Democracy Solutions Summit 2024
This event took place on March 4-6, 2025.
2024 Democracy Solutions Summit
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Agenda
Agenda
Expert Discussion 1: Deep Dive on Alaska
Time: 3:05-3:30pm ET
In 2022, Alaska used ranked choice voting statewide for the very first time. We will kick off Day One with a live fireside chat between US Senator Lisa Murkowski (AK), US Representative Mary Peltola (AK), and Alaska State Senator Cathy Giessel all about the impact ranked choice voting has had on democracy and representation in Alaska, and why the "Alaska model" is so important for voters during this presidential election year.
Expert Discussion 2: The Women Funding the Movement
Time: 3:30-4:10pm ET
The work to strengthen our democracy wouldn't be possible without the investment of generous donors. Historically, due to centuries of systemic barriers and cultural practices, philanthropy has been dominated by men. This has a significant impact on what is deemed a priority, and which solutions are considered worth investment. At RepresentWomen, we want to shift that narrative and highlight the women who are investing in bold and innovative solutions where our country needs them most. Our second session of Day One will be a fireside chat between Winny Chen, Associate Director for the Governance program at Democracy Fund, Kathryn Murdoch, co-founder and President of the Quadrivium Foundation, and Laura Arnold, co-founder of Arnold Ventures, who will share their funding philosophies and why investing in voting reform is so important.
Immediately following that conversation, Erika Wood, Senior Program Officer at the Ford Foundation, and Emily Lockwood of Pivotal Ventures will highlight some practical ways funders can get involved in this work.
Take Action Panel: 2024 Ranked Choice Voting Ballot Measures and How You Can Get Involved
Time: 4:10-4:55pm ET
We will wrap up the day by bringing it close to home with a panel conversation with the leaders of a few key RCV ballot measure campaigns that are happening as we speak. It just so happens that the leaders of these campaigns are all women! (Are we really that surprised?) Diane Silver, Advocacy Manager at FairVote, will sit down with Sol Mora of RCV Oregon and Lisa Rice of the Making All Voices Count effort in Washington, DC, to hear what we need to know about these campaigns, how things are going, and how we can get involved. We are also hoping to hear from the Colorado effort and the Alaska protect-the-win effort!
Speakers
Speakers
EXPERT DISCUSSION 1: DEEP DIVE ON ALASKA
Senator Lisa Murkowski
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska’s senior U.S. Senator, is a third generation Alaskan proudly serving as the first Alaskan born senator. Murkowski was born in Ketchikan and raised in towns across the state, including Wrangell, Juneau, Fairbanks, and Anchorage.
Representative Mary Peltola
Mary Sattler Peltola is a Yup’ik Eskimo, salmon advocate, and Democrat who represented the Bethel region in the Alaska House of Representatives for 10 years. As a lawmaker, Mary helped rebuild the Bush Caucus that improved lives in rural Alaska under her tenure as Chair.
State Senator Cathy Giessel
AK State Senator Cathy Giessel was born & raised in the community of Fairbanks, and in the Territory of Alaska. She has served in the State Senate from 2011 through 2020, and again from 2023 to present. She served as Senate president from 2019 through 2020, and her focus has been on state resource development, health topics, arctic issues, and budget.
Amy Walter
Amy Walter is the Publisher and Editor-In-Chief of The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter. For more than 25 years, Amy Walter has built a reputation as an accurate, objective, and insightful political analyst with unparalleled access to campaign insiders and decision-makers.
EXPERT DISCUSSION 2: THE WOMEN FUNDING THE MOVEMENT
Winny Chen
Associate Director for the Governance program at Democracy Fund
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.
Laura Arnold
Philanthropist and co-founder of Arnold Ventures
Laura Arnold, born Laura Munoz, is an American philanthropist and activist. Together with her husband, the retired hedge fund manager John D. Arnold, she is the co-founder of the Laura and John Arnold Foundation and the grantmaking organization Arnold Ventures.
