration, and is looking forward to taking her fresh ideas and outlook to the Oklahoma State Senate.

WISCONSIN

Ayomi Obuseh
Madison City Council, District 8
How To Help

Ayomi is running for District 8 Alder in Madison, WI. She started as a youth organizer in Madison West High School to demand for a more inclusive environment for students and staff of color in the Madison Metropolitan School District. She has continued her social justice work to advocate for policies that prioritize youth and families. As the co-founder and Executive Director for Impact Demand, she helped organize the Madison 4 Black Lives Movement and has worked to increase community control. She has interned with Madison City Council and the WIsconsin State Capitol as well as worked on a Congressional Campaign. She was a fellow for the Movement for Black Lives, and has worked with local nonprofits to engage the community in local activism.

Ayomi is committed to challenging the narrative of justice and uses her voice to amplify those who are often silenced. Her campaign platform is cognizant that many of the issues faced by the community, such as Madison’s housing and sustainability crisis, have been issues systematically enabled by legislation. Hence, she has a variety of innovative solutions and partnerships planned to push through equitable policies and community projects; details can be found at ayomi4alder.vote. As the District 8 Alder, she will be able to utilize her position to develop partnerships among the city, local nonprofits, UW-Madison, and the community to create a sustainable Madison in which even marginalized communities can thrive.

Juliana Bennett
Madison City Council, District 8
How To Help

Juliana is currently in her junior year at UW-Madison and pursuing degrees in Political Science and Finance. Originally from a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, Juliana grew up in Beloit and later graduated from Madison West High School with honors. Enrolled at the University as a FastTrack scholar with direct admittance to the Wisconsin School of Business, Juliana co-founded the UW-Madison BIPOC Coalition that she connected with 50+ multicultural student organizations to meet BIPOC student demands. She has written successful legislation, through the Associated Students of Madison. As District 8 Alder, Juliana will not only represent but work to include and amplify the voices that have been historically left out.

Maia Pearson
Madison Board of Education, Seat 1
How To Help

Maia, 33, has been a grass-roots activist since her teens, following in the footsteps of her grandmother who fought inequities since the time she arrived in Madison, Wisconsin. Madison enjoys its long-time reputation for being progressive — but only recently has begun to acknowledge the inequities that earned the city ranking as the worst place in the U.S. to raise a Black child. A graduate of the public schools, Maia graduated with a BA in International Relations, focusing on Culture in the Age of Globalization while raising three wonderful children as a single parent.

Over the past 4 years, Maia was foundational in leading a fight for food access for her community; broke ground in her roles on city planning committees for her area of the city; has been appointed to the executive committee of the hard fought, newly established Civilian Oversight Board for the Police; run a small business; and left her work at a state agency to become the Wisconsin Director for a national, student-led nonprofit focused on college un-affordability.

In 2021, Maia is running unopposed for a seat on the Madison Board of Education on a platform that focuses on “Student Excellence, Teacher Success, and Community Collaborations.” She feels hopeful she will be joining a Board and a new Superintendent at a time when there is a focus on turning things around. It won’t be easy, but she looks forward to building stronger schools through shared commitment, and building trust with the community at the grass-roots.