Day One of the 2025 Democracy Solutions Summit will feature local elected officials, advocates, and leaders from across the country to highlight this often overlooked level of government along with the solutions that are working to increase women's representation in politics and strengthen our democracy.
Time: 3:10-3:35pm ET
The decisions being made by elected officials at the local level have the power to impact our day-to-day lives. Local office is also a critical entry point for women getting involved in politics. Our first session of Day One will be a fireside chat with Liana Cassar, Interim Executive Director of Family Values @ Work, along with RepresentWomen's very own Programs and Partnerships Managers Victoria Pelletier and Tamaya Dennard on the realities and importance of women serving at the local office, drawing from their own experiences as city council members of their respective cities.
Time: 3:35-4:15pm ET
In ranked choice voting elections, women win. Our second session for Day One will feature women elected with ranked choice voting (RCV) from cities across the country. Marcela Miranda-Caballero, Executive Director of Cal RCV, will sit down with Amelia Powers Gardner, Utah County Commissioner (Utah State), Johanna Bencomo, City of Las Cruces (NM) Mayor Pro Tem,
April Fournier, At-Large City Councilor Portland Maine, and Candace Avalos, Portland City Councilor for District 1, to discuss their experiences and benefits of running for office with a ranked choice voting system.
Time: 4:15-4:55pm ET
After hearing directly from women elected with ranked choice voting, we will wrap up the day with another expert discussion on the effective ways to build the democracy reform movement, using New York City and Alaska as models. Ebonie Simpson, Executive Director of The New Majority NYC, will be joined by Grace Ramsey, Co-Executive Director of Democracy Rising and Juli Lucky, Executive Director of Alaskans for Better Elections to highlight key lessons learned from their engagement and education in local communities to successfully implement and defend ranked choice voting.
Erin Vilardi is the Founder and CEO of Vote Run Lead, the nonprofit on a mission to create a truly reflective democracy with women and gender-expansive people holding at least 51% of U.S. legislative seats. Vote Run Lead has reached more than 55,000 women across America — nearly 60% of them women of color and 20% from rural areas — as part of its mission to increase women’s representation in government, specifically in targeted state legislatures.
Erin is an expert speaker on democracy and leadership development. With over two decades of experience in women’s leadership, social change, and cross-sector impact, she has a proven record of creating positive results for women in the public and private sectors and with partners from Fortune 100 companies, global girls’ initiatives, and the U.S. Department of State. She also serves on advisory boards for the Brennan Center for Justice and RepresentWomen. She was part of the inaugural cohort of the Keseb Democracy Entrepreneurship Fellows.
Erin has appeared at the Skoll World Forum over multiple years and on the mainstage at the Personal Democracy Forum. She has been interviewed on CNN, CSPAN, BBC, Fox News, NY1 and many local news outlets. Her writing has appeared in The Oprah Magazine, Marie Claire, New York Magazine and more. She is the co-author of the Athena Core10©, an innovative set of leadership competencies for 21st century women leaders. She is an Executive Producer of “Ann Richards’ Texas,” a documentary about the pioneering governor.
Erin lives in the historic Harlem neighborhood of New York City with her husband and children.
Liana Cassar is the Interim Executive Director of Family Values @ Work, a national network of state and local coalitions focused on paid time to care for all, where she also launched and guides a network and leadership development initiative for women and nonbinary equity and justice focused legislators.
Liana is serving in her first term as Town Councilor in Barrington, RI, where served two terms in the Rhode Island House of Representatives from 2019 through 2022. While in the legislature she served on the Health and Human Services and Small Business Committees and championed paid leave legislation, policies to address chronic homelessness, reproductive justice and public health and care economy solutions.
Prior to serving in elected office, her career spanned different sectors of the healthcare industry, mainly in Boston, MA and Providence, RI. Liana has led programs serving various communities - children, veterans and women - including leading programs at Women and Infants Hospital and Planned Parenthood of RI. She holds a Masters in Public Health from Boston University and an MBA from Simmons College.
Victoria Pelletier is a Programs & Partnerships Manager at RepresentWomen, and is based in Portland, Maine. She recently finished her term serving as a Portland City Councilor, and is the second Black woman in her city’s history that has been elected to this seat. She specializes in racial equity, community engagement and advocacy, and pushes for intersectionality in all levels of government. Prior to joining RepresentWomen, Victoria worked at Portland Empowered, amplifying the voices of racial and ethnic minorities as they influenced policy change within Portland Public Schools.
