CPL Alumni Help Make History

Alumni of the CPL's Programs Help Make History on Tuesday Night

Tuesday was a historic night for progressives and a proud moment for CPL and our growing network of alumni across the country.

CPL alumni, including elected officials, community organizers, volunteer activists, and organizational leaders, played a key role in Tuesday's amazing election results.

CPL alumni ran as first-time candidates, like Daniel Patterson and Ellen Cogen, while there were a few, such as Tony Payton, who were running for re-election. Others played key leadership roles on campaigns and ballot initiatives across the country, like Kyle DuBuc and Amy Lampinen in Michigan.

“We are proud of all of the political strides our alumni have made this election season,” says Peter Murray, President of the Center for Progressive Leadership. “CPL is about building more progressive political leaders, and having our fellows elected to office is just one example of our leadership development at work.”

First Female Muslim Headed to the Michigan State House

Rashida Tlaib was raised in Southwest Detroit, the oldest child of Palestinian immigrants, who taught her the importance of hard work, honesty, and commitment to community. As the eldest of 13 children, she developed leadership qualities that made her responsible, caring, and compassionate toward others.

Always someone who saw herself working behind the scenes, Rashida had something of a revelation during CPL’s Political Leaders Fellowship, as she came to realize she had the vision to lead people, and had what it took to get elected. On November 4th, 2008, she became the fist Palestinian to get elected to the Michigan State House where she will represent southwest Detroit.

Her campaign reflected many of the skills she practiced during the CPL Fellowship. She showed dominance in fund raising, and engaged key constituency groups that had been absent in past political campaigns in the area.  Her district represents the largest concentration of Hispanic voters in state, and she worked hard to develop a message that crossed over traditional divides. In the end, she pulled together a large and diverse coalition of leaders that successfully won her the election.

Read about her history-making campaign:

• Fox 28 - Detroit sends Palestinian Muslim to Legislature
• Associated Press - Michigan Legislature getting first female Muslim

Helping Organize African-American Women in Philadelphia

Cheryl Mobley is a fourth-generation Philadelphian and has more than 27 years of diverse experience in the progressive movement. She received her Bachelor's Degree from Cheyney University of Pennsylvania and her Masters from Ohio State University. She obtained her Law and Doctoral degrees from Howard University of Law and Penn State University.

In 2008, Cheryl served as the Regional Coordinator for African-American Women for Obama, a group that organized crucial neighbor-to-neighbor dialogue between women in Pennsylvania. This strategy reflects Cheryl’s commitment to grassroots change and neighbor-to-neighbor outreach that was so successful in 2008.

Cheryl was also elected as an official Pennsylvania Delegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention, pledged to Barack Obama. Cheryl was the top vote-getter in Pennsylvania’s 2nd Congressional District, winning more than 125,000 votes.

Cheryl’s political successes have been catalyzed by her experiences in the CPL Fellowship, “My involvement in CPL has buttressed my renewed political goals.  The CPL network and the information received have been invaluable.”

Moving Arizona in a Progressive Direction

It is telling, that when Daniel Patterson talks about the CPL Fellowship he emphasizes one lesson above all others: “I learned how to be a better listener.” As a candidate who actively sought out and listened to his constituents, Daniel’s success speaks to the power of the grounded, values-driven leadership approach that CPL emphasizes in its Fellowship.

An ecologist who generates his own solar power and grows his own food, Daniel has long been committed to environmental issues. Prior to running for office, Daniel served as the Southwest Director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a national conservation service organization.

When Daniel decided to run for State Representative, he saw it as a crucial step in his leadership trajectory, “I’ve been working for a healthier, smarter and more compassionate quality of life as a leader in the community for nearly 15 years — most of my adult life.”

Daniel won his State House seat in Tucson on November 4th, 2008 and will use the skills and networks he gained in the Fellowship to “to build bridges and solve problems. “

If you are interested in becoming a CPL Fellow in Arizona, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania or Colorado, the application process is now open.

• Apply for this year's 2009 Political Leaders Fellowship