Kathryn Murdoch
Co-Founder and President of the Quadrivium Foundation
Kathryn Murdoch is co-founder and president of Quadrivium, which supports practical, evidence-based solutions for critical societal problems. Kathryn currently serves on the boards of Unite America, the Climate Leadership Council and Climate Central. She is a founding board member of SciLine and co-chairs the Oceans and Communications committees as a trustee of the Environmental Defense Fund.
TAKE ACTION PANEL: 2024 RANKED CHOICE VOTING BALLOT MEASURES
Diane Silver
Advocacy Manager at FairVote
Diane Silver is FairVote's Advocacy Manager, working to expand support for national ranked choice voting legislation as well as capacity building for state and local RCV efforts.
Sol Mora
Political Director at Oregon Ranked Choice Voting Advocates
Sol Mora was born in Tijuana, Mexico, and grew up in Salem, Oregon. Sol is the Political Director at Oregon Ranked Choice Voting Advocates, working to pass RCV statewide this year.
Lisa Rice
Make All Votes Count (Washington, DC)
Lisa is a political strategist, passionate about reform and political innovation. She is active in bringing productive change to U.S. politics.
Alliana Salanguit
Deputy Director for Alaskans for Better Elections
Alliana Salanguit is the Deputy Director for Alaskans for Better Elections. Alaskans for Better Elections is a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to providing public education and research about how Alaska-style elections work. The 501(c)(3) foundation and 501(c)(4) corporation are governed by directors that include Alaskans with diverse political views from every corner of the state.
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Agenda
Agenda
Expert Discussion 1: Running for President as a Woman
Time: 3:05 - 3:35pm ET
We kick off the day with an incredibly exciting conversation between Judy Woodruff, senior correspondent and the former anchor and managing editor of the PBS NewsHour, Kimberly Peeler-Allen, Political Strategist and Co-founder of Higher Heights for America, and a soon-to-be-announced former presidential candidate to get real and share, first-hand, what it's like to run for president as a woman in America. What barriers do women face, especially women of color? And what do they see as potential solutions to those barriers?
Expert Discussion 2: Ranked Choice Voting for Presidential Primaries
Time: 3:35 - 4:10pm ET
Then, we move right into a fireside chat all about how ranked choice voting in presidential primaries could remove significant barriers to electing our first woman president. Amber McReynolds, National Elections Expert & USPS Board of Governors, sits down to talk shop with Rina Shah, Strategic Consultant, Media Commentator, and CEO of Rilax Strategies, moderated by Candice Kerestan of FairVote.
Take Action Panel: Addressing the Ambition Myth, Violence Against Women in Politics, and Legislative Pay
Time: 4:10-4:55pm ET
We wrap up the day with a lively conversation between Erin Loos Cutraro, CEO & Founder of She Should Run, Juliana Menasce Horowitiz, Associate Director of Research at Pew Research Center, Erin Vilardi, CEO & Founder of Vote Run Lead, and Gowri Ramachandran, Deputy Director of the Brennan Center's Democracy Program, about what we are seeing on the ground, in real-time, regarding building women's political power in higher office. We will squash the ambition myth, share real solutions for violence against women in politics, and discuss the ways legislative pay can remove barriers for women to serve.
Speakers
Speakers
Introduction
Michelle Milford Morse
VP of Girls & Women Strategy at UN Foundation
Michelle Milford Morse is Vice President for Girls and Women Strategy. Previously Michelle was a member of the global health policy and advocacy team at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Expert Discussion 1: Running for President as a Woman in America
Judy Woodruff
Senior Correspondent and Former Anchor and Managing Editor of the PBS NewsHour
Judy Woodruff is a senior correspondent and the former anchor and managing editor of the PBS NewsHour. She has covered politics and other news for five decades at NBC, CNN and PBS.
Kimberly Peeler-Allen
Political Strategist
Kimberly Peeler-Allen has been working at the intersection of race, gender and politics for over 20 years. Over the course of her career Kimberly has advised elected officials, candidates and organizations on fundraising, political strategy and coalition building to ensure that there are more diverse voices around decision making tables whether they are in elected bodies or civil society. Peeler-Allen is the Co-founder of Higher Heights, a national organization building the political power and leadership of Black women from the voting booth to elected office.
