On Friday, January 18, 2019 I was invited to the Union League Club of Chicago for a lunch that celebrated the people who had been honored on the Crain’s Chicago Business Notable LGBT Executive list. It was the first time Crain’s had published an LGBT list in its 40 year history of award winning news and for the ULCC, it was the first time they had sponsored a lunch exclusively for the LGBTQ community. It was a historic moment in a historical place and I felt the weight, as well as the joy of the moment.

According to a 2018 HRC study A Workplace Divided: Understanding the Climate for LGBTQ Workers Nationwide, 46% percent of LGBTQ employees are not out at work. One in five has been told to dress more masculine/feminine by co-workers, 53% report hearing jokes about the LGBTQ community and most surprising 59% of non LGBTQ workers think it’s unprofessional to talk about sexual orientation and gender identity at work, although in self-reporting they regularly talk about their spouses, families and life outside of work.

I am out in all aspects of my life, especially the workplace. As a woman working in the technology space, I know how important it is to have representation in the workforce, in executive leadership and on board seats. It’s even more important for me to have Queer representation.  Just 5% of Fortune 500 CEO’s are women and only one is openly gay.  Beth Ford  became CEO of Land O’ Lakes in 2018.

Being out at work for me is important. It allows me to live honestly and authentically. It encourages other to come out, knowing they have support, and it helps other employees learn and understand their LGBTQ co-workers and the issues that surround them. Living openly, creating allies and working in diverse cultures is important for us as humans, but it also important  for  companies and organization’s success.

In the 2018 “Delivering through Diversity” report from McKinsey, it reported that gender diversity at the top creates 21% more profitable companies and those with more culturally and ethnically diverse leadership are 43% more likely to see above average profits. So why are so many, still so afraid to come out and why aren’t companies and organizations more supportive?

Fear, retaliation, job loss, bullying, discrimination and so much more play a part in the very personal decision of “coming out.” All of these real threats are a part of our own current political leadership and it’s still a part of many of our companies, communities and families. Being out helps change that. Being out breaks down barriers. Being out and visible is freeing on multiple levels not only for ourselves, but our community.

The ULCC through its history has evolved. In what was once a men’s organization, women lead. Women are board members and Brooke Wiseman, the organization’s 126th President was gay. It has created a more inclusive family. It has created an organization based in honesty and support of everyone, building stronger communities building better lives.

The Union League Club of Chicago started when a group of 11 men gathered on June 25, 1862 in an attempt to thwart a group of radical southern sympathizers from plotting an insurrection in Illinois. The Union League movement was focused on providing medical supplies, training nurses, and advocating equality for slaves and by the end of the war, the movement consisted of two million members. The ULCC was founded in 1879 and has played an important part in Chicago history. It’s been credited with playing a role in establishing many of the city’s major cultural organizations, including The Art Institute of Chicago, Orchestra Hall, the Auditorium Theater the Field Museum and the Harold Washington Library Center.

“For nearly 140 years, the Union League Club of Chicago has upheld the sacred obligations of citizenship, promoted honesty and efficiency in government, supported cultural institutions and the beautification of the city and supported our nation’s military and their families.”

On January 18, 2019 the ULCC started another sacred obligation in supporting the LGBTQ community and the institutions we uphold, the honesty we live and the beauty we bring to the world.

Thank you for inviting me to this historic moment.

I’ve been a leader my entire life and an entrepreneur my entire career. I’ve been very fortunate to have been supported by other women and male allies who believed in me and empowered me to succeed. They also understood and supported my mission of helping others succeed. I use the term “endless possibilities” continuously because I truly believe that the world has so many problems left to be solved, so many wounds left to be healed and so many solutions yet be discovered and women entrepreneurs are a large part of the solution. The “power of yes” is more than a phrase, it’s an internal power that makes women inherently curious, smart, inspired risk-takers, strong, resilient and forces of change.

Entrepreneurship isn’t easy and women founders have consistently faced obstacles such as securing financing, gender bias, limited mentorship, and lack of training and support to see their ideas to fruition. In 2017, only 2% of VC investment went to women founders and since 2009, less than 0.0006% funded women of color.

In a Fast Company article from October 2018, Melinda Gates writes about a study published in the Harvard Business Review which found that investors tend to describe young male entrepreneurs as “promising” but young female entrepreneurs as “inexperienced.”  She continues, “A prominent VC put an even finer point on it in his infamous statement that he prefers to back entrepreneurs who also happen to be “white male nerds who’ve dropped out of Stanford or Harvard.” It’s ironic that the very people who glorify disruptive innovation keep expecting it to appear from the exact same place.”

