2012 Convention Standing Committee Nominations Brief Biographical Information* - Credentials Committee CO-CHAIRS Lucy Flores was elected in 2010 Coast so that they could begin th to represent the 28 rebuilding after hurricane Julian Castro , Mayor of San District of Nevada in the State Katrina. Mayor Brown served as Antonio, TX, is the youngest Assembly. Assemblywoman Vice President Gore’s Senior mayor of a Top 50 American Flores has been an advocate for Advisor for Urban Policy and city. Mayor Castro has focused the Hispanic community for Vice Chair of the White House on attracting well-paying jobs to many years and was appointed Community Empowerment San Antonio. Because of his to the Nevada Commission on Board. Mayor Brown graduated efforts to revitalize San Minority Affairs. She graduated from Jacksonville University Antonio’s urban core, the San from the University of Southern where he earned a B.S. and a Antonio Downtown Alliance California and received her J.D. M.B.A. He also completed post- named Mayor Castro the “2010 from the William S. Boyd School graduate work at the Kennedy Downtowner of the Year,” Prior of Law at the University of School of Government at to his election as mayor, he Nevada, Las Vegas. Harvard University. served on the San Antonio City Council. In 2010, Time magazine Norman Mineta currently serves Chaka Burgess is the Director of named Mayor Castro to its “40 as Vice Chair of Public Policy at Global Government Affairs in the under 40” list of rising stars in Hill & Knowlton in the Washington, DC, office of American politics. Mayor Castro Washington, DC, office. Mr. Amgen. Prior to joining Amgen, earned his undergraduate Mineta served in the U.S. House he managed the Federal degree from Stanford University of Representatives for over 20 Government Affairs division for and his J.D. from Harvard Law years. In 2000, he was Eli Lilly. Mr. Burgess co- School. appointed Secretary of founded the Legacy Project, an th Commerce by President Clinton organization that aims to engage Vashti McKenzie is the 117 and in 2001, President Bush young people in the political elected and consecrated bishop appointed him Secretary of process. In 2010, Mr. Burgess of the African American Transportation. Mr. Mineta is a was named in the Root 100, a list Methodist Church and serves as th graduate of the University of of List of Young Achievers and the presiding prelate of the 13 California at Berkeley. Pace Setters. Mr. Burgess is on Episcopal District, which the Board of Directors of the includes Tennessee and Lee Saunders currently serves as National Coalition on Black Civic Kentucky. Bishop McKenzie has the Secretary-Treasurer of Participations and of the been appointed by President AFSCME. Through his Congressional Black Caucus Obama to serve on the involvement with AFSCME, Mr. Foundation. Mr. Burgess is a President’s Advisory Council of Saunders has overseen 125,000 graduate of Howard University. the White House Faith-Based public employees as and Neighborhood Partnerships. Administrator of AFSCME Frank Cownie is the Mayor of She is also a member of the District Council 37 in New York Des Moines, IA. Prior to his Board of Trustees of Payne and countless other initiatives. election as Mayor in 2004, he Theological Seminary and the He currently serves on the served as an at-large member of International Theological Center. Executive Committee of the the Des Moines City Council. Bishop McKenzie earned a Congressional Black Caucus Mayor Cownie is a member of bachelor’s degree from the Institute’s 21st Century the Advisory Council of the U.S. University of Maryland, a master Committee. He is also an At- Center for Citizen Diplomacy. of divinity from Howard Large member of the Mayor Cownie attended Iowa University and a doctor of Democratic National Committee State University. ministry from United Theological and sits on the DNC’s Seminary. Resolutions Committee. Mr. Chet Culver served as Governor Saunders earned a B.A. and a of Iowa from 2007 until 2011 VICE-CHAIRS master’s degree from Ohio State where he focused energy. Under University. his leadership Iowa was first in Janet Cowell , State Treasurer of North Carolina, is the first the world per capita in use of MEMBERS renewable energy. During Mr. woman to serve in this position. Prior to her election as Alvin Brown was elected Mayor Culver’s term, Forbes magazine Treasurer, Treasurer Cowell of Jacksonville, FL, in 2011. Prior ranked Iowa the “Number 1 place served two terms on the Raleigh to his election, Mayor Brown in America for businesses and City Council and two terms in served as an executive in careers”. Mr. Culver received his the North Carolina State Senate. residence at Jacksonville B.A. from Virginia Tech and his Treasurer Cowell received a B.A. University’s Davis School of M.A. from Drake University from the University of Business. Mayor Brown