EMILY's List announces new president
By Ellen R. Malcolm on 01/06/2010 @ 03:36 PM
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After 25 years at the helm of EMILY's List, I've decided the time is right for a change, for me and for EMILY's List -- and so, effective February 1, I will step down as president and become chair of our board of directors. I take this major step with utter confidence in the staff, members, and institution of EMILY's List -- and in the extraordinary young woman, Stephanie Schriock, whom the board and I have hired to be the new president of our organization.
Once I tell you about Stephanie, you will see why I am so excited about her joining us. She truly is a superstar in Democratic politics, having earned the respect and trust of those she has worked for, and those who have worked for her. She is a gifted leader, a skilled strategist, and a team-builder extraordinaire.
Stephanie began her campaign career as a professional fundraiser for a number of campaigns, including that of EMILY's List candidate Mary Reider, who ran for Congress from Minnesota in 1996. In addition to managing and fundraising for congressional races, Stephanie worked for the state party of South Carolina and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
In 2004, she accepted the seemingly impossible post of national finance director for Howard Dean's presidential campaign. Few expected that the former governor of a small state like Vermont would be able to raise enough money to be competitive. But Stephanie and her team revolutionized political fundraising by using the Internet to mobilize progressives on Dean's behalf. With Stephanie in charge, the Dean fundraising team far exceeded its original budget goal of $10 million -- ultimately raising more than $50 million for his campaign and showing the political world the power of web-based organizing.
In 2006, Stephanie returned to her home state of Montana to take on what looked like another impossible task: helping state Senator Jon Tester defeat three-term Republican Senator Conrad Burns in a state where Republicans have an eight-point electoral advantage. As campaign manager, she developed a strategic plan, managed a dedicated staff, organized the grassroots, and pulled off an historic victory in Montana, electing Jon Tester by 3,300 votes and helping Democrats take control of the U.S. Senate.
Tester hired Stephanie to be his chief of staff, giving her full authority to set up and manage his offices in D.C. and Montana. But then national party leaders called, asking for her help. Recognizing her extraordinary talents, Democratic Senators Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer asked Stephanie to take a leave of absence from her job with Tester and move to Minnesota (where she was born) to manage Al Franken's Senate campaign. Yet another seemingly impossible task! After all, whoever would have thought that a progressive activist, author, and former comedian could defeat Norm Coleman, a sitting Republican U.S. Senator?
Two people clearly thought it was possible: Al Franken and Stephanie Schriock. Stephanie quickly took charge of an organization that had been rudderless, managing with steely resolve and a sense of humor befitting the Franken campaign. She restructured the organization from top to bottom -- shifting priorities, motivating a talented but unmanaged team, and developing a nimble strategic plan that anticipated the unexpected.
Much of what Stephanie did turned out to be prescient. As you know, the Minnesota Senate election was a cliffhanger. After the votes were counted on Election Day, yet another campaign began: a recount campaign. Recounts are tedious, complicated legal processes that require massive organizational skills, sophisticated legal strategy, and millions of dollars. But Stephanie had planned for this possibility. She rallied exhausted supporters and kept her staff in campaign mode. Thousands of volunteers fanned across the state to monitor the recount. Lawyers moved into the campaign headquarters. Through the December holidays and for eight long months, Stephanie and her troops never let up until finally, after multiple court challenges, Al Franken was declared the winner by 312 votes and sworn into the U.S. Senate in July. Our new EMILY's List president, Stephanie Schriock, led the effort that gave Democrats their much-needed 60th vote in the Senate!
Clearly Stephanie Schriock is a superstar in Democratic politics. But she also brings to EMILY's List a passionate commitment to harnessing women's political power to achieve equal representation in our government.
As you know, I came of age in the 1960s and got involved in politics through the feminist movement. My outlook and dedication to fighting for political parity for women was shaped by the fact that women were excluded, and by the unshakable belief that if we join together, women have the power to reshape our country. I will never be shaken in this faith.
Stephanie was shaped by different experiences. Born in the 1970s, she grew up believing that women have full access to our society, including in the world of politics. But as an adult, she has witnessed the more subtle challenges that hold women back: the corridors of power where more attention is paid to the tap of a woman's high heels than to the ideas she champions; reporters who waste ink and airtime discussing women's clothes instead of their character; the men who call themselves liberals but always seem to reach back into their network of guys when an opportunity for advancement materializes.
Stephanie has lived the life of a Generation X woman, and has the proven ability to reach out to them and bring them into politics and EMILY's List.
Together, Stephanie and I share the deeply held belief that there is something dreadfully wrong with a representative democracy in which women are only 17% of the Congress. As I've gotten to know her, I've realized we share a quiet but firm determination that we must change this -- and that EMILY's List is the means by which we can join together to ensure true political equality for women.
So we are looking forward to making this journey together -- Stephanie as our new leader and president, and me as the elder stateswoman and board chair.
Finally, I cannot sufficiently express my deep affection for you, the members of EMILY's List. For 25 years you have shared my dream that women can and should be treated equally in politics, and that as women expand our political power, we can build a more progressive America. We are united in that dream and, through our historic work together, well on our way toward making it a reality.
Over the next few months, EMILY's List will share with you reminders of the history we have made as we celebrate our 25th anniversary. As you watch the video clips on our website, catch up on the latest news on our blog, and read about the amazing new women we are supporting, please know that every story comes with my heartfelt thanks. You have shown me that our dream of a representative democracy is possible, because well-meaning citizens will insist upon it. That is a true gift for which I am very grateful. Thank you.
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