Dr. Patricia Campos-Medina
Dr. Campos-Medina is a visionary leader and educator with field research, policy, legislative and program development background. She has a record of applied experienced on the development of strategic union organizing, electoral and worker justice community campaigns. Currently, she is the Executive Director of The Worker Institute, ILR-Cornell University where she oversees the successful management of the Institute’s vision and mission to advance collective bargaining, worker rights, economic and racial justice via research and education on contemporary labor and workplace issues, to generate innovative thinking and policy solutions to problems related to work, the economy, and society. Dr. Campos-Medina is considered a policy expert on workplace and labor issues, women rights, voting rights, immigrant worker justice, immigration policy and US trade relations. She is a board member of PODER PAC, a national political action committee advancing women representation in the US Congress and the current PAC Chair for NJ Citizen Action, an organization advancing policy reform for working families. She currently Serves as an Advisory Committee Member for Elección Latina/Ready to Run, a program of the Center for American Women in Politics and is a Visiting Fellow at the Eagleton Institute, Rutgers University-New Brunswick. Dr. Campos-Medina has been recognized as one of New Jersey’s most influential political leaders by several publications: ROI-NJ for 2020 and 2019; InsiderNJ 100 Policymaker in 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2017; InsiderNJ 100 Political Power List in 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2017; Observer/Politicker’s 100 Power List in 2016; PolitickerNJ’s Top 51 Most Influential Latino Leaders in New Jersey for 2015. She is the Host and Executive Producer of Activista Rise Up, a forum for activists to engage everyday people on the work of promoting social and economic justice. Follow her on social media @DrCamposMedina.
Tara Dowdell
Tara Dowdell is the founder and President of TDG Speakers and Tara Dowdell Group, a marketing and strategic communications firm that helps socially conscious organizations and businesses grow. Tara appears regularly on MSNBC, CNN, and PIX11 News, where she provides progressive insight and analysis on a range of political, government, and business topics. Tara has addressed conferences and events such as the NYU Stern School of Business Women in Business Conference, Big Ideas in Higher Education Conference at Rutgers University, the Southern Women in Public Service Leadership Conference, the Center for American Women and Politics Ready to Run® Conference, the Colorado Black Women for Political Action 39th Annual Luncheon, and many more. Tara previously served as the Senior Manager of Government and Community Relations for the international shipping arm of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Prior to joining the Port Authority, Tara served as Director of Appointments in the Office of the New Jersey Governor, the youngest person and the first Black person to serve in this role. As Director of Appointments, Tara led the office responsible for the selection, nomination, and appointment of individuals to over 550 state-wide boards and commissions. She began her career in government serving as a District Representative to Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. Tara has also served in senior positions on several high profile federal, state, and local campaigns. In 2010, Tara was selected by the American Swiss Foundation to attend their prestigious Young Leaders Conference in Basel, Switzerland. In 2005, she had the distinction of competing for a job on the third season NBC’s hit show, “The Apprentice.” Tara has also been honored by Rutgers Business School, Colorado Black Women for Political Action, the NAACP, and the child advocacy nonprofit organization, Project Re-Direct. She also serves on the Steering Committee for the Center for American Women and Politics Ready to Run® Conference and is a member of Bethany Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey. Tara is a graduate of the University of Virginia where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government.
Celinda Lake
Celinda Lake is one of the Democratic Party's leading political strategists, serving as pollster and senior advisor to President-Elect Biden, the national party committees, and dozens of Democratic incumbents and challengers at all levels of the electoral process. Celinda and her firm, Lake Research Partners, are known for cutting-edge research on issues including the economy, health care, the environment, and education, and have worked for a number of institutions including the Democratic National Committee (DNC), the Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA), AFL-CIO, SEIU, CWA, IAFF, NRDC, ecoAmerica, NARAL, Human Rights Campaign, Planned Parenthood, The Next Generation, EMILY's List, VoteVets Action Fund, and the Kaiser Family Foundation. Her international work has included work in Liberia, Belarus, Ukraine, South Africa, and Central America. Celinda is one of the nation's foremost experts on electing women candidates and on framing issues to women voters. American Politics calls Celinda a "super-strategist or, better yet, the Godmother," and Working Woman says she is "arguably the most influential woman in her field." She is renowned for her groundbreaking research on single women voters in conjunction with the Voter Participation Center and has helped elect numerous female candidates, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, former Senator Barbara Mikulski – also known as the "Dean" of Women Senators – former Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, former Houston Mayor Annise Parker, former Attorney General Patricia Madrid – the first Hispanic woman Attorney General in New Mexico– and former Senator Carol Moseley-Braun in her historic victory to become the first African-American woman to be elected to the United States Senate. Celinda has also worked with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the first female Speaker of the House. Celinda has a long record of defeating incumbents, including congressional races for former Representative Donna Edwards, Representative Jerry McNerney, and former Representative Tim Walz. Celinda has also defeated several incumbents in the Senate, electing Senator Debbie Stabenow in Michigan, Senator Jon Tester in Montana, and former Senator Mark Begich in Alaska. She polled for West Virginia Governor Bob Wise’s win over incumbent Cecil H. Underwood. And, in 2006, Celinda was an integral part of the successful effort to help Democrats take back control of the House of Representatives.
Eva Pusateri
Eva Pusateri, President and Founder of Expert Communications and Training, Inc., has successfully helped elect people to office at all levels of American government for over three decades. Eva started her career in politics as a campaign manager and later as a campaign strategist and consultant she continued to her clients win their campaigns with aggressive grassroots efforts. Her campaign strategies are recognized for always being one step ahead of the opposition. Eva has also played a vital role in helping many c-suite executives, high level federal elected officials, and national associations and their members succeed in reaching their goals through the art of strategic communications: branding, public relations public affairs, crisis communications and public speaking. As a strategic and communications consultant and nationally respected trainer and consultant, Eva helps her clients with messaging, presentations, reputation building and management, to name a few. Eva advises on all matters related to branding and differentiating yourself or your company from the competition as well as helping you stand out among your peers. Eva’s traveled across the country sharing her unique perspective and special insight helping her clients wow their audiences and win public affairs, public relations and political high-stakes campaigns, as well as branding efforts. Specializing in both speech coaching and media training to help her clients successfully deal with the press, Eva’s communication strategy services also include the written word such as speech writing and content marketing. Dedicated to helping women succeed, Eva has created training sessions to help women break the glass ceiling while avoiding the glass cliff. Eva has held important leadership roles in campaign training and issue development and messaging workshops nationally for women, including three years with a national women leaders’ forum where she was responsible for issue development and messaging recommendations presented to Congress. Eva has trained at many campaign schools across the country including ones for the Republican National Committee, the National Republican Congressional Committee and Campaigns and Elections Magazine, plus internationally for the International Republican Institute. Dedicated to helping women succeed, Eva has also trained for many women's bi-partisan programs including the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), League of Their Own, She Should Run and more. Impressed with both her achievements and the integral leadership roles she played right out of the gate early in her career, Campaigns and Elections' Magazine named Eva one of "74 Women Who Are Changing American Politics" and "A Rising Star". A master at creating winning strategies and pro-active, targeted messaging for her clients, Eva is available for speaking engagements, lectures and trainings.