Talisha Searcy is the mayor of Takoma Park, Maryland. She has been an active member of the Takoma Park community since 2013. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Talisha has used her passion for civic engagement to serve the city and its residents for almost a decade. She served as the President of the New Hampshire Gardens Community Association from 2015 to 2017. From 2017 to 2022, Talisha served as Ward 6 City Councilmember. 

As Ward 6 City Councilmember, Talisha advocated for residents and businesses alike. During her tenure, she helped establish the city's COVID-19 pandemic response, led redevelopment of critical infrastructure in Ward 6, and supported local businesses impacted by the Purple Line construction to secure grant funding.  

Additional Accomplishments 

• Secured resources to renovate both of Ward 6’s Montgomery County playgrounds - Becca Lilly and Hillwood Manor
• Led the City’s Reimagining Public Safety initiative
• Obtained City funding in support of the full renovation of the former Hillwood Manor Apartments - a low- to moderate-income multi-family apartment complex in Takoma Park
• Lobbied State officials in support of the Takoma Langley Crossroads resulting in state funds for facade improvements and a new mural along New Hampshire Avenue
• Advocated for redevelopment of the Takoma Park Recreation Center resulting in greater community engagement to ensure all residents had a voice in the process 

When not working hard for her community, Talisha is the Director of the Office of Performance Analysis and Management at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). She has a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Georgia State University and Master’s degrees in Economics and Public Administration from Syracuse University. Talisha is a "Mom-ti" to her six nephews and one niece, and you can find her most days walking the neighborhood with her dog, Duke. 

Jillian Gilchrest was elected to represent the 18th District of West Hartford in the Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) in 2018. She serves as House Chair of the Human Services Committee and member of the Appropriations, Public Health, and Judiciary Committees.

Jillian Chairs MAPOC, the Trafficking in Persons Council, and the Endometriosis Working Group.

Prior to becoming a state representative, Jillian served as the Director of Health Professional Outreach for the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut, and Director of Policy & Communications for the Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence. She has extensive experience advocating for women’s health and safety, in particular influencing public policy at the CGA.

Jillian was elected to the West Hartford Board of Education in 2013. She holds a Masters Degree in Social Work with a focus in Policy Practice from the University of Connecticut School of Social Work, where she has taught Political Advocacy.

Jillian currently teaches for the University of Saint Joseph and University of Hartford. Jillian serves on the Board of Girls on the Run of Greater Hartford. She resides with her two children in West Hartford.

INTRODUCTION

A'shanti Gholar

President of Emerge

A’shanti F. Gholar serves as the president of Emerge, the only organization dedicated to recruiting and training Democratic women to run for office. In this role, she leads the organization and steers its overall strategy and direction, overseeing a national staff as well as affiliates across the country. For over 15 years, A’shanti has been a grassroots organizer and activist for women, communities of color and progressive causes. 

[Read More]

EXPERT DISCUSSION 1

Rebecca Chavez-Houck

Former UT legislator, Leadership Coach, and Ranked Choice Voting Expert

Rebecca Chavez-Houck holds a BA in Journalism and Mass Communication and a Master of Public Administration (MPA), both from the University of Utah (U of U). She represented Salt Lake City’s District 24 in the Utah House of Representatives from 2008-18, focusing on public policy related to health and human services as well as voter engagement and access.

[Read More]

Nelsie Yang

Councilmember for the City of St. Paul, MN

Nelsie Yang serves as the elected Councilmember for the City of Saint Paul’s 6th Ward. At 27 years old and a daughter of Hmong refugees, she is the youngest and first Hmong American woman to be elected to St Paul’s City Council.

[Read More]

Deb Otis

Director of Research and Policy at FairVote

Deb Otis is the Director of Research and Policy at FairVote. With a decade of experience in research and analytics, Deb is passionate about sharing the data-driven case for why our country needs election reform.

[Read More]

EXPERT DISCUSSION 2

Charlotte Clymer

Charlotte Clymer is a writer, LGBTQ activist, communications consultant, and military veteran. She writes "Charlotte's Web Thoughts," a Substack blog/newsletter that was nominated for the 2023 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Blog.

