OPENING REMARKS
Rina Shah
Rina Shah is a voice for a new generation of political leaders. As a center-right woman of color and daughter of African and Indian immigrants, she has earned high acclaim for her sharp analysis and ability to carve a refreshing path between partisan extremes. A principled defender of democratic values and fierce advocate for systems reform, Rina is a frequent guest on the world’s top media networks for her commentary on a wide range of issues, and her editorials have been published in outlets ranging from The L.A. Times to The Washington Post. Rina has been a spokeswoman and top advisor for two U.S. presidential campaigns, senior aide to two Republican members of Congress, sought-after political strategist, accomplished businesswoman, and, most importantly, a wife and mother of three young daughters. She is known in Washington, DC as a coalition-builder who has elevated the role of women in government and politics, advanced pragmatic policy solutions, and ruffled more than a few old feathers. Rina believes that preserving the values that made America the most prosperous and powerful democracy in history does not mean running away from progress; she embraces a better future for all. Her favorite way to unwind is taking a jog at sunset to the Lincoln Memorial.
FIRESIDE CHAT - ELECTION ADMINISTRATION AND DEMOCRACY
Amber McReynolds
Amber McReynolds is an author, innovator, speaker, transformative thought-leader, executive, and civic enthusiast. In 2021, Amber was appointed by the President and confirmed by the US Senate to serve as a Governor for the United States Postal Service Board of Governors and in December 2024, Amber was elected by her fellow Governors to be Chairwoman of the Board.
Amber is an experienced election professional who is nationally recognized for her work to design pro-voter policies, voter-centric processes, and implement technical innovations that improve the voting experience for all.
Amber is the co-author of the book When Women Vote and has championed nonpartisan and innovative reforms to strengthen and secure the voting process for all.
Cait Conley
Cait Conley is a proven leader of public and private organizations responsible for solving hard national security challenges. Conley has over two decades of extensive global special operations, counterterrorism and homeland security leadership experience.
Prior to joining Hidden Level as their Chief Growth Officer, Conley most recently served as the Senior Advisor to the Director of CISA (the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency as part of the Department of Homeland Security). In that role she provided direct counsel to the Director on operational and strategic priorities, and served as CISA’s Senior Executive overseeing the agency’s multidomain election security mission supporting state and local election offices in all 50 states and territories and the private sector vendor community. For the 2024 election cycle, Conley oversaw CISA’s delivery of thousands of physical and cybersecurity services and trainings supporting tens of thousands of critical infrastructure stakeholders to include onsite and remote assessments, penetration testing, incident response assistance, and tabletop exercises to rehearse incident response and communications plans and processes.
Conley is also a decorated combat veteran with six overseas deployments, and over a decade of service in the Special Operations community. Prior to joining CISA, Conley served as the Director for Counterterrorism on the National Security Council where she led policy efforts to counter threats from Middle East state and non-state actors and domestic emerging threats. Conley also previously served as the Executive Director of the bipartisan Defending Digital Democracy Project, based out of Harvard University’s Belfer Center. As Executive Director, she led the development and implementation of strategies, tools and recommendations for election administrators, election infrastructure providers, campaign organizations and leaders involved in democratic processes to better defend against cybersecurity threats.
During her military career, Conley served in a range of tactical and operational leadership positions to include special operations team leader and troop commander, as well as the Operations Officer (J3) for both regional and global counter-terrorism and counter-state task forces.
Conley is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Master of Public Policy Degree from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Conley is also a proud General Wayne A. Downing Scholar and Tillman scholar.
FIRESIDE CHAT - PRIORITIZING CHILDCARE & PAID LEAVE: THE PATH TO A MORE INCLUSIVE DEMOCRACY
Liuba Grechen Shirley
Liuba is the Founder and CEO of Vote Mama, an interconnected trio of organizations dedicated to electing mothers, transforming the political system, and advancing family-friendly policies. These organizations include Vote Mama PAC, the nation’s first Political Action Committee focused on electing Democratic moms across the ballot; Vote Mama Foundation, the leading source of research and analysis on the political participation of mothers in the United States; and Vote Mama Lobby, which collaborates with elected officials from both parties to support policies that benefit families and children. These organizations aim to elect mothers, transform the political system, dismantle barriers for mothers running for office, normalize candidacies of mothers with young children, and promote family-friendly legislation.
Liuba's career highlights include her historic congressional campaign for New York’s 2nd District, where she achieved the highest vote share of any Democrat against the incumbent in 25 years and raised over $2 million without corporate PAC money. She made history as the first woman to receive federal approval to spend campaign funds on childcare. Liuba has been recognized as one of Long Island’s 100 Most Powerful People and featured in major media outlets like CNN, The Today Show, and TIME Magazine. Her academic background includes an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business and a BA in Politics and Russian from NYU. Liuba resides on Long Island with her husband and three children.
Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner
Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of MomsRising, a nonprofit advocacy group with over a million members across the nation working to improve economic security, stop discrimination, and build a nation where everyone can thrive. She is a frequent public speaker, radio host, and an award-winning author of several books. She has advised lawmakers at the highest levels and been published and featured in hundreds of news outlets, including: Politico, USA Today, TIME, The Guardian, CNN, MSNBC, Newsweek, New York Times, and Washington Post.
Dawn Huckelbridge
Dawn Huckelbridge is the Founding Director of Paid Leave for All and Paid Leave for All Action, the national campaign of organizations leading the fight for paid family and medical leave for all working people in the United States. She has held leadership positions at Supermajority, American Bridge, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, People For the American Way, and the Barbara Lee Family Foundation. She graduated from the London School of Economics and Political Science with a master’s degree in gender and social policy and studied political science and communications at Northwestern University. She loves good food, good government, and raising her son in Capitol Hill.
U.S. Representative Jennifer McClellan
Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan is the first Black woman to represent Virginia in Congress. In the 119th Congress, she sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. She also serves as a leadership member in the Congressional Black Caucus and the New Democrat Coalition and chairs the Reproductive Freedom Caucus’s Abortion Rights and Access Task Force. Prior to her election to Congress, she served in the Virginia General Assembly from 2006 to 2023.
FIRESIDE CHAT - BREAKING BARRIERS WITH ELECTORAL REFORM
Cynthia Richie Terrell
Cynthia Richie Terrell is the founder and executive director of RepresentWomen and an outspoken advocate for institutional reforms to advance women’s representation and leadership in the United States. Terrell and her husband Rob Richie helped to found FairVote - a nonpartisan champion of electoral reforms that give voters greater choice, a stronger voice, and a more representative democracy. Terrell has worked on projects related to women's representation, democracy, and voting system reform in the United States and has worked to help parliamentarians around the globe meet UN goals for women’s representation and leadership.
Terrell has worked on political campaigns, as campaign manager and field director for candidates for the U.S. presidency, U.S. House and U.S. Senate, for governor and for state and city-wide initiative efforts, including a state equal rights amendment.
In 2024 Terrell was named one of Washington, DC's top policy expert and received a Generational Impact Award for her work on voting system reform. Terrell is a member of the Citizen University's Civic Collaboratory and was named a Brewer Fellow along with a cohort of leaders in the democracy reform movement. Terrell has a chapter on women and the presidency in the 2020 volume The Best Candidate: Presidential Nomination in Polarized Times.
Terrell writes a weekly column on women’s representation for Ms Magazine and has been published in numerous print journals including: the Washington Post, The New York Times, The Hill, Refinery29, The Nation, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, The American Prospect, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Baltimore Sun, and The Christian Science Monitor. She has appeared on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal; and has participated in numerous radio shows, podcasts & panel discussions on the topics of electoral reform and systems strategies to advance women’s representation and leadership.
Terrell is an avid knitter & gardener, has three children, and is active in local politics and in the Quaker community. She graduated with a B.A. in political science from Swarthmore College in 1986.
Meredith Sumpter
Meredith Sumpter is an executive leader of innovative organizations and movements that drive value for people. As President and CEO of FairVote, Meredith is working to advance a more representative and functional democracy that delivers for every American. FairVote is a nonpartisan organization that researches and advances ranked choice voting (RCV) and proportional RCV. RCV gives voters the option to rank candidates in order of preference when they vote. RCV is the election reform that produces a majority winning candidate, resulting in more competitive elections, greater voter say and choice in who represents them, better representation, and more focus on the issues and getting things done with successful candidates building broad support among voters.
Previously, Meredith was President & CEO of the Council for Inclusive Capitalism, a global community of CEOs creating market value through sustainable and inclusive business practices. She has held an advisory position at New America and Harvard University, where she convened public sector leaders with national research experts to advance democratic resilience through innovative reforms. Formerly, Meredith oversaw the Research & Strategy platform at Eurasia Group, a global geopolitical advisory firm, where she advised industry leaders and investors on market impacts of political risk, economic and social disruption. Meredith has worked in the US Senate and as a US diplomat and government official in Beijing, where she advised two US ambassadors. Originally from Alaska and now residing in Virginia, Meredith enjoys a rich life parenting four children with her husband Ryan.
Eileen Reavey
Eileen Reavey is Executive Director of Rank The Vote, leveraging over a decade of experience in grassroots organizing, coalition building, and strategic planning. During her tenure as the National Grassroots Director for National Popular Vote from 2018 to 2023, Eileen played a pivotal role in shaping national strategy and spearheaded advocacy campaigns across 15 states to elect the President by popular vote. She has dedicated her career to driving meaningful change in the political and social landscape and has advised nonprofits as well as local, state, and federal campaigns through her firm, Reavey Consulting.
