Building Blocks of Advocacy Webinar

Are you reluctant to speak to elected officials to advocate for important issues due to a perceived lack of skills or knowledge? Fear no longer. Attend this 75- minute webinar and learn to overcome these concerns by discovering the secret of working with legislators.

Hear from the panel of experts who will help identify ways to be an accomplished relationship-building advocate. Realize your power to be effective when speaking directly to elected officials at all levels of government.

Advocacy is for everyone, and this webinar will provide you with the bedrock skills and knowledge to become an alliance- focused advocate. Registration is below – scroll down to learn about our impressive speakers.

Judy Arvey, Advocacy Expert and Trustee, Mission Brook Sanitary District  As a young teacher living in Chicago, Judy recruited friends to attend a party for an acquaintance running for State Representative. That party launched her long journey through politics. Through a marriage to an Alderman where she met many politicians at events to moving to the suburbs where she helped to build a Democratic party and a heavy dose of volunteering, seeking answers on policy issues for her friends and neighbors, and making important connections to politicians— Judy exemplifies the term “advocate.” She has served in Congressman Brad Schneider’s leadership group, works with Cook County Commissioner Scott Britton, and is a current trustee of MissionBrook Sanitary District.

Julie Hamos, Julie Hamos has had a long career as policy advocate, public interest attorney, state legislator and state agency director. Early in her career as a young attorney, she moved to Springfield, IL to establish the first statewide advocacy office for legal aid attorneys and their low-income clients, and since then has trained, worked with, and represented many public interest
organizations with their legislative advocacy and implementation goals.   Julie served as a State Representative from 1998 for over 11 years, sponsoring and passing ground-breaking legislation. When the Affordable Care Act was enacted in 2010, Julie was appointed as the Director of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services to help lead Illinois in its implementation. Today, Julie is a Senior Advisor at the Office of Medicaid Innovation (OMI) at the University of Illinois.  Julie has a J.D. degree from George Washington University National Law Center in Washington DC, and a B.A. degree from Washington University in St. Louis.

Marie Newman, As the current CEO of Little City, former member of Congress, marketing and public relations executive, author, women’s rights activist, LGBTQ advocate, Transportation and Small Business subject matter expert as well as healthcare activist, Ms. Newman is a sought-after speaker for many types of organizations and groups. Marie has been a life-long fighter for equity for underserved and marginalized communities.Ms. Newman continues her fight to serve folks in marginalized communities and the underserved in her position as CEO of Little City Foundation.  A former Congresswoman, marketing executive, antibullying activist, author, Moms Demand Action spokesperson, Women’s Rights activist, underserved communities activist and national LGBTQ+ advocate, Marie Newman has walked through many fires in her life. Marie believes these fires empowered her to create change in her community and across the country. Marie has been frequently interviewed on MSNBC, CNN, Fox, NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS over the last decade for her congressional work and activism. She has also been interviewed by The New York Times, Elle magazine, Teen Vogue, Ms. Magazine, The New Yorker, Washington Post, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, The Chicago Sun Times and many other national publications as well as penning multiple OpEds on hot topics over that last several years. She is a sought after speaker by national organizations and universities on women’s rights, gun reform, LGBTQ rights and economic equity across the nation before, during and after her time in Congress. Marie has a very robust national social media platform and hundreds of thousands of followers and email list participants. 
You can follow her at: Twitter: @newmarienewman, @repmarienewman, Facebook: @Marie Newman, @repmarienewman, @MarieKlaassenNewman, Instagram: @newmarienewman, @repmarienewman, @marieknewman, Linkedin: Marie Newman