President-elect Joe Biden nominated California Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D) to be secretary of health and human services and has named multiple health officials for his administration. He has also named Lloyd Austin as his Secretary of Defense, making him the first Black defense secretary. To discuss this and other nominations, we SPOTLIGHT Robin Leeds. Leeds is the founder and managing director of Winning Strategies LLC, a public affairs and political consulting firm based in Washington, DC. She has devoted her career to expanding access to economic, civil, and social opportunities for all Americans and is a powerful voice for women, people of color, the LGBTQ community, and other underrepresented groups. While serving at the Clinton White House Office on Women’s Initiatives and Outreach, Leeds coordinated domestic public policy and constituency engagement efforts and led numerous domestic and international women’s initiatives on behalf of the president and first lady. Media includes: Chicago Tribune, Politico, The New York Times, France 24.
Today is “safe harbor” day, the deadline for states to certify this year’s election results. It essentially locks in the victory for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. State electors will meet and cast their ballots next week. To discuss, we FEATURE Avis Jones-DeWeever. Jones-DeWeever is the Founding of the Washington DC Boutique Consulting Firm, Incite Unlimited, along with The Exceptional Leadership Institute and World Changers Media, LLC. As a prolific writer, Jones-DeWeever is the author or co-author of numerous publications, including her award-winning book, How Exceptional Black Women Lead along with The State of Black Women in the U.S. 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019; Beyond Broke: Why Closing the Racial Wealth Gap is a Priority for National Economic Security; Massive Resistance: A Way Forward for Black America in the Wake of Trump and You Mad? Black Women, Work, and the Normalcy of Disrespect, among many others. Media includes: Al Jazeera, CNN, PBS, CBC.
The U.K. will be rolling out millions of coronavirus vaccinations in the coming months after receiving the first batches of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine. To discuss, we FEATURE Brittany Neal DiNatale. DiNatale is an experienced Emergency Room Nurse with a background in corporate marketing. She is a fierce advocate of the important role nurses play in order to create and develop strong healthcare systems. Despite being the most trusted profession year after year, and the largest segment of the healthcare workforce, nurses are underrepresented in the media. Media includes: Reader's Digest, Healthcetera Radio.
Congress will be meeting to discuss another pandemic stimulus bill proposal, as the coronavirus continues to spread and people and businesses continue to struggle. To discuss, we FEATURE Alejandra Y. Castillo. Castillo is the CEO of YWCA USA which serves 2.3 million women and girls around the country as a social services provider and advocate for justice. She has over two decades of professional experience in Washington, D.C., having served in senior leadership in two presidential administrations. In 2014, Castillo was appointed by the Obama Administration to serve as the national director of the Minority Business Development Agency, becoming the first Hispanic American woman to lead the agency. In that role, she helped secure financing and capital in excess of $19 billion and created or retained over 33,000 jobs. Media includes: The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, New Yorker, CNN.
The Georgia runoff election is January 5th. The election will be for the state's two Senate seats and will decide which party will have majority in the Senate. To discuss, we FEATURE Senator Nan Grogran Orrock. Orrock is the President of the Women Legislators’ Lobby, a national network of women state legislators launched by Women’s Action for New Directions in 1991. After ten terms in the Georgia State House of Representatives, serving as the first female House Majority Whip, she was elected in 2006 from Atlanta’s downtown neighborhoods to the State Senate. Media includes: Time Magazine, The Nation, MSNBC, CNN, ABC.
Two inmates at the U.S. penitentiary in Terre Haute are suing the government to halt executions until the pandemic is under control, after a number of people attending the last execution tested positive for the coronavirus. To discuss, we FEATURE Diann Rust-Tierney. Rust-Tierney is an expert in the movement to eliminate the death penalty in the U.S. In 2004 she became the Executive Director of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (NCADP). As NCADP Executive Director, Ms. Rust-Tierney manages and directs the program for the national organization and 100 affiliates seeking to change public policy on the death penalty. She serves as the national spokesperson for the organization and the movement to eliminate capital punishment. Media includes: Good Morning America, The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, BBC, ABC.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be traveling to Brussels this week to meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to see if they can reach a Brexit trade deal agreement. To discuss, we FEATURE Valerie Rouxel Laxton. Rouxel Laxton a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council's Global Business and Economics Program. She is also a Consultant on economics and development impact at the IFC (International Finance Corporation, the World Bank Group). Before taking on her role at the Atlantic Council, Rouxel-Laxton was Head of Economics and Finance for the EU delegation in the U.S. and prior to that she was Head of Sector, Countries of the G20, for the European Commission. Extensive media experience.
The Trump administration plans to sell oil and gas leases for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska on January 6, just before he leaves office. To discuss, we FEATURE Dr. M. Jackson. Jackson is a geographer, adventurer, environmental educator, 2018 TED Fellow, and National Geographic Society Emerging Explorer. A veteran three time U.S. Fulbright Scholar in both Turkey and Iceland, she currently serves as a U.S. Fulbright Ambassador. M has served as an Arctic Expert for the National Geographic Society for nine years. She’s worked for over a decade in the Arctic chronicling climate change and communities, guiding backcountry trips and exploring glacial systems. Media includes: National Geographic Society, Yes Magazine, The New York Times.
The UN's 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence started on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and will conclude this week on December 10, International Human Rights Day. To discuss, we FEATURE Akila Radhakrishnan. Radhakrishnan is the President of the Global Justice Center. She directs GJC’s strategies and efforts to establish legal precedents protecting human rights and ensuring gender equality. She helped to conceptualize GJC’s August 12th Campaign to ensure access to abortion services for girls and women raped in war as a matter of right and has since led legal and advocacy efforts on the project. Media includes: The New York Times, Al Jazeera, The Atlantic, Foreign Policy, Vice, Rewire.
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