Again, entrepreneurship isn’t easy, for anyone, but it’s made difficult for women.

When I moderate a panel discussion of women, I usually don’t highlight the obvious, because for me, I’m questioning a panel of experts, innovators and leaders, who happen to be women.  A highly regarded, successful and celebrated CEO recently said to me “women aren’t a vertical, we’re not a commodity” and she’s so right. We should just be seen as CEO’s, disrupters, engineers and venture catalysts, but we are not there yet.

Someday we will.

Earlier this year, the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center at DePaul University opened the Women in Entrepreneurship Institute (WEI). The WEI is the first comprehensive institute for women founders integrating academic learning, research, incubation, funding, and public policy.

The mission of the Women in Entrepreneurship Institute (WEI) is to support women entrepreneurs through academic research and programs and initiatives that invest in the success and sustainability of women-owned businesses.

When they asked me to be a part of the Founding 40 Board Members, I immediately said YES. Being an entrepreneur is easier now than it ever has been, but for women the obstacles of funding, gender bias and equal access persist and I, along with the other 39 women are on a mission to change that.

Equity is a word that has two meanings, it’s the quality of being fair and impartial and it’s also the value and worth of a company. Studies show that an increase in women leadership help companies thrive in unprecedented ways and companies with women board members perform considerably better than ones with only male members and executives.

Being equitable runs through every word and action that I take on a daily basis. Fighting for that on the foundational level of education, access and support is the most important work I can do.

Here’s to fulfilling the mission.

Last week, I had the honor of moderating the Backstop Solutions Group Women & Gender Minorities In Technology (Wit) panel discussion for 2018 at the Loews Chicago. This year’s topic was “The Impact of Impact Investing: How Diversity & Inclusion Have Bolstered Performance.

Investors are flocking to financial products that assess the ethics, social responsibility, corporate governance and environmental records of the companies they invest in. Consumers are also more informed and demanding better from the companies they purchase from and the funds they invest in.

A 2015 analysis by the University of Oxford and Arabesque Management found that 72% of S&P 500 companies are reporting on sustainability and companies with superior standards improve their access to capital. To put the numbers in perspective, from 1995 until now, ESG (environmental, social and governance) investing has grown from $639 million to $8.7 billion, tackling issues like climate change, sustainability, education, healthcare, affordable housing, government effectiveness, economic empowerment and beyond.

Backstop intentionally and wisely, selected a diverse group of leaders in Impact Investing who are working on the private equity, venture capital, bond and foundation side of investment. This presented a unique challenge for me as the moderator because moderating a panel of six can be difficult, but moderating this impressive panel of women, working impact from both profit and non profit as well as public and private perspectives could have been been a train wreck, but it was magical and had a profound impact on me.

The evening’s panel included Debra Schwartz, Managing Director, Impact Investing at MacArthur Foundation, Emily Lawrence, VP Senior Product ESG Specialist at Northern Trust, Gerri Kahnweiler, Founder and Partner at InvestHER, Nicole Chavas, CEO at Greenprint Partners, Purva Patel, SVP at Nuveen Asset Management (a bond specialist), and Tyra Jeffries, Founder and CEO at CreativeCap Advisors.

These were six women I had never met. These were six women I had researched extensively, respected deeply and enjoyed immensely as our conversation centered more on our humanity and the challenges we face in this world, together.

The MacArthur Foundation, a pioneer in impact investing, has dedicated more than $500M of it’s assets to ESG and Debra Schwartz leads the way. She wishes that investments would be more agnostic, faster and easier because she knows how powerful local investment can be. The foundation invested $4.5 million in Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH) in 2003 and today they have 8,500 apartments in more than 70 developments spanning 9 states and D.C. Affordable housing is a leading issue in America. The national average for a one bedroom apartment in the U.S. is $864 and the Routledge Handbook of Poverty in the United States estimates that 100 million Americans live at or near the national poverty level.

Greenprint Partners, led by Nicole Chavas is a green infrastructure delivery partner that helps cities achieve high-impact, community-driven stormwater solutions at scale. Their community-first commitment means that they co-design each project with residents to revitalize neighborhoods, increase public health and safety, and create new job opportunities.

The Well Farm at Voris Field project in Peoria, Illinois is an excellent example of partnered impact. In a city of 116,000 people situated on the banks of the Illinois river, Peoria has had a long history of sewer system overflows polluting the river. The community and Greenprint developed green stormwater infrastructure that offered the neighborhood access to healthy, local produce, new career training opportunities, a safe community gathering space and most importantly, Peoria is working with the EPA to eliminate these combined sewer overflows, and hopes to be the first city to do so with 100% green stormwater infrastructure.