Victoria also worked as a racial equity project manger for a local government agency, where she collaborated with over 30 Maine cities and towns and helped to foster social change within their municipalities. Victoria is passionate about dismantling structures of oppression and leading her community towards authentic policy change. When she’s not working on RepresentWomen partnerships, you can find her listening to Renaissance and pursuing all aspects of Black joy.
Tamaya Dennard is the State Partnerships Manager at RepresentWomen and based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Inspired by Shirley Chisholm and Barbara Jordan and an abiding belief that everyone deserves a non-tokenized voice in what’s happening in their community, in 2017, Tamaya became the first openly gay woman elected to public office in the City of Cincinnati and served as President Pro Tem for Cincinnati City Council.
In addition to being the Chair of the first City Council committee focused on issues of equity, inclusion and young people, among her proudest legislative moments is the creation of Cincinnati’s Salary History Ordinance and the Girls in Government program.
After studying abroad in France, Spain and Guatemala, Tamaya earned a Bachelor’s Degree in International Business from the University of Cincinnati. In 2017, Tamaya was given the Affirmed Award by the Urban League Young Professionals of Southwest Ohio. In 2018, she was presented with the Theodore R. Berry Award by the Cincinnati NAACP and in 2019, she was voted Best Elected Official in Cincinnati by CityBeat Magazine.
In her spare time, you can find Tamaya sitting courtside rooting for the University of Cincinnati Women’s Basketball team, getting frustrated on a golf course, playing pickleball or listening to 90’s RnB and hip-hop (the golden era).
Marcela Miranda-Caballero is a campaign strategist, fundraiser, and policy expert. She currently serves as the Executive Director for California Ranked Choice Voting Institute (CalRCV) where she leads efforts to create a fairer and more equitable voting system in the largest state in the country. Since launching her career with then-Mayor of San Diego Kevin Falconer’s policy team, Marcela has proven herself as an advisor for national leaders, campaigns, and causes.
In 2018, she was the only Dreamer and Latina to build and lead a multimillion-dollar federal campaign as the campaign manager for Ammar Campa-Najjar’s national news-making effort to flip California’s 50th district. She broke fundraising records for a campaign in San Diego County and led an aggressive media strategy that gained coverage in national outlets such as the New York Times and NBC News. The success of her leadership propelled her to then lead a national super PAC combating corruption in government that helped flip the US Senate and foster political candidates across the country.
Marcela is the proud daughter of a working-class immigrant single mother who taught her a fierce work ethic and the importance of leadership. She owes her success to her lifelong commitment to serving her country and expanding the American Dream to all Americans. She is a first-generation college graduate who received her B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Business Management from San Diego State University.
Amelia Powers Gardner is a Utah County Commissioner. Amelia has over 15 years experience in the private sector working in engineering, manufacturing, and business development. She is a community leader, business consultant, disruptive technology advocate, government innovation leader, and mentor for career women.
Amelia serves on the Utah Digital Innovation and Blockchain Taskforce, the State Growth Taskforce, and on the Boards for several companies and nonprofits.
Prior to being elected as County Commissioner, Amelia served as the Utah County Clerk/Auditor, where she championed innovation and efficiency in government. Under Amelia’s leadership, Utah County launched the first ever completely online marriage license system utilizing blockchain to create the first Verifiable Digital Credential offered in the state of Utah, became the first jurisdiction in the United States allowing people with disabilities to vote using blockchain technology, and implemented paperless finance processes earning her a GovTech top 25 Doers, Dreamers, and Drivers for 2020.
Amelia grew up in Utah County, earned a BS from Weber State University, then she went to work for Caterpillar, spending time in the midwest and southern US and Canada, before returning home to Utah County. Amelia and her Husband Tobin live in Lehi, Utah and have 6 children.
Johana currently serves as Mayor Pro Tem on the Las Cruces City Council. Mayor Pro Tem Bencomo has focused on policy priorities aimed at addressing systemic inequities. Johana migrated to the United States with her family when she was 8 years old. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Government and Masters in Social Work from New Mexico State University. Johana also works with Electing Women Alliance-NM, where she gets to support other women running for public office. Johana has committed to a career in social justice and building power with historically excluded communities, primarily focusing on immigrant and workers’ rights and supporting other women in politics.
April Fournier (She/Her) is the Senior Training and Voter Engagement Strategist for Native Organizers Alliance, committed to providing training coordination and support, building strategic partnerships to support voter engagement activities and supporting the enhancement of outreach and education for long term political power building in Native communities.
