Speakers

Janis Bowdler, Counselor for Racial Equity, United States Department of Treasury

Janis Bowdler is the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s first counselor for racial equity. She has spent the last two decades advancing economic equity solutions for communities of color and breaking down the barriers that underpin the disparities in wealth and financial security by race and gender. Growing up in Northeast Ohio, she saw firsthand how neighborhood conditions impacted the life opportunities of her family and neighbors, often resulting in an uneven playing field that has left communities of color and our most vulnerable communities at a stark disadvantage. Drawing on her lived experience and two decades of working in coalition with Black, Latinx, and AAPI communities, Janis has dedicated her career to dismantling the structural and institutional racism that has allowed the racial wealth gap to persist and widen. 

Janis’s career has spanned local service, national advocacy, and international philanthropy. Janis received a bachelor’s degree from Malone College in Canton, Ohio and a Master of Science degree from Cleveland State University. She is a proud Latina, a yoga instructor, and mom to one daughter, two dogs, and a bunny. She lives with her husband and her family in Takoma Park, Maryland. 

 

Representative Linda Sánchez (D─CA 38th District)

Linda T. Sánchez, a former labor lawyer and lifelong progressive, has devoted her career to helping working people get ahead: advocating for working families, improving America’s education system, and bringing jobs to Southern California.

Sánchez currently represents California’s 38th congressional district on the House Committee on Ways and Means, where she advocates for the protection of Social Security and Medicare, fairness for U.S. workers and businesses in trade agreements, and an even playing field for the middle class through tax code reform.

Prior to her service in the House of Representatives, Sánchez was an attorney practicing appellate, civil rights, and employment law. Sánchez worked for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 441 and the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) as a compliance officer on public works and prevailing wage projects.

In 2000, she was elected executive director of the Orange County Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO. In the 114th Congress, Sánchez served as chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and in the current Congress, she chairs the CHC’s Immigration Task Force, charged with reviewing our nation’s outdated immigration laws.

 

Teresa Chaurand, Partner, Madison West Consulting

Teresa Chaurand is a government and public affairs professional. She is a partner for Madison West Consulting and Senior Advisor for GPS Impact where she works to ensure that diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the center of political, digital, and advocacy campaigns. She also has considerable experience developing diverse talent for leadership opportunities in high-level government and private sector positions.  

Prior, Teresa served in two roles in the Obama administration, first as specialist assistant to the president for the Outreach & Recruitment Team in the Presidential Personnel Office (PPO). During her tenure at PPO, she was responsible for sourcing candidates across the administration and engaging stakeholders and partners to identify candidates for political appointments. The second role was as director of intergovernmental and external affairs at the Peace Corps where she was responsible for creating public/private sector partnerships, defined strategy; managed and developed staff that executed country-level initiated, Peace Corps Volunteer-led global initiatives. Before joining the Obama administration, Teresa served as the owner and partner of Vista Communications.  

 

Janet Murguía, President and CEO, UnidosUS 

Since 2005, Janet Murguía has served as President and CEO of UnidosUS (formerly the National Council of La Raza)—the nation’s largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization. In this role, Murguía has sought to strengthen UnidosUS’s work and enhance its record of impact as a vital American institution. Murguía has also worked to amplify the Latino voice on issues affecting the Hispanic community such as education, health care, immigration, civil rights, and the economy. 

Murguía began her career in Washington, DC as legislative counsel to former Congressman Jim Slattery from her home state, Kansas. She worked with Congressman Slattery for seven years before joining the Clinton administration, where she served for six years as a deputy assistant to President Clinton and deputy director of legislative affairs. 

After serving in the Clinton administration, Murguía went on to serve as deputy campaign manager and director of constituency outreach for the Gore/Lieberman presidential campaign, where she was the primary liaison between former Vice President Gore and national constituency groups. 

In 2001, Murguía joined the University of Kansas (KU) as Executive Vice Chancellor for University Relations, where she oversaw KU’s internal and external relations with the public. She is credited with coordinating the university’s strategic planning and marketing efforts at the four KU campuses.

 

Gautam Raghavan, Assistant to the President and Director of Presidential Personnel, The White House 

Gautam Raghavan serves as assistant to the president and director of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel. Previously, he served as deputy director of presidential personnel and deputy head of presidential appointments for the Biden-Harris Transition.  

Before joining the Biden-Harris administration, Raghavan served as chief of staff to U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), the Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and advised organizations focused on advancing civil rights and social justice, serving as an advisor to the Biden Foundation and as vice president of policy for the Gill Foundation.  

During the Obama-Biden administration, Raghavan served in the White House Office of Public Engagement as liaison to the LGBTQ+ community as well as the AAPI community, as acting White House liaison for the U.S. Department of Defense, and as outreach lead for the Pentagon’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” working group.  

 

 

Nathalie Rayes, President and CEO, Latino Victory 

Nathalie Rayes is the President and CEO of Latino Victory, a national organization dedicated to building Latino political power. Rayes has devoted her career to advancing and empowering the Latino community through advocacy and education. Before joining Latino Victory, Rayes was vice president of public affairs for Grupo Salinas in the United States and executive director of Fundación Azteca America. Earlier in her career, she served as deputy chief of staff for Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn, where she created and directed the city’s first-ever Office of Immigrant Affairs and managed the Mayor’s Office of Intergovernmental Relations, International Trade, and Protocol.  
  
Rayes currently serves on the Board of Directors of Hispanic Federation and Planned Parenthood Action Fund, and she is the chair of the Binational Advisory Group for the Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE). She served six years as President Barack Obama’s appointee to the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, chairing the Audit Committee.  

 

Stephanie Valencia, CEO and Co-founder, Equis Research 

Stephanie Valencia is a national leader at the nexus of politics, technology, and leadership development.  

She recently served as political director at InvestingIn.Us, a political venture capital fund focused on disruptive platforms and initiatives to enhance civic participation, and previously ran Strategic Partnerships and Outreach at Google.  

Stephanie is among a small group of advisers who served President Barack Obama in senior roles through his presidential campaign and both terms in office. She served as an aide to the president at the White House Office of Public Engagement, as deputy chief of staff to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, and as deputy Latino vote director on the 2008 campaign.  

Prior to joining the campaign, Stephanie served in leadership roles for several lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including as press secretary to U.S. Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO), press secretary to Congressman John Larson (D-CT), member services for the House Democratic Caucus Chair, Rahm Emanuel (D-IL), and press secret to Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (D-CA).