Governor Martin O'Malley, the governor of Maryland, is leading the charge to win Marriage Equality for same-sex couples, and the Maryland DREAM Act, which would allow young undocumented immigrants access to in-state tuition rates at Maryland colleges and universities. His administration has worked to help Marylanders through the recession, strengthen public education, and to expand opportunities for all state residents. Gov. O’Malley grew up in Potomac, MD, and attended Catholic University and the University of Maryland School of Law. He was the Mayor of Baltimore from 1999-2007, and was first elected governor in 2006, then reelected in 2010. He is a committed Catholic, who credits his background and education with pushing him to act on principle to help others.

Elissa Silverman is a key leader in DC’s grassroots political scene, organizing citizens to ban corporate campaign donations to DC Council candidates with DC Public Trust, and to build a stronger base for progressive change in the city. Now the Communications Director for the DC Fiscal Policy Initiative, she was previously a Metro reporter for the Washington Post and the Washington City Paper, writing the popular “Loose Lips” local politics column. An alumna of JUFJ’s leadership program, the Jeremiah Fellowship, Elissa works tirelessly behind the scenes to make the District a better place.

Jessica Champagne and Max Toth are a powerhouse couple active in local, national, and international issues. Jess works at the Worker Rights Consortium, an independent labor rights monitoring organization, and was previously a global campaigner at SEIU. She serves on the Board of the Diverse City Fund, which supports social change work by DC communities of color. Max directs the data and technology department at Working America, the AFL-CIO’s community affiliate, and was a leader in the DC Trans Coalition, which fights for DC’s transgender people. Max and Jess met through their work in United Students Against Sweatshops, and are longtime, inspiring community builders, mentoring countless young activists.