Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge and thank all of the organizers who took the time to share the lessons they’ve learned from developing young leaders in their states. Without them, this guide would not have been possible.
If you want to learn more about the work of any of the organizations below or have something to share about organizing young adults in your state, please contact us at stateinfo@familiesusa.org.
American Medical Student Association (AMSA)
Sonia Lazreg, AMSA/CIR Health Justice Fellow
Danielle Salovich, National President
Liz Wiley, Legislative Co-Director
Danielle, Liz, and Sonia work with a network of campus chapters across the country that focuses on a variety of health issues, including expanding health coverage, global health equity, enriching medicine through diversity, and professional integrity.
Breakthrough
Eesha Pandit, Women’s Rights Manger
Breakthrough is a global human rights organization that uses the power of media, pop culture, and community mobilization to inspire people to take bold action for dignity, equality, and justice. Eesha is the former Director of Advocacy at MergerWatch, where she worked on the Raising Women’s Voices project, a national initiative that is working to make sure that women’s voices are heard and that women’s concerns are addressed in national health reform policy. She has also worked with the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University and Amnesty International USA’s Women’s Rights Program.
The Bus Federation
Matt Singer, Executive Director
Matt oversees the Bus Federation’s national programs, including “Trick or Vote,” and he works with state-based affiliates, such as the Oregon Bus Project, Forward Montana, the Washington Bus, and New Era Colorado. Before joining the group, he helped found Forward Montana in 2004 and became its first executive director in 2007. In 2010, he was named one of “40 under 40” progressive leaders by the New Leaders Council.
Campus Progress
Sam Menefee-Libey, LGBTQ Advocacy Associate
Campus Progress works with and for young people to promote progressive solutions to key political and social challenges. Sam works with students on LGBTQ-focused campaigns across the country. Prior to this position, Sam was an organizing fellow at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, a new leader with the Center for Progressive Leadership, and a grassroots organizing trainer with the United States Students Association. He also has spent time fighting poverty as an AmeriCorps member in New York City with City Year, as well as fundraising in Los Angeles with the Fund for Public Interest Research.
Citizen Engagement Lab
Erica Williams, Director of Millennial Strategies
Erica has spent years managing and working with and on behalf of Millennials around the country to advance their interests and engagement in civic life. She previously served as the Deputy Director of Progress 2050, a project of the Center for American Progress that develops new policy ideas for an increasingly diverse America. Erica is a 2008 O Magazine “Women Rule” leadership winner and a 2008 Aspen Institute IDEAS fellow that is listed by Politico.com as one of the Top 50 Politicos to Watch.
Maryland Health Care for All
Suzanne Schlattman, Community Outreach and Development Director
Maryland Health Care for All is the state’s largest health care consumer organization, with more than 1,200 members. Suzanne works with Health Care for All’s volunteers, manages fundraising efforts, and coordinates major public education campaigns, such as the “Get Health Care?” Medicaid outreach and enrollment blitz. She also helps manage their successful internship program.
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Student PIRG
Megan Fitzgerald, Program Director
Megan works with Student PIRG campus chapters across the country on a variety of issuebased campaigns. Student PIRGs have a unique campus structure, which involves paid organizers who are present on campuses to work with students.
Virginia Organizing
Brian Johns, Organizing Director
Virginia Organizing is a statewide, grassroots organization that is dedicated to empowering people in local communities to address issues that affect the quality of their lives. Brian first came to Virginia Organizing as an intern in 2000, and he worked as a community organizer from 2001-2005. He then spent two years in Pennsylvania doing community organizing with a labor union, and he returned to Virginia Organizing in 2007. He is currently the organizer for far southwest Virginia.
Kevin Simowitz, Northern Virginia Organizer
Kevin interned with Virginia Organizing for three years while he was a student at the University of Virginia. After graduating in 2008, he began working with Virginia Organizing as the Northern Virginia Organizer. Now, he manages their campus chapter program, which works with students across the state.
Young Invincibles
Aaron Smith, Executive Director
Aaron is cofounder and Executive Director of Young Invincibles, a national nonprofit organization that seeks to expand opportunity for young adults (ages 18-34), particularly around access to health coverage and care. In 2006, Aaron became the campaign manager of a New York State Assembly race, and he went on to become the chief legislative aide for the Yonkers City Council President. While serving the city, Aaron helped to organize a living wage campaign and to draft a new affordable housing ordinance, and he created the first Yonkers Green Policy Task Force to promote environmentally friendly policies for the city.
Students
Emily Schlichting, Student Organizer, University of Nebraska
Emily regularly works with Young Invincibles on health reform issues. On campus, Emily is the Speaker of the Student Government Senate, has run two student government campaigns, and is the Founder-Director of the Plus One Nebraska campaign, which aims to bring Employee +1 benefits to the University of Nebraska. Her work on the Plus One Nebraska campaign ranges from planning fresh, innovative events for students to sending out action alerts to get the attention of the Board of Regents.
Rahul Rekhi, Student Organizer, Rice University
As a Senior Fellow at the Health Policy Center of the Roosevelt Institute, Rahul has developed a health care tool kit for young Americans. His group also runs a nationwide student internship program at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, which allows the youth voice to be represented. Prior to this position, as the resident health care expert for the Budget for Millennial America project, Rahul helped create a federal budget proposal through the year 2040—a vision for America›s future that was produced purely by Millennials, which was presented at the Peterson Foundation›s 2011 Fiscal Summit
Resources
At Least 600,000 Young Adults Join Parents’ Health Plans under New Law (Kaiser Health News)
Americans Spending More Time Following the News (Pew Research Center for People and the Press)
Graduation Tool Kit (Young Invincibles, with support from Families USA)
A Guide to Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, and Blogging (Tigercomm)
Health Reform Is a Good Deal for Young People (Young Invincibles)
Young Person’s Guide to Health Insurance (U.S. PIRG, with support from Families USA)
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