Mayor Andrew Gillum
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2017 DPCF CONFERENCE KEYNOTE | Mayor Andrew Gillum Mayor Andrew Gillum is a nationally-recognized progressive champion. At the age of 23, he became the youngest person ever elected to the Tallahassee City Commission, and in 2014 he was elected Mayor of Tallahassee. He has governed as a forward-looking Mayor, including winning a legal battle with the gun lobby to prevent people from shooting weapons in Tallahassee’s public parks; welcoming same-sex couples to get married in Tallahassee when they were denied marriage licenses in other parts of Florida; standing up to President Donald Trump on “sanctuary cities,” and criticizing his lack of action on climate change. As Mayor, he has also led Tallahassee’s push to build a 200-acre solar farm, which will triple the city’s solar energy capacity, and has worked to ensure that Tallahassee is the innovation capital of Florida. He has prioritized vocational training programs so every student and worker, regardless if they choose to attend college, can secure a high-paying job. Under his leadership, President Obama’s White House designated Tallahassee as one of two TechHire cities in Florida, and just one of 50 in the nation, to expand local tech sectors by building tech talent pipelines in communities across the country. 2017 DPCF CONFERENCE paNEL | Building Bridges Jessica Vaughn is a certified elementary school teacher, a progressive activist, the president of the Democratic Progressive Caucus of Tampa Bay, the mother of a strong-willed four-year-old, a champion of public education, and an elected Bernie Sanders delegate who is now running for Hillsborough County School Board District 6. After graduating from the University of South Florida with a B.A in Elementary Education in 2010, Jessica began her career as a 1st grade teacher. In 2012, after the birth of her first, she used her teaching certification to become a substitute teacher in the 8th largest school district in the country. In 2016, Jessica became heavily involved in Tampa’s Bernie Sanders campaign and was elected to MODERATOR be a Bernie delegate in the 2016 Democratic National Convention. After the convention, sensing that progressives need a place within the Democratic Party, Jessica set out to start the Democratic Jessica Vaughn Progressive Caucus of Tampa Bay and was elected president in September 2016. In November 2016, Jessica was also elected as Tampa Palms CDD Supervisor in Seat 5, where she works with four other board members managing a three million dollar budget. Inspired by Bernie Sanders, Jessica is now combining her passion for public education and her dedication to reflective democracy to run for Hillsborough County School Board District 6. Jessica currently lives in Tampa Palms with her husband and four year old. Her hobbies include filmmaking, painting, photography, nature, board games, traveling and helping to push the Democratic Party to the left. 2017 DPCF CONFERENCE paNEL | Building Bridges Donna Davis is a highly experienced community organizer that has done amazing work in several places including Denver, St. Louis, New York, and Tampa (to name just a few). Since moving to Tampa, she has co-founded the Black Lives Matter Tampa chapter, helped lead the charge for the Tampa Civilian Review Board, and BLack LivES is an active participant in the Community Protection Coalition. Donna also maTTER, Tampa works as a professional organizer for a nationwide organization. Donna Davis 2017 DPCF CONFERENCE paNEL | Building Bridges Marcus Klebe graduated cum laude from Amherst College in 1996 before attending New York University School of Law where he was awarded a J.D. in 1999. Marcus practiced corporate law for nearly ten years in New York City, Frankfurt, and San Diego before starting his legal practice, San Diego Legal Strategy. Skilled in alternative dispute resolution, Marcus convened more than 100 successful mediations in New York. acTION Arriving in Tampa almost five years ago to support his wife’s career, Marcus took a break TOGEHTER, from the corporate world as a stay-at-home parent to focus on raising his four children. Although he canvassed for Hillary Clinton in the final weeks of the campaign, Marcus Tampa baY found new focus and urgency in the results of the November election. Marcus Klebe Marcus joined Pantsuit Nation Tampa Bay and was elected Political Advocacy Task Force Officer.N ow called Action Together Tampa Bay, the group is active all over Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties and has more than 5,000 members dedicated to serving their communities. ATTB is a progressive grassroots political and social advocacy organization run entirely by volunteers. 