was the Pennsylvania, a M.B.A. from the Executive Director of the Adam Ebbin was elected to the Wharton School of Business and Bush/Clinton Katrina Interfaith Virginia State Senate in 2011. a master’s in international Fund, where he was responsible Prior to his election, Senator studies from the Lauder for overseeing the distribution of Ebbin served in the Virginia Institute. more than $20 million to houses House of Delegates since 2004, of worship throughout the Gulf where he fought to advance *Biographical sketches are based on information collected from public sources 2012 Convention Standing Committee Nominations Brief Biographical Information* - Credentials Committee progressive priorities and led a Joan Garry is recognized as one for Merrill Lynch in Los Angeles. bipartisan effort that provided of the most vocal, passionate Prior to her career in investment access to life insurance benefits and effective civil rights leaders banking, Ms. Hamamoto worked for domestic partners. Senator in America. Ms. Garry was part in strategic planning for GTE Ebbin is a graduate of American of the management team that Corporation in Honolulu and as a University and was a Fellow at launched MTV in 1981 and after civil engineer for PG&E in San the University of Virginia’s fourteen years in cable Francisco. Ms. Hamamoto Sorenson Institute of Political television, holding a variety of earned a B.S. and M.S. in civil Leadership. executive positions in strategic engineering from Stanford planning and business University and a M.B.A. from Lily Eskelsen, an elementary development, she moved to the UCLA’s Anderson School of teacher from Utah, is Vice nonprofit sector. In 1997, Garry Management. President of the National was appointed Executive Education Association. Ms. Director of GLAAD, one of the Mark Keam represents the 35 th Eskelsen was also appointed by nation’s largest gay rights District in Virginia’s House of President Obama to serve on organizations. During her eight- Delegates. Delegate Keam was White House Initiative on year tenure at GLAAD, Ms. Garry the first Korean American and Educational Excellence for led the organization through a the first Asian-born immigrant to Hispanics. She began her career series of high-profile campaigns. serve in the Virginia General in education as a lunch worker in Since leaving GLAAD, Ms. Garry Assembly. Delegate Keam is a school cafeteria, later became has continued to serve as an also a Senior Advisor for a kindergarten aide and was advocate and was co-chair of Strategic Affairs at Verizon. He encouraged by the teacher to go the Obama for America LGBT serves on the board of the to college and become a teacher Finance Committee in 2008. Virginia Literacy Foundation. In herself. Ms. Eskelsen worked her 2008, Delegate Keam was way through the University of Andrew Gillum was first elected heavily involved with engaging Utah and later earning her to the Tallahassee, FL, City the AAPI community in the master’s degree in instructional Commission in 2003, at the age Obama Campaign. Delegate technology. of 23. At the time of his election, Keam received a political he was a student at Florida A&M science degree from the Shirley Franklin served as Mayor University. In 2003, he received University of California at Irvine of Atlanta, GA, from 2002 until the “Emerging Leaders Award” and a law degree from Hastings 2010. She was the first woman from the Congressional Black College of the Law. to hold this post and was the Caucus Foundation for first African American woman to educating and motivating young Lena Kennedy is President of LL be elected mayor of any major adults to become more Kennedy and Associates in Southern city. Ms. Franklin politically involved. Pasadena, CA, where she previously served as Atlanta’s Commissioner Gillum founded specializes in public relations, Commissioner of Cultural Affairs and serves as National Executive networking, political consulting, and as Chief Administrative Director of the Young Elected business strategies and special Officer and City Manager of Officials Network, a national event management. Ms. Atlanta. She was Co-Chair of the network of elected officials Kennedy received a John F. 2008 Democratic National under 35. Kennedy Award from the Los Convention in Denver, CO. Ms. Angeles County Democratic Franklin graduated from Howard Angela Giron represents the 3 rd Party in April 2012. In 2010, Ms. University with a B.A. in District in the Colorado State Kennedy was honored by the sociology and received a M.A. Senate. Senator Giron has spent Wells Fargo Theatrical Diversity from the University of much of her professional life Project for her leadership and Pennsylvania. with the Boys and Girls support of theatrical diversity. Club/Girls Incorporated in Joe Garcia is the Lieutenant Colorado. She has grown the David Lopez is President of the Governor of Colorado.