[Read More]

Charlotte Hill

Director of the Democracy Policy Initiative at UC Berkeley

Charlotte is the director of the Democracy Policy Initiative at UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy. A trained political scientist, Charlotte researches how to expand democratic access and equity through public policy. She regularly advises organizations focused on improving election and voting laws and increasing civic participation.

[Read More]

Sol Mora

Advocacy Director at Coalition of Communities of Color

Sol Mora was born in Tijuana, Mexico, and grew up in Salem, Oregon. Currently, Sol is the Advocacy Director at the Coalition of Communities of Color. 

[Read More]

TAKE ACTION PANEL

Daniella Ballou-Aaers

CEO and Co-Founder, Leadership Now Project

Daniella Ballou-Aares is the CEO and Co-Founder of the Leadership Now Project, a national membership organization of business and thought leaders committed to renewing American democracy.

[Read More]

Jackie Hope Glass

Delegate for the VA State Legislature

Certified Doer – Partnership Grower – Civic Connector

Jackie Glass is a self-proclaimed Certified Doer, Mama and Veteran from the Chicagoland area. She served in the United States Navy for eleven years as a cryptologist where she deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

[Read More]

Jeanne Massey

Executive Director of FairVote Minnesota

Bio coming soon!

Kenia Peregrino

Statewide Coordinator at Washington for Equitable Representation

Kenia is the statewide coordinator for Washington for Equitable Representation (WER), a project of the Washington Community Alliance. WER is a statewide, multi-racial coalition fighting to achieve equitable representation through proportional ranked-choice voting and other democracy reforms.

[Read More]

April England-Albright

Legal Director of Black Voters Matter

For more than 24 years, April England-Albright has worked in the area of civil rights law, first as a partner at Chestnut, Sanders, Sanders, Pettaway, Campbell and Albright and institutions then through her own law firm, where her experiences  included serving as an attorney in the “Black Farmers Lawsuit”, which to date is the largest discrimination lawsuit against the United States, and litigating cases, which addressed race discrimination in the workplace, voting disenfranchisement caused by gerrymandering and other voter suppression tactics, and criminal defense.

[Read More]

INTRODUCTION

Letitia James

NY Attorney General

Letitia “Tish” James is the 67th Attorney General for the State of New York. With decades of experience and a long record of achievements, she is a powerful, effective attorney and lifelong public servant.

[Read More]

Erin Vilardi

Founder & CEO 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.

[Read More]

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).  Her expertise includes building winning strategies for political campaigns as well as coordinating public affairs efforts for Fortune 500 companies.

[Read More]

EXPERT DISCUSSION 1

Amber McReynolds

National Elections Expert and USPS Board of Governors

Amber McReynolds was appointed to the Postal Service Board of Governors by President Biden and was confirmed by the Senate on May 13, 2021. McReynolds is a leading expert on election administration and policy. Her professional career has been focused on strengthening democratic institutions with the goal of improving the voting experience for all.

[Read More]

Jena Griswold

Secretary of State (Colorado)

Jena Griswold is Colorado’s 39th Secretary of State. She was first elected in 2018 as the youngest elected Secretary of State in the United States. She was reelected to the office in 2022. Griswold grew up in a working-class family in rural Colorado and was the first person in her family to attend a four-year college and then law school. She knows first-hand how important it is for every vote to count and for every Coloradan's voice to be heard, no matter their background or income. 

[Read More]

Erynn Fernandez

Executive Director of the Democratic Party (Hawaii)

Erynn Fernandez has been the Executive Director for the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi (DPH) since June of 2019, completing the first all mail ballot Party-run Presidential Primary, the first State eConvention in 2020, and part of the team that brought about the first hybrid State Convention in 2022.

[Read More]

EXPERT DISCUSSION 2

Ann Ravel

Former Chair of the Federal Election Commission

Ann Ravel was nominated to the Federal Election Commission by President Obama on June 21, 2013 and joined the Commission on October 25, 2013. She served as Chair of the Commission for 2015 and Vice-Chair for 2014 before leaving in 2017.

[Read More]

Ellen Weintraub

Commissioner on the Federal Election Commission

Ellen L. Weintraub has served as a commissioner on the United States Federal Election Commission since 2002 and has chaired the Commission three times. During her tenure, Commissioner Weintraub has served as a consistent voice for meaningful campaign-finance law enforcement and robust disclosure.