2017 DPCF CONFERENCE paNEL | Building Bridges Over the last decade, the Rev. Dr. Russell L. Meyer has led Florida’s mainline churches in public witness for the commons. He works with a multi-faith commitment from a holistic perspective to accent the values of our shared humanity. His doctoral work focused on designing community conversations that lead to collective action. The doctoral project helped Christian Churches Together in the USA prepare to observe the 50th Anniversary of Letter from Birmingham Jail. He chairs the local ecumenism network for the National FLORida Council of Churches and leads statewide interfaith efforts on climate, COUNciL OF healthcare, juvenile justice, and civic engagement. He is an advocate of One chuRchES Tampa Bay – a model of communal intention for the wellbeing of all in the Rev. Dr. Russell bio-region. He is a leader in anti-racism work in the Lutheran church. L. Meyer Rev. Meyer has dual ministry roles. He is the Pastor of the New Parish of Tampa (St. Paul and Faith Lutheran Churches), ministries of renewal focusing on urban justice. Since 2005, he has served as Executive Director for the Florida Council of Churches. He also serves as the minister for Ecumenism and Advocacy for the Florida-Bahamas Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Previously, he served congregations in Lakeland; Charleston; Towson, MD, and Wantagh, NY. 2017 DPCF CONFERENCE paNEL | Building Bridges Marina Welch is a full-time mental health nurse whose passion for women led her to volunteer as the captain of the Tampa/Hillsborough chapter of Women’s March Florida in November 2016. Women’s March Florida is a group of women who inspired the organizing of 18 sister marches in Florida and sent more than 27,000 Floridians to Washington, D.C. for the most attended march in history. Welch’s responsibility as captain extends to four areas, including Tampa, Brandon/ WOMEN’S Valrico, Lakeland/Polk, and Pasco. Together with other Florida captains, Welch created Women’s Way Forward, a grassroots organizational model dedicated to protect those maRch at risk and those who have been dehumanized by the corrupt agendas of hate, bigotry, Marina Welch deregulation, and intolerance. The model has been adopted in other states, in Canada, and in London. Welch is inspired by the women in her life, beginning with her mother who showed her that every human being deserves respect and kindness. She continues to be inspired by the women she encounters at work and through her affiliation with Women's March Florida. Welch believes it is the people who can make the country and the world better by being more accepting and embracing differences. In her spare time, Welch enjoys traveling and experiencing new cultures. She has toured Europe and South America, and is planning her next adventure which includes visiting all U.S. National Parks. Welch was born in Frankfurt and is a naturalized U.S. citizen. 2017 DPCF CONFERENCE TRaiNING | Media in the Age of Trump Joel Silberman comes to political communications from a disciplined theatrical and musical career and is a widely respected media strategist and trainer for progressive organizations, activists and candidates. Among his clients are: Progressive Congress, Earthjustice, Van Jones / Rebuild The Dream, Women Donors Network, People for the American DEMOCRacY Way Foundation, the Young Elected OfficialsN etwork, Media Matters for paRTNERS America, the New Organizing Institute, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Joel Silberman Defamation, the National Women’s Law Center, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, The Leadership Conference for Civil and Human Rights, Markos Moulitsas, Nate Silver, Mike Lux, Lt. Dan Choi, GetEQUAL, Matthew Segal, and numerous Federal, State and Local elected officials. Mr. Silberman is on the faculty of the Women's Campaign School at Yale University and is a frequent guest lecturer at the Juilliard School in New York. 2017 DPCF CONFERENCE TRaiNING | Media in the Age of Trump Vicki Roush brings a lifetime in the musical theatre, radio, TV, and music performance, along with special events moderating and commentary to the training table. Having heard the call, she knocked on the door of mentor Joel Silberman for guidance, and now embarks on another exciting career chapter - Vicki Roush helping to get progressive Democrats elected to office. 2017 DPCF CONFERENCE BREakOUT | Media in a Box Brook Hines is an advertising professional from the creative side of the agency. A writer, designer, photographer with more than 20 years’ experience crafting campaigns and concepts for clients ranging from hospital chains and financial services, to liberal arts colleges, retail restaurants, music magazines, and even a radical nuns. PROGREssiON As co-owner of Progression Partnership, Brook offers communication arts and paRTNERship, media/marketing strategy for non-profits, unions, interest groups, issue campaigns, dcpf COmms candidates and selected start-ups. diRECTOR Brook Hines Former associations include Alan Grayson for Senate Campaign, Director of Community Business Association, Orange Co DEC Executive Board member, and leadership community as Orlando co-Director of New Leaders Council. Writes for The Florida Squeeze, and contributes to Progressive News Network as political correspondent. Follow at Flickr or @nashville_brook on Twitter.