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.
Ryan Brebner: Connecting Uninsured Patients with Affordable Coverage
Ryan Brebner and Laura Robbins founded Advocatia to help connect un- and underinsured patients with financial aid programs that make their healthcare more affordable.
Little Tokyo Community Council: Feeding Community, Supporting Local Businesses
The Little Tokyo Community Council, through its Community Feeding Community initiative, supported 84 local businesses by purchasing over 10,000 meals to then distribute to those in need during the pandemic.
Brian Cannon: Making Structural Change
Brian Cannon led the successful effort to end partisan gerrymandering in Virginia, bringing about structural change that enables greater participation by communities of interest and encourages more accountability in Virginia politics.
Holly Martin: Building a Better Local Food System
Holly Martin founded the Chattanooga Sustainable Food Center to build a better food system: one that serves hungry people and local farmers. Gaining Ground, a flagship grocery store, is the first step.
David Becker: Making Elections More Secure
In the weeks before the 2020 election, David Becker correctly dismissed the many concerns being expressed at the time that the presidential vote would somehow be corrupted. His reason: The long-tenured election officials who would oversee the election. Since we published this, those officials have come under attack from anti-democracy elements in American society, as has Becker and ERIC, the voter registration database that he created.
Hans Breitenmoser: Local, Bipartisan Effort Opposes Gerrymandering
Hans Breitenmoser sees gerrymandering as the cause of persistent problems in his county.
Amber McReynolds: Making Voting Easier for All Americans
Amber McReynolds led the effort to remake Colorado’s voting system around vote by mail and now leads the National Vote At Home Institute to promote best election administration practices nationwide.
Lisa Fitzpatrick: Better Health Outcomes for Low Income Communities
Lisa Fitzpatrick launched Grapevine Health to improve health literacy and health outcomes in low income communities.
Jeanne Pinder: Making Healthcare Costs Transparent
Jeanne Pinder launched ClearHealthCosts to provide transparency in pricing of medical costs.
Sarah Alvarez: Service Journalism for Low-Income Communities
Sarah Alvarez started Outlier Media to close critical information gaps for low-income communities.
Kyle Bailey: Advocate for Ranked-Choice Voting
Kyle Bailey spent five years leading a grassroots effort to implement ranked-choice voting in the state of Maine.
Katie Fahey: Started Anti-Gerrymandering Campaign
In 2016, Katie Fahey "accidentally" started a movement in her home state of Michigan to end partisan gerrymandering.