[Read More]

Christina Henderson

At-Large member of the Council of the District of Columbia

Christina Henderson is an At-Large member of the Council of the District of Columbia. Christina’s career has been guided by the principle that one’s zip code should not determine your opportunity for success. 

[Read More]

TAKE ACTION PANEL

Jessica Haller

Executive Director of New Majority NYC

Jessica Haller is the Executive Director of New Majority NYC, an organization focused on building political power for women in NYC. Jessica comes to this work as an entrepreneur, a climate advocate and a former candidate for NYC Council. As someone who always looks ahead 10 years, Jessica has co-founded start ups in the climate and in fin-tech sectors, worked in digital advertising, and on long term policy solutions to improve equity and resilience in NYC.

[Read More]

Brittany Buford

Managing Partner for Partnerships at Partners in Democracy

Brittany Buford is a New England native who specializes in data-driven relational organizing, door-to-door canvassing programs and public affairs. Her teams have previously focused on progressive movement campaigns to create structures of persuasion, advocacy, accountability and issue education.

[Read More]

Liuba Grechen Shirley

CEO & Founder of Vote Momma Foundation

Liuba is the Founder and CEO of Vote Mama, the nation’s first Political Action Committee dedicated to electing progressive moms up and down the ballot, as well as the Founder and CEO of Vote Mama Foundation, the leading source of research and analysis about the political participation of mothers in the United States.

[Read More]

Laurie-Anne Sayles

Montgomery County, MD Councilwoman

Laurie-Anne Sayles is a first-generation Jamaican American born and raised in Maryland. She is an experienced leader, change agent, policymaker, and advocate who believes that you can achieve any goal you set for yourself if you work smart. This motto has afforded her many opportunities to overcome challenging situations and use her life experiences to fuel a steadfast commitment to helping others who are underserved, underrepresented, and less fortunate.

[Read More]

INTRODUCTION

Kristen Clarke

U.S. Assistant Attorney General

Kristen Clarke is the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice. In this role, she leads the Justice Department’s broad federal civil rights enforcement efforts and works to uphold the civil and constitutional rights of all who live in America. Assistant Attorney General Clarke is a lifelong civil rights lawyer who has spent her entire career in public service.

[Read More]

Maggie Toulouse Oliver

Secretary of State of New Mexico

Secretary Maggie Toulouse Oliver is New Mexico’s 26th Secretary of State. She has served the people of New Mexico in this role since first being elected in 2016. She was first appointed to public office in 2007 when she became County Clerk in New Mexico’s largest county, Bernalillo County. Elected to her first full term in 2008, Secretary Toulouse Oliver served 2 1/2 terms as County Clerk. Overseeing elections in the state’s largest county gave Secretary Toulouse Oliver detailed, on-the-ground expertise in election administration that has helped to guide her current work overseeing elections statewide.

[Read More]

EXPERT DISCUSSION 1

Tahesha Way

Secretary of State of New Jersey and President of National Association of Secretaries of State

Tahesha Way serves as New Jersey’s 34th Secretary of State. She serves as New Jersey’s top election official, overseeing the state Division of Elections and its work in securing our democracy and ensuring broad, fair access to the right to vote. 

[Read More]

Leigh Chapman

Former Acting Secretary of State of Pennsylvania

Leigh M. Chapman served as Acting Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from 2022-2023. In this role, Chapman served as the Chief Election Official for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

[Read More]

Jocelyn Benson

Secretary of State of Michigan

Jocelyn Benson is Michigan's 43rd Secretary of State. In this role, she has ensured elections are secure and accessible, and dramatically improved Secretary of State driver and customer experiences for all Michiganders.

[Read More]

EXPERT DISCUSSION 2

Layla Zaidane

President & CEO of Millennial Action Project

Layla Zaidane is the President & CEO of the Millennial Action Project, the largest nonpartisan organization of young lawmakers in the United States. MAP works with over 1,600 Millennial and Gen Z elected leaders in Congress and state legislatures to bridge divides, collaborate on future-oriented policy, and scale a healthy culture of democracy.

[Read More]

Danielle Allen

Director of Harvard’s Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics and Executive Board Chair of Partners in Democracy

Danielle Allen, James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University, Director of Harvard’s Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics, and President of Partners in Democracy. She is a political theorist who has published broadly in democratic theory, political sociology, and the history of political thought.