April is Diné and currently resides in Portland, Maine the unceded and ancestral land of the Wabanaki Nations.
April has served on the Wabanaki Studies Advisory Group, currently serves on the board of the Equality Community Center, is a fellow with Democracy Rising’s ‘Democracy Transformation Project’, and an alumni of the Future President’s Project of the Women’s Democracy Lab. She is also a founding member of the Local Indigenous Leaders Circle with the National League of Cities and a founding member of Team Indigenous Rising Roller Derby.
April holds a Masters Degree in Education from the University of Maine.
Candace Avalos, also known as Candis Ávalos en español, is a first-generation “Blacktina” whose pronouns are she/her/ella. She is the daughter of Black Americans from southern Virginia and Guatemalan immigrants who relocated to Washington, D.C. in the 1970s.
Candace’s upbringing in a multiracial family with a rich cultural history has profoundly shaped her commitment to justice. These early experiences sparked her interest in government and politics, which ultimately led to her passion for government accountability. She became involved in student government and leadership from a young age, which inspired her first career as an educator. After earning a Masters of Education from James Madison University, Candace moved to the West Coast and chose Portland as her home.
Candace spent many years working at Portland State University and has served on several boards and commissions. Most recently, she served as the Executive Director of Verde, a nonprofit organization focused on bringing environmental investments to Portland’s neighborhoods.
For over a decade, Candace has been dedicated to Portland, serving as a solutions-oriented leader who brings people together to address the city’s many challenges. As the District 1 Councilor, she continues her advocacy for Portlanders, striving for a more equitable and prosperous future.
When not serving as a city councilor, Candace enjoys painting on canvas, experimenting with new makeup and fashion trends, playing Pokémon on her Nintendo Switch, dancing and singing karaoke with friends, playing fast-pitch kickball, and exploring every park Portland has to offer.
Ebonie Simpson’s background and passion lie at the intersection of social justice, equity, community efficacy, and public policy. She is the Executive Director of The New Majority NYC, a political organization dedicated to advancing gender parity in NYC electoral politics. Previously, she served in various roles at The Lower Eastside Girls Club of New York, including as Co-Executive Director from 2020 to 2023. Prior to her work at the Girls Club, Ebonie served as a 2012-13 NYC Urban Fellow and Associate Director at the NYC Mayor’s Office of Housing Recovery Operations.
Ebonie earned a BA in Public Policy Studies from Duke University, where she received the University Distinguished Leadership and Service Award in 2012, and a Master’s in Public Policy from Princeton University in 2024. She was recently named Manhattan Young Democrats’ 2024 Young Leader of the Year and City & State’s Power of Diversity: Women 100. She has also been honored by the NYS Assembly, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, the New York Knicks, and others. In her spare time, she sings with the Resistance Revival Chorus and works on equity and policy efforts in New York City, New York State, and nationally.
Grace brings over 10 years of experience working on voter education campaigns across the country. She began her career as an organizer with FairVote Minnesota’s Rank Your Vote campaign, went on to become Deputy Director of Outreach at FairVote, and led voter education and organizing campaigns as a consultant with Democracy in Action before co-founding Democracy Rising in 2020. Over the course of her career, she has come to deeply understand and appreciate the power of community organizing. Grace specializes in voter and candidate education, training development and facilitation, community organizing, and leadership development.
Grace has worked on campaigns to adopt or implement ranked choice voting in Alaska, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Oakland, Portland, Maine, Santa Fe, Las Cruces, New York City, Eastpointe, Albany, Palm Desert, Yakima, and in 23 cities across the state of Utah.
Juli Lucky is the Executive Director of Alaskans for Better Elections (ABE), which consists of a 501c4 organization that advocates for changes to the Alaska electoral system to empower voters, increase competition for elective office, and improve voter access; and a 501c3 foundation that educates voters, policy makers, and the public on the Alaska election system: a nonpartisan “Final Four” primary followed by a Ranked Choice Voting general election.
Before joining ABE, Juli worked briefly with the Alaska Redistricting Board after spending more than 20 years working for the Alaska State Legislature. A nonpartisan who worked for legislators from both parties, Juli was known for negotiating compromise legislation on diverse topics including oil taxes, education funding, fisheries issues, and COVID-19 economic hardship relief. She is widely respected for her ability to effect common-sense solutions through consensus-building.
Juli lives in Anchorage, Alaska with her children, two dogs, and a revolving door of foster pups.