Eileen has been actively engaged with Ranked Choice Voting advocacy since 2019 and currently sits on the board of directors of Oregon Ranked Choice Voting Advocates. She earned a B.S. in Environmental Science & Public Policy from York College of Pennsylvania and an M.S.L. in Environmental, Natural Resources and Energy Law from Lewis & Clark Law School. In the last decade she has lived in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Oregon and currently calls California home.
PANEL - THE POWER OF BIPARTISANSHIP
Susannah Wellford
Over the last two decades, Susannah Wellford founded two organizations designed to raise the political voice of young women in America.
In spring 2007, Susannah founded Running Start to inspire young women and girls to pursue political leadership. Running Start furthers the work begun by the Women Under Forty Political Action Committee (WUFPAC), which Susannah cofounded in 1999 and led for five years.
Susannah is a globally recognized expert on women in politics, and she speaks frequently about the importance of inspiring more young women to enter politics. In addition to speaking and training at law schools, universities, nonprofits and private companies in the US, she has lectured in the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Israel, Belgium, Ukraine, Algeria, England, Germany and Russia. She served as an opinion contributor at US News and World Report on gender and politics, and she is the coauthor of a chapter in “Feminist Pedagogy, Practice and Activism: Improving Lives for Girls and Women.” She has won multiple awards for her work, including the ExCelHonors Youth Advocate Award in 2019, and the John W. Kuykendall Award for Community Service from Davidson College in 2020. Susannah recently participated in the Joint Civilian Orientation Course (JCOC), the oldest and most prestigious public liaison program in the United States Department of Defense. In the spring of 2020, Susannah began teaching Women and Political Leadership at American University.
After receiving her JD from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1998, Susannah worked for several years at Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson & Hand, lobbying for state and local governments, foreign governments, corporate entities and trade associations before Congress and the Executive Branch.
Prior to law school, Susannah worked for Hillary Clinton’s Health Care Task Force in the Clinton White House. As a member of the Health Care War Room staff, she planned and executed grass-roots health care events for the President and First Lady and coordinated speaking events for Congressional Members and White House staff on health care reform issues. She is also a former Legislative Assistant for Senator Wyche Fowler from Georgia and a proud 1990 graduate of Davidson College. Susannah lives in Washington, DC and Brooklyn, New York. She is the proud mother of twins, Beatrice and James.
U.S. Representative Chrissy Houlahan
Houlahan is an Air Force veteran, engineer, entrepreneur, educator, and nonprofit leader. She is serving her fourth consecutive term representing the people of Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District, which encompasses Chester County and southern Berks County. Houlahan is the first female veteran named as Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee’s Military Personnel Subcommittee and is a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
Besty Wright Hawkings
Over 25 years, Betsy Wright Hawkings served as chief of staff to four Republican House members who represented majority-Democratic districts. Her longest service was for Rep. Christopher Shays, helping to develop coalitions to pass cross-partisan legislation like the Congressional Accountability Act, the 9-11 Commission and legislation to implement its recommendations. The founding Managing Director of Democracy Fund’s Governance Program, she now heads Article 1 Advisors, providing support to entrepreneurial organizations seeking to foster dialogue across the ideological spectrum; promote more effective congressional systems, processes and procedures; develop innovative programs to deepen leadership development for members of Congress and staff; and reduce incentives for hyper-partisanship and gridlock in government.
Jennifer Pierotti Lim
Jennifer Pierotti Lim is the Co-founder of Republican Women for Progress and was previously the Founder of Republican Women for Hillary. After RWFH gained national attention in the summer of 2016, Jennifer was invited to speak on the closing night of the Democratic National Convention where she addressed a television audience of close to 33 million people. Before this, Jennifer was the Director of Health Policy in the Labor, Immigration, and Employee Benefits Division at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. She also served on the U.S. Senate Committee on Business and Entrepreneurship under Olympia Snowe and worked in Altria’s legislative affairs office. A 2010 graduate of The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, Jennifer is a member of the District of Columbia Bar and the Junior League of Washington. She lives in Bethesda, MD, with her husband Tim, children Penny, Timmy, and Vivienne, and rescue dog Pamela.
CLOSING REMARKS
Winny Chen
Winny Chen is the Associate Director for the Governance program at Democracy Fund, an independent foundation working to ensure that our political system is able to withstand new challenges and deliver on its promise to the American people.
Prior to Democracy Fund, she worked at Monitor Deloitte, where she advised federal agencies and social sector organizations on enterprise strategy, strategic planning, performance measurement, and communications. She also served on the Crimes Against Humanity Program at Human Rights First and worked as a policy analyst on the National Security and International Policy team at the Center for American Progress.
Winny holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts degree from Georgetown University.