[Read More]

Jillian Gilchrest

CT State Representative

Jillian Gilchrest was elected to represent the 18th District of West Hartford in the Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) in 2018. She serves as House Chair of the Human Services Committee and member of the Appropriations, Public Health, and Judiciary Committees.

[Read More]

TAKE ACTION PANEL

Keesha Gaskins-Nathan

Program Director, Democratic Practice–United States at the Rockefeller Brothers Fund

Keesha Gaskins-Nathan is the director for the Democratic Practice–United States program and the Racial Justice Initiative at the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Ms. Gaskins-Nathan is dedicated to advancing measures and ideas that improve democratic systems and engage democratic culture in the United States to support full and fair democratic and economic opportunity for all residents.

[Read More]

Sarah Blahovec

Disability Civic Engagement Expert

Sarah Blahovec is a disability civic engagement subject matter expert and consultant. She works with organizations to address the barriers to voting and running for office for the one in four Americans who have a disability. She is the former Voting Rights and Civic Engagement Director for the National Council on Independent Living, where she advocated for greater accessibility in elections; educated the disability community on voting rights and works to energize a disability voting bloc; and addressed barriers to running for office for people with disabilities. 

[Read More]

Jocelyn Bucaro

Director of Mobile Voting at Tusk Philanthropies

Jocelyn Bucaro is a respected national election expert with over a decade of experience running elections in Ohio and Colorado. She is currently the Director of Mobile Voting with Tusk Philanthropies, leading a national effort to improve the voting experience for voters with inherent barriers to voting through innovative technology solutions designed to make our elections more transparent and verifiable.

[Read More]

Talisha Searcy

Mayor of Takoma Park, MD

Talisha Searcy is the mayor of Takoma Park, Maryland. She has been an active member of the Takoma Park community since 2013. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Talisha has used her passion for civic engagement to serve the city and its residents for almost a decade.

[Read More]

Yael Bromberg, Esq.

Chief Counsel & Strategic Advisor, The Andrew Goodman Foundation, & Principal, Bromberg Law LLC

Yael Bromberg is the Special Counsel and Strategic Advisor for The Andrew Goodman Foundation (outside counsel), and Principal of Bromberg Law LLC. Bromberg has litigated in state and federal courts across the country on a range of democracy cases.

[Read More]

Michelle Meza

Public Servant in Government

Michelle is a mid-career, hands-on public servant passionate about working at the nexus of politics and policy to get things done in government to improve people’s lives. She started her career as an intern at the U.S. Embassy-Lima a decade ago, and since then, has built a trajectory of over seven years from frontline positions of implementation, congressional and intergovernmental relations, stakeholder outreach, and the execution of short and long-term agendas for principals in Capitol Hill, a U.S. Embassy abroad, and the Environmental Protection Agency, where she currently serves as a political appointee and scheduler to the EPA Administrator.

[Read More]

Introduction

Discussion of the existing challenges related to fair access to establish a foundational understanding of the issues we are trying to solve.

Time: 3:00-3:15 pm ET

Early Voting, Vote-by-Mail, and Automatic Voter Registration

A live fireside chat style conversation between three women experts on solutions to existing challenges related to fair ballot access: early voting, vote by mail, and automatic voter registration. Here you will learn about these viable, scalable, and transformative solutions directly from the experts themselves. 

Time: 3:15 - 3:40 pm ET

Upgrading Ballot Access Processes for Candidates

A live fireside chat style conversation between three women experts on reimagining ballot access for candidates as a solution to some of our current challenges related to fair access. Experts themselves will share about their personal experiences, and propose solutions they know will address these issues.

Time: 3:40 - 4:00 pm ET

Take Action Panel

Live panel discussion between three to five “on-the-ground” experts that will share their experience in working to advance early voting, vote by mail, automatic voter registration, and civic technology at the local, state, or national levels. Here audience members will learn about tangible action steps they can take to join us in advancing these viable, scalable, and transformative solutions. 

