2021 Future Summit Welcome Packet

Fifth Annual

The Millennial Action
Project team had an
ambitious goal: develop a
set of values that would
serve as an anchor and
moral compass to guide our
organization and Network.
We interviewed legislators
within the State Future
Caucus Network to help
form these guiding
principles because you
embody the MAP Ethos
every day. We can’t wait to
see these values come alive
during today’s Future
Summit.
We the people of MAP are
LEADERS
TEAMMATES
& EXPLORERS
who
LISTEN FIRST
Communicate openly and respectfully — make room
for others at the table.
SAY "WE"
There is no "I" in MAP — welcome diversity; it
makes us stronger.
BUILD TRUST
Integrity in our relationships is fundamental — be
reliable and follow through.
EMPOWER OTHERS
Be empathetic — practice transparency and
collaborate openly.
BREAK BARRIERS
Climb it, go through it, or work around it — limits are
challenges to overcome.
INNOVATE FREELY
Disruption leads to creative solutions — forge a new
path forward.
We lead by example
in order to form a more perfect union.

Julie Chávez Rodriguez is an activist, an organizer, and
public servant. She currently serves as the director of the
White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs where she
engages with state, local, and tribal governments to
address the most pressing issues that impact the country
and its communities. She has served as State Director for
Senator Kamala Harris, and as Senior Deputy Director of
Public Engagement and Special Assistant to President
Obama. The granddaughter of labour activists Helen and
César Chávez, Julie Chávez Rodriguez is one of the highest
ranking Latinx women in the White House.
Amelia Powers Gardner has over 15 years of experience in
the private sector working in engineering, manufacturing,
and business development. Prior to being elected as
Commissioner, Amelia served as the Utah County
Clerk/Auditor, where she championed innovation and
efficiency in government. Under Amelia’s leadership, Utah
County launched the first ever completely online marriage
license portal, became the first jurisdiction in the US to
allow people with disabilities to vote using blockchain
technology, and implemented performance-based
budgeting. Amelia is an elected official, community leader,
business consultant, disruptive technology advocate,
government innovation leader, and mentor for career
women. She and her husband Tobin live in Pleasant Grove,
UT and have 6 children.

During the mid-90’s, in Southern California, Michael
Mendoza made what he calls the worst decision of his life:
agreeing to participate in a gang related murder. At 15,
Michael was sentenced to adult prison, in an era during
which the prospect of release was under 5 percent. The
message was clear: the state determined he was not worth
helping, and he would spend the rest of his life in prison. He
eventually rejected that perspective, turned his life around,
and focused on education and becoming the person he
wanted to be. California Senate Bill 260 gave Michael the
opportunity to earn his release and after 17 years, he was
paroled in 2014. Michael has worked as a case manager at
the Center for Juvenile and Criminal Justice and served as
the National Director at #cut50 before returning to the Anti-
Recidivism Coalition as the Director of National Advocacy to
work on federal legislation.
M I C H A E L
M E N D O Z A
Autumn Proudlove is the Senior Policy Program Director
at the NC Clean Energy Technology Center, where she
leads the Center’s energy policy team. Autumn manages
the Center’s DSIRE Insight policy research services,
including the 50 States of Solar, 50 States of Grid
Modernization, and 50 States of Electric Vehicles
quarterly policy tracking reports. Autumn received her
Master’s degree in Energy Regulation and Law from
Vermont Law School and her Bachelor’s degree from
Dartmouth College.
A U T U M N
P R O U D L O V E

Jason Wiens is policy director in Entrepreneurship for the
Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, where he leads the
Foundation’s strategy to reduce barriers to
entrepreneurship by improving public policy. He
oversees a national grant portfolio of advocacy projects
that educate policymakers about how government can
support entrepreneurship and directs the Kauffman-led
Start Us Up coalition. Prior to joining the Kauffman
Foundation, Wiens spent 10 years on Capitol Hill, where
he led bipartisan efforts on entrepreneurship,
immigration, and economic mobility in both the U.S.
House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. Wiens earned
a Bachelor of Arts in political science with a minor in
sociology from Northwestern University in Evanston,
Illinois.
J A S O N
W I E N S
Layla Zaidane is the President and Chief Executive Officer of
the Millennial Action Project. A nationally recognized expert
on youth engagement, Layla has been featured in outlets
including Forbes, The Washington Post, New York Times, U.S.
News and World Report, Refinery29, The Huffington Post,
and McClatchy. Prior to joining MAP, Layla served as the
Managing Director for Generation Progress, where she led
integrated communications, policy, and advocacy efforts
around solutions to the challenges facing today's youth, as
well as spearheaded innovative new global youth
engagement efforts. She helped launch and manage the It's
On Us campaign in partnership with the White House in
2014, and launched the Higher Ed, Not Debt campaign in
2013. In 2016, She was named by Fusion as one of 30 Women
Under 30 Who Will Change the Election.
L A Y L A
Z A I D A N E

Reginald Darby is the Vice President of Programs for the
Millennial Action Project. He oversees MAP’s programming
impact at the state and federal level and works to advance
MAP’s efforts encouraging Millennial leadership and political
collaboration. Previously, Reginald served as the Deputy
Chief of Staff and Legislative Director for Representative Greg
Steube and former Representative Scott Taylor. While
working with Taylor, Reginald contributed to the office being
named one of the most bipartisan in the 115th Congress.
Reginald also spearheaded the drafting and passage of the
Ashanti Alert Act and the VA Senior Executive Accountability
Act, which were both signed into law by President Trump.
Before his career on Capitol Hill, Reginald worked for CSG
Justice Center as a Senior Policy Analyst for Government
Affairs, handling health care and judiciary policy, as well as
their Reentry Working Group.
R E G I N A L D
D A R B Y

REP. LAKESHIA MYERS
Wisconsin
Rep.Myers@legis.wisconsin.g
ov
t: @Repmyers

Fifth Annual