EMILYs List Announces Two New Members to Board of Directors

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 24, 2020

EMILYs List Announces Two New Members to Board of Directors
Ahead of the critical 2020 election cycle, EMILYs List is adding two experienced changemakers to its Board of Directors: author and founding President of The Caraway Group, Yolanda Caraway; and Executive Director of Diversity and Inclusion for Comcast NBCUniversal, Mini Timmaraju.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In anticipation of another historic election cycle, EMILYs List is excited to announce two new members to its Board of Directors: Yolanda Caraway and Mini Timmaraju. Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, released the following statement: 

“I’m thrilled to welcome Yolanda Caraway and Mini Timmaraju to our Board of Directors. These two powerful women will serve as an invaluable asset as EMILYs List heads into another record breaking election year. Our board provides crucial input into our mission of electing more pro-choice Democratic women and adding Yolanda and Mini's critical perspectives will only expand our insights into creating a government that truly represents and serves all American people. EMILYs List is proud to have them on board as we work to defeat Donald Trump and anti-choice lawmakers up and down the ballot.”

Yolanda Caraway is the founding president of The Caraway Group where she has led her team in the counseling on communication strategy for multiple popular Fortune 500 companies, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and high-profile individuals.  Some of her many accomplishments include serving as deputy assistant political director for the Mondale/Ferraro ‘84 General Election; director of the DNC’s Fairness Commission (1985); chief of staff of the National Rainbow Coalition, the 1988 Jesse Jackson for President Campaign, and deputy chair of the Democratic National Committee under Chairman Paul G. Kirk. She is also the co-author of “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics” where she shares how four of the most powerful African American women in politics changed America.

In response to being asked to join the board, Caraway said, “I remember when Ellen founded EMILYs List in 1985, 35 years ago, I was a young staffer at the DNC. I’ve watched their remarkable growth and success in training and electing progressive women to office at every level.  Over 1,200 wins, over 10,000 women trained throughout the country, and membership of more than 5 million – that is one heck of a track record.  EMILYs List is the go-to organization for women who want to run for office or want to be activists.  I am honored and excited to join the board at this very critical time for women in our country.”  

Mini Timmaraju serves as an executive director on the Diversity and Inclusion team for Comcast NBCUniversal and previously served on the External Affairs team. Prior to joining Comcast, she served as Hillary for America’s national women’s vote director, leading the historic campaign’s planning and implementation of its strategy to maximize women’s participation in the election. Previously, Mini was the national director of the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, where she managed legislative, advocacy and communications strategy for a coalition of 34 Asian Pacific American organizations. Mini has over 20 years of professional experience leading campaigns as well as advocacy efforts for nonprofit organizations. 
Timmaraju said, “As a young political operative in the late 90s, one of my first trainings was led by EMILY's List. It was eye opening and taught me so many fundamentals about campaigns and organizing- skills I use to this day. Over the years, EMILY's List leaders and candidates have been my mentors, allies, and friends. And as a woman of color and an immigrant, EMILY's List's commitment to supporting and training diverse candidates and staff has been critical to making Democratic politics a viable place for women like me to build a successful career. I am so honored to be able to join their board at such a critical and urgent time for women's equality.” 

EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, has raised over $600 million to elect pro-choice Democratic women candidates. With a grassroots community of over five million members, EMILY's List helps Democratic women win competitive campaigns – across the country and up and down the ballot – by recruiting and training candidates, supporting strong campaigns, researching the issues that impact women and families, and turning out women voters to the polls. Since our founding in 1985, we have helped elect 150 women to the House, 26 to the Senate, 16 governors, and nearly 1,100 women to state and local office. Nearly 40 percent of the candidates EMILYs List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color. During the historic 2017-2018 cycle, EMILYs List raised a record-breaking $110 million and launched a record independent expenditure campaign. We helped elect 34 new women to the House, including 24 red-to-blue victories; enough seats to have delivered the U.S. House majority alone. Since the 2016 election, more than 50,000 women have reached out to EMILY's List about running for office laying the groundwork for the next decade of candidates for local, state and national offices.