Expert Discussion 2: Ranked Choice Voting for Presidential Primaries
Amber McReynolds
National Elections Expert and USPS Board of Governors
Amber McReynolds is one of the country’s leading experts on election administration, policy, and innovation. In 2021, Amber was appointed by the President and confirmed by the United States Senate to serve as a Governor for the United States Postal Service.
Rina Shah
Political Consultant & CEO of Rilax Strategies
Rina Shah is a strategic consultant, media commentator, & millennial entrepreneur based in Washington, DC. Prior to launching Rilax Strategies – a government and public affairs firm - Rina served as a senior staffer to Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-5) and Rep. Jeff B. Miller (FL-1).
Candice Kerestan
Political Consultant
Candice Kerestan is a political consultant focused on making American elections work better for voters both at home and abroad.
Take Action Panel: Addressing the Ambition Myth, Violence Against Women in Politics, and Legislative Pay
Erin Loos Cutraro
Founder & CEO of She Should Run
Erin Loos Cutraro is the founder and CEO of She Should Run, the trailblazing nonpartisan nonprofit on a mission to revolutionize the landscape of women in American political leadership by shattering barriers and redefining possibilities for women in elected leadership.
Gowri Ramachandran
Deputy Director of the Brennan Center's Democracy Program
Gowri Ramachandran serves as deputy director in the Brennan Center’s Democracy program. Her work focuses on election security, election administration, and combatting election disinformation. She is the lead author of the Brennan Center's recent study entitled Intimidation of State and Local Officeholders.
Erin Vilardi
CEO & Founder of Vote Run Lead
Erin Vilardi is the Founder and CEO of Vote Run Lead, the nation’s largest and most diverse training program for women to run for office and win. She first launched the program as Vice President of Program and Communications at The White House Project.
Juliana Menasce Horowitz
Associate Director of Research at Pew Research Center
Juliana Horowitz is associate director of research at Pew Research Center, where she oversees research on social and demographic trends. She is the lead author of the 2023 Pew study entitled Women and Political Leadership Ahead of the 2024 Election.
Glynda Carr
CEO and Co-Founder of Higher Heights for America
As president, CEO and co-founder of Higher Heights for America, Glynda C. Carr is at the center of the national movement to grow Black women’s political power from the voting booth to elected office.
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Agenda
Agenda
Expert Discussion 1: Election Administration and Democracy
Time: 3:10 - 3:30pm ET
For the third and final day of the Summit, we will kick things off with a fireside conversation with two experts in election administration. We will be joined by Amber McReynolds and Cait Conley to discuss their insights from working with election administrators across the country along with the solutions we need to ensure elections remain secure for all voters.
Expert Discussion 2: Prioritizing Childcare & Paid Leave: The Path to a More Inclusive Democracy
Time: 3:30 - 4:00pm ET
Next, we move right into a fireside chat centered around the solutions to ensure that our democracy is better representative of the people. Liuba Grechen Shirley, Founder & CEO of Vote Mama. will sit down with US Representative Jennifer McClellan, Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, Co-founder & Executive Director of MomsRising, and Dawn Huckelbridge, Founding Director of Paid Leave for All to share how we can invest in the care economy to support those serving in elected office, especially in Congress.
Expert Discussion #3: Breaking Barriers with Electoral Reform
Time: 4:00-4:25pm ET
Voting systems that empower voters, such as RCV and proportional representation, can lead to better outcomes for everyone, from reducing political polarization to promoting fairer representation. Our third session of the day will feature a discussion with Meredith Sumpter, President & CEO of FairVote and Eileen Reavey, Executive Director of Rank The Vote on electoral reform efforts in Congress and beyond.
