Aimee Allison, Founder of She the People; President of Democracy in Color
Aimee Allison is the Founder of She the People, the national network elevating the political voice and power of women of color. By bringing together the most promising women of color candidates, strategists, and movement leaders, Ms. Allison is one of the primary architects for the electoral successes in 2018 that made it the “year of women of color in politics.” In September 2018, she convened the first summit to focus on women of color in politics to show that social justice can, in fact, become the law of the land. A democratic innovator and visionary, Ms. Allison has led forums and initiatives on race and gender at the Democratic National Convention and Politicon, among others. In conjunction with her leadership of She the People, Ms. Allison is President of Democracy in Color, dedicated to empowering the multiracial progressive electorate through media, public conversations, research, and analysis. She has led national efforts to build inclusive, multiracial coalitions, expand the electorate, and support leaders who advocate for a progressive future. A thought leader, a speaker, and a writer, Ms. Allison’s acclaimed podcast, “Democracy in Color,” has featured some of the best and brightest political leadership, including Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, Congressman Ted Lieu, and Senator Cory Booker. In the early 1990’s, Ms. Allison was one of the first women of color to be honorably discharged from the U.S. Army as a conscientious objector and works today to support courageous, moral leadership. Aimee Allison holds a B.A. in history and M.A. in education from Stanford University. Author of Army of None, she has written for the New York Times, The Hill, and ESSENCE Magazine; and is online @aimeeallison.
Alaleh Kianerci
Alaleh Kianerci has served the community of Santa Clara County as a prosecutor since 2008. She has had several trial assignments including Homicide Team, Sexual Assault Unit, Burglary, Assault and Theft Unit, Family Violence Unit, and in the Palo Alto outlying courthouse. Kianerci has always had a sincere dedication to all victims of crime especially those particularly vulnerable victims of sexual assault. During her tenure on the Sexual Assault Unit she was often assigned the more complicated cases and approached each case with compassion, dedication and zealous advocacy of victims. In March 2016, Kianerci successfully prosecuted Brock Turner resulting in an international media storm over the verdict and subsequent lenient sentence. A week after the sentencing hearing Congresswoman Jackie Speier and 40 more members of Congress read the entire victim impact statement in a bipartisan collaboration. Additionally, Kianerci and Santa Clara District Attorney Jeff Rosen used public support as an opportunity to make long term change. Two weeks after the sentencing hearing, they testified in a legislative hearing for California AB-2888, a bill that closed a loophole allowing perpetrators who assaulted unconscious victims to avoid jail time. The bill passed unanimously. Governor Jerry Brown ’59 issued a signing statement along with the law, and the letter explaining the rationale behind the law now hangs in Kianerci’s office.
Rabbi Lisa Kingston
Rabbi Lisa Kingston is originally from Westchester County, NY. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Skidmore College, she received her Masters in Jewish Education in 2009, and her Rabbinical Ordination in 2013 from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City. At HUC-JIR, she was a recipient of the Bonnie and Daniel Tisch fellowship.
Rabbi Lisa has worked for a number of Jewish organizations including: Temple Emanu-el of New York City, B’nai Israel in Bridgeport, CT, the Institute of Southern Jewish Life in Jackson, MS, and Temple B’nai Jeshurun in NJ. Since her ordination, she has served as a Rabbi/Educator at Peninsula Temple Beth El in San Mateo, CA. At PTBE she teaches a weekly Women’s Torah class. In 2018 she delivered a Yom Kippur Sermon titled, “The #MeToo’s of The Bible”- where she spoke on the connection between the Me Too movement, women in the rabbinate, and stories of sexual abuse in sacred text. Additionally, she is a member of the Women’s Rabbinic Network, which promotes the personal and professional growth of female rabbis and rabbinic students within the Reform Movement.
Joanna Bloor
Introduction expert and LADYBADASS founder, Joanna Bloor’s on a mission to get people to talk about themselves in a new way. She asks if you have a great answer to the question “What do you do?”
A self-described “startup junkie” Joanna started her career by scaling the revenue strategies of brands such as Ticketmaster, Cars.com, OpenTable, and Pandora. A conversation in line at TED 2016 led to a realization that what we are known for has far-reaching impact as an individual and a leader.
Companies such as GE, EY, 21st Century Fox, and Salesforce have brought Joanna in to work employees from recent grads to the executive teams. A TED speaker and “TED experience” coach. Learn more at www.joannabloor.com