amalia deloney
amalia is a Guatemalan born Activist, Cultural Worker and Senior Fellow with the Main Street Project. Locally, Amalia is a Board member of the Headwaters Foundation for Justice, and a longtime member of the Social Change Fund Grants Committee of the Headwaters Foundation. Nationally, amalia is a board member of the Indigenous Women's Network, and Progressive Majority’s Racial Justice Advisory. Additionally, amalia serves as a Field Representative for the American Indian Treaty Council and has participated in UN meetings such as the Working Group on Indigenous Populations and the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. For the past two years, she has been on the steering committee for the Midwest Social Forum, and was a member of the Indigenous Advisory Committee for the 2006 US Social Forum.
amalia has over 13 years of community and cultural organizing; and community education experience. Her specific focus includes human rights and anti-racism education, cultural rights and the production of knowledge, as well as movement building. During the 2004 election cycle, amalia was the National Director for Latino Outreach for National Voice - a coalition of approx. 1000 non-partisan organization and community groups. Following the election, she created the Latino Leadership Project, a program dedicated to building and strengthening a broad-based movement for political participation within Latino communities. The LLP is currently a core program of the Main Street Project. In 2005, amalia became the Project Director for the Main Street Project.
amalia is a 2004 recipient of the Mansfield Upper Midwest International Human Rights Fellowship, a 2007 Salzburg Seminar Fellow during their Immigration and Inclusion: Rethinking National Identity program, and a recipient of a Gaea Sea Change fellowship scheduled for 2009. Additionally, amalia is a recipient of the 2005 MN Hispanic Chamber of Commerce's "25 On the Rise"--an award given to 25 Latinos under the age of 40 in MN, as well as the 2007 recipient of Macalester College's "Young Alumni Award" given to graduates who have demonstrated outstanding involvement and achievement in their post-graduate education and community contributions.
Academic degrees: Amalia earned her B.A in Urban Studies and History from Macalester College and her Juris Doctorate with a focus on Social Justice from Hamline University School of Law. Her areas of specialization include community organizing and education, cultural rights, non-partisan political participation and Media Justice.
Representative Renee Schulte
Renee Schulte is a Licensed Mental Health Therapist and State Representative in Iowa. Renee serves on many local boards including House of Hope, Aid to Women, League of Women Voters and Professional Women’s Network. A former foster parent, Renee works as a Strategic Planning Advisor to Four Oaks, Inc. Renee has over 20 years of experience working in the mental health field: psychiatric hospital, run away shelter, family centered therapy, Consumer support, mental health insurance and more. Renee is an adjunct professor of psychology at Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids since 2006.
Elected in 2008, Renee was one of two Republican challengers to beat an incumbent Democrat in the cycle. Renee’s committee assignments include: Human Resources, State Government, Education, Judiciary, and Health and Human Services Joint appropriations (HHS). Renee was assigned to learn the state Medicaid and Human services budget as a resource for her caucus. Renee serves on the state Child Welfare Advisory Committee.
In 2006, Renee was appointed by the Attorney General to the National Advisory Committee on the Violence Against Women. She served a two year term as the co-chair of the Faith Based sub committee. In 2009, Renee was awarded a fellowship to the Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development. Renee participates as a member of Women in Government. Renee serves on the civil justice task force for the American Legislative Exchange Council.
Academic Degrees: Renee earned her BA in Psychology and MA in Counseling and Educational Psychology from New Mexico State University.
Representative Elesha Gayman
Represenative Elesha Gayman is in her second term in the House of Representatives and is the assistant majority leader. She serves on the Agriculture, Appropriations, Environmental Protection, Veteran's Affairs and is the vice chair of the Administration and Rules Committee.
Born and raised in Davenport, Elesha Gayman graduated from Davenport West High School where she served on the Davenport youth city council and in student government.
Elesha attended St. Ambrose University her freshman year working with State Senator Pat Deluhery at an internship in the Iowa Senate. Elesha spent the first semester of her sophomore year at Loyola University’s Rome Center in Italy. Upon return to the states she transferred to the University of Iowa and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with an emphasis in International Relations.
Since college Elesha has been busy serving the community in the non-profit sector as a grant writer and fundraiser and volunteering her time to numerous organizations. She currently teaches American Government at Scott Community College.
Elesha completed her Masters of Public Administration degree through Drake University at the Quad City Graduate Center in 2007. Currently she serves on the board for the Safer Foundation, the Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service, and holds a membership with American Association of University Women.
Elesha first won her seat in Iowa House District 84 in November of 2006. She won by a margin of 266 votes beating a two term incumbent in an evenly split district. She is currently the youngest woman holding office in Iowa's General Assembly.
In addition to her work in the Iowa House she serves as vice chair of Health and Human Services Committee on the National Council of State Legislatures. She worked as the Eastern Iowa Political Director for Senator Barack Obama’s Presidential Caucus Campaign and continues to do free lance political consulting work.