Expert Discussion #4: The Power of Bipartisanship
Time: 4:25-4:50pm ET
In unprecedented times like these, legislating collaboratively is more important than ever. To bring the Summit to a close, we will hear from women across the political spectrum on how elected officials can and must work across the aisle. We will be joined by US Representative Chrissy Houlahan, Betsy Wright Hawkings, Managing Partner, Article 1 Advisors, LLC, and Jennifer Pierotti Lim, Co-founder of Republican Women for Progress.
Speakers
Speakers
Keynote Speech
Namatai Kwekweza
Executive Director of WELEAD Trust
Namatai Kwekweza serves as the Executive Director of WELEAD Trust, an organization that she founded at age 18 in 2017, which focuses on youth leadership development and advocacy. Through the work done at WELEAD Trust, youth have built strong alliances around human rights, feminist solidarity practices, constitutionalism, participation in governance and leader development.
Panel: Power Like You’ve Never Seen - Ways Women are Crafting a New & Improved Way of Governing
Victoria Pelletier
RepresentWomen's National Partnerships Manager
Victoria Pelletier is the National Partnerships Manager at RepresentWomen, and is based in Portland, Maine. She is currently serving her first term as a Portland City Councilor, and is the second Black woman in her city’s history that has been elected to this seat.
Yordanos Eyoel
Founder & CEO of Keseb
Yordanos Eyoel is an Ethiopian-American democracy entrepreneur who is the Founder and CEO of Keseb. Keseb is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization building an ecosystem for cross-country learning, collaboration, and innovation to advance inclusive and resilient democracies.
Marjan H. Ehsassi
Executive Director of the Federation for Innovation in Democracy (North America)
Marjan H. Ehsassi is the Executive Director of the Federation for Innovation in Democracy North America. She is also a Future of Democracy Fellow (non-resident) at the Berggruen Institute and a Senior Innovations Fellow at the Institute for Democratic Engagement and Accountability (IDEA at OSU).
Jennifer Nadel
Co-founder and Director of Compassion in Politics
Jennifer Nadel is an author, activist and award-winning journalist with an unwavering commitment to both compassion and women’s rights. As the co-director of the UK-based think tank Compassion in Politics, Jennifer works to help foster more empathetic and compassionate politics across the political spectrum, working with over 100 MPs.
Expert Discussion: Non-electoral Solutions - Addressing Violence Against Women and Mental Well-Being in Politics
Sandra Pepera
Director For Gender, Women And Democracy, National Democratic Institute
Sandra Pepera is a career diplomat and international development professional. Before joining NDI as its Director for Gender, Women and Democracy in 2014, she spent thirteen years as a Senior Officer at the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), including leading programs in the Caribbean, Rwanda-Burundi and Sudan. Prior to joining DFID, Sandra spent time in British domestic politics; lecturing in political science and international relations at the University of Ghana; and as a political analyst in the Political Affairs Division at the Commonwealth Secretariat.
Senator Cynthia López Castro
Mexican Senator and President of IPU's Women's Caucus
Bio coming soon!
Natalia Herbst
Director for Latin America Strategy and Development at the Apolitical Foundation
Natalia is an Obama Scholar '19 who has over 10 years of experience in government at the local and national levels. In 2023 she was a member of President Obama’s Inclusive Economies Working Group.
Expert Discussion: Electoral Solutions - Gender Quotas in Latin America & Australia’s Single Transferable Voting System
Vandinika Shukla
RepresentWomen Board Chair & Gender Policy Specialist
Vandinika Shukla is a gender policy specialist, technology policy expert, and educator. She has spent the last decade designing national gender policies and advocacy campaigns at UN Women, building public interest technology products and partnerships at MIT Media Lab, and founding organizations to amplify unheard stories for stronger democracies.
Jennifer Piscopo
Professor of Gender and Politics at Royal Holloway University of London
Jennifer M. Piscopo is Professor of Gender and Politics at Royal Holloway University of London. She is a leading expert on gender and politics, especially women’s political representation, in Latin America, the United States, and the globe.
Kate Chaney MP
Member of Parliament in Australia's House of Representatives
Kate Chaney is Western Australia’s first female Independent Federal Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives.
Bio coming soon!