knowledge, ideas, and aspiration for a thriving democracy

Leader Profiles

Leader Profiles2023-10-02T13:18:12-05:00

Personal Choices. Every day, Americans are making choices in their personal and professional lives that affect the problems we are trying to solve. Some are made by famous politicians or chief executives whom you already know, but scores of others make their choices mostly below the media radar. The lack of a spotlight does not diminish their bold choices that in big ways and small support American values of freedom, diversity, and innovation while helping to make our communities, our country, and our world a better place to live for everyone.

Shared Aspirations. The American Leader is proud to showcase some of these leaders and the choices they’ve made to benefit the public good. Let’s not be confused if they should fall short of their goals or some character flaw be revealed: Their pursuit of our shared aspirations for a better life binds them to us, and us to them. Their stories present a glimpse of the many possible paths that a diverse range of courageous people can take to solve our common problems. We hope they inspire you to be bold in your own way, be it at the dinner table, in the office, or on a larger stage.

Cathy Giessel: Model for Governing, Election Reforms

A popular politician who served 10 years in the Alaska state Senate, including two years as Senate president from 2019-21, Cathy Giessel was defeated in the 2020 Republican primary for working too closely with the Democratic minority. Voting reforms passed that year opened a path for her re-election in 2022.

2024-06-20T18:16:38-05:00Categories: |

Ty Seidule: Dismantling the Lost Cause

Leveraging his identity as a career Army officer, historian, and born-and-bred Southerner once immersed in the Lost Cause and the heroism of Robert E. Lee, Ty Seidule has pushed the military and the country as a whole to confront and acknowledge the War of the Rebellion, as the war was formally known, for what it was – a treasonous act by the South’s leaders.

2024-06-20T10:58:30-05:00Categories: |

Emma Petty Addams: Restoring Faith in Democracy

As executive director at Mormon Women for Ethical Government (MWEG), Emma Addams is working to build a political center that models how people of religious faith can successfully advocate for democratic principles and build bridges where there is partisan discord.

2024-04-01T16:22:10-05:00Categories: |

Jenny Zimmer: Movement Organizer

Jenny Marienau Zimmer trained to be a movement organizer, an essential role in democracy that rarely gets the media spotlight. When asked why she does what she does, Zimmer makes a clear link between her life’s circumstances and her career decisions. She identifies three pivot points that reflect how her growth from college grad to mother of two influenced the choices she has made along her career path.

2024-01-17T18:06:50-05:00Categories: , |

Don Henninger: Building Trust in Arizona Elections

Don Henninger is the Republican half of a collaboration that is rebuilding trust in Arizona’s elections through a Democracy Resilience Network supported by the Carter Center in a grassroots defense against election denialism and disinformation coming from the extreme right.

2024-01-26T15:55:46-05:00Categories: |

Kendra Abkowitz: Finding Common Ground for Sustainability in Tennessee

Kendra Abkowitz has been an advocate for sustainable solutions to climate change, initially in the Tennessee state government and now in Nashville. In a state that has embraced climate denialism and attacks on democracy that are part of the national culture war, she finds ways to move with the current while still advancing the cause of sustainability and resilience.

2023-07-31T11:30:48-05:00Categories: |

Rose Fabia: Volunteer for America

Rose Fabia has committed her early retirement years to increasing collaboration among local grassroots organizations and canvassing to generate votes for Democratic candidates. She does it to protect her daughter and her daughter's future from a Republican Party that threatens the foundations of that future.

2023-07-24T15:04:28-05:00Categories: |
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