Time: 4:00 - 4:50 pm ET

This snapshot displays women's political representation in the 38 OECD countries. The columns show which voting system is used, the subcategory of that voting system, and if gender quotas are used. 

infogram_0_fc160681-d95a-4385-ab63-ac355e9a683a2022 OECD - Charthttps://e.infogram.com/js/dist/embed.js?PIUtext/javascript

infogram_0_a19f1e8e-2fd8-4452-b95e-a0c073fa3ea4RCV Ballot Measure - Sample Languagehttps://e.infogram.com/js/dist/embed.js?6Yatext/javascript

This RCV Toolkit is a short guide with tips and tricks to draft ranked choice voting ballot measures. See our 2023 RCV toolkit here!

infogram_0_c9bd6b6c-46ba-487f-8e20-5a74d752f928Multi-Winner Districts Presentationhttps://e.infogram.com/js/dist/embed.js?u7jtext/javascript

This slide deck covers the importance of district design in securing full and fair representation. It also shows where multi-member districts (MMDs) are currently used, their impact on women's representation, and how effective MMDs are when paired with ranked choice voting. 

infogram_0_02d14ad5-03ff-4730-93c5-9432ab0bdda82022 International Data Dashboardhttps://e.infogram.com/js/dist/embed.js?B1Otext/javascript

Our International Women's Representation and Voting System Design Dashboard has five tabs:

1. Parliaments and rankings 

This tab shows the structure of government, the rank for women's representation (based on the percentage of women in the lower house), the number of women elected, and the percentage of women in the chambers.

2. Voting systems of parliaments

This tab shows the type of voting system used, along with sub-categories, and the date of the most recent election.

3. Gender quotas

This tab details the types of gender quotas implemented in each chamber of parliament.

4. Heads of state and government

This tab shows the current Heads of State (HoS) and Government (HoG) & their respective genders (F or M), election dates, and titles. This tab also

5. Cabinets

This section shows the number of cabinet members, the number of women in the cabinet, the percentage of women in the cabinet, and the most recent verification date.

The goal of this dashboard is to contextualize the U.S. within the world, show the unique systems used around the globe, and show where women's representation is the highest. 

This dashboard is interactive! Scroll over each country to see the data. 

infogram_0_20db34d5-5fee-4bca-bb08-70c7af7a6bafParty Rules Mapshttps://e.infogram.com/js/dist/embed.js?3aStext/javascript

infogram_0_255989ed-b862-453a-a431-2aad87961edc2021 - State Party Rules Mapshttps://e.infogram.com/js/dist/embed.js?xcTtext/javascript

RepresentWomen is a non-profit, nonpartisan organization that is able to receive tax-deductible donations. We are funded by individuals and foundations from people from across the political spectrum. Our largest donors in recent years have been Pivotal Ventures, Democracy Fund, Open Society Foundations, Kelson Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Unite America, Crimsonbridge Foundation, and Michelle Mercer & Bruce Golden. We thank them and everyone else who makes our work possible. On this page, find links to recent audits, Form 990s, and an IRS letter on our 501(c)(3) status. 

RepresentWomen has received a Platinum Transparency rating from GuideStar and is honored to receive a Top Nonprofit rating from Great Nonprofits.

Audits and 990 Forms

Since 2019, RepresentWomen has had its financial books audited by an independent firm. In addition, we file a “Form 990” with the Internal Revenue Service, as required of all 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. Our audits and Forms 990 extensively describe our financial revenues and expenses. Here are links to our recent audits and the main pages of our Forms 990. 

2019 990 Form

2019 Audit

2020 990 Form

2020 Audit

2021 990 Form 

2022 Audit

Amended 2022 990 Form

2023 Audit

2023 990 Form

2024 Audit

2024 990 Form

IRS Letter

Here is the IRS letter on our 501(c)(3) status, which was granted in 2018 when our organization was called Representation2020. In 2020, we changed our name to RepresentWomen, so we've also included the letter from the IRS that acknowledges the name change in 2020.

IRS Letter 2018 

Acknowledgement of Name Change 2020

infogram_0_307fc1af-684f-4bfd-b14b-d5f74972c4102022 State Supreme Court Gender Maphttps://e.infogram.com/js/dist/embed.js?4JZtext/javascript

This map shows the gender makeup of state supreme courts as of May 2022. Perhaps surprisingly, many states have significant women's judicial representation. Hover over each state with your cursor for details.

Over the coming weeks, we will be transferring our extensive Blog and OpEd library to this new site. Check back for the latest in thought leadership from RepresentWomen!