InvestHER Ventures, partnered by Gerri Kahnweiler is an early stage investment firm that partners with and invests in women entrepreneurs. Presently only 2% of venture capital is invested in women and since 2009, only .0006% has been invested in companies led by Black women. A recent Fast Company article quoted Melinda Gates as saying, “There is no country on earth where women have achieved true equality.” The article also cites a study, published in the Harvard Business Review which found that investors tend to describe young male entrepreneurs as “promising” and women as “inexperienced”, but we also have seen the other data like The Peterson Institute for International Economics survey of 21,980 firms from 91 countries which found that having women at the C-Suite level significantly increases net margins. InvestHER is out to make an impact, investing in women founded companies like BallotReady, CNote and KnowledgeHound

 

As of June 30, 2017, Northern Trust – through its affiliates, has approximately $1 trillion in total assets under management, including $65.9 billion specifically related to its diverse set of ESG institutional investment strategies, Emily Lawrence, VP Senior Product ESG Specialist brings years of experience and humanity to the impact journey. In a New York Times article, sponsored by Northern Trust they highlight a “value meets values” mission. “Investors are asking increasingly sophisticated questions of the companies in their portfolios,” said Emily Lawrence.

Nuveen has five decades of responsible investing leadership beginning with corporate engagement on anti-apartheid issues in the 1970’s. They started their first dedicated ESG portfolio in 1990 and have $21 billion invested in ESG-focused strategies. Purva Patel is a bonds expert tackling local and state needs and the impact it has on effective governance for the institutions themselves and the constituents they serve. Nuveen has written numerous papers on responsible investing and as far back as 1971, William Greenough, it’s Chariman said that “A corporation can only continue to be a profitable investment for its stockholders if it discharges its obligations to society.”

CreativeCap Advisors helps managers launch their funds and offers virtual CMO services for asset managers, but what I was most interested in was their Emerging Managers Incubator Program, the first of its kind. The program is interdisciplinary in its approach and focuses on four critical areas: marketing, investor relations, business development and business management. Tyra Jefferies, the CEO has a unique opportunity to impact managers as they start their careers and instill a commitment to ESG investment with an eye on diversity and inclusion and she is up to the challenge.

I am a person who thinks about impact on a daily basis, from the work I do, the companies I work with, the people I mentor, the vote I cast, the food I eat, the products I purchase, the investments I make and the legacy I want to leave to my children and grandchildren.

Impact is one of those words that is a noun and a verb, a statement and an action and to me it’s a responsibility as a member of the human race to strive to make an impact every day.

These women are the embodiment of impact. They had an impact on me.

Watch the highlights here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bTwN10Aow8

This is an older post from 2013, re-posted for the 5th Anniversary of the death of DOMA

In a 5–4 decision on June 26, 2013 the Supreme Court of the United States ruled Section 3 of DOMA to be unconstitutional, declaring it “a deprivation of the liberty of the person protected by the Fifth Amendment”  For those of us who are gay and legally married, it was a joyous day- but also a confusing day. It didn’t make marriage legal, but federal discrimination would end for those of us- married- in 13 states in the District of Columbia.

My wife and I are perfect examples of the “state of marriage equality in these United States.” And as a woman who was married in a heterosexual union- I can tell you- there is no difference and yes, even the “gays” bicker over the kids, the laundry and cleaning…I hate to clean.

In our hearts and everyday lives, we have already been together and married for 15 years. We were legally married in Iowa on the day it became law, but we live in Illinois, a state which recognizes civil unions, but not marriage equality.  If we were in legal limbo before the fall of DOMA, the confusion becomes worse, after DOMA.

Thinking about a “gay old” road trip these day-has become overwhelming.  We are legally married in 13 states and D.C., “civil unionized” in others, including our own, Illinois- and simply illegal and discriminated against in the others. There are thousands of loving, committed adults who are affected, but so are their children, their families and their communities. Marriage makes a difference. Marriage makes our relationships and families equal, not lesser than. Marriage, not civil unions, protects our lives, our families, our children, our health our financial security and helps end the misinformation, discrimination and demonization by a group of our own fellow Americans.

Adding to all of our own community’s confusion is the compounded confusion and continued battle of millions of Americans who don’t understand the difference between a civil union and a marriage and have no idea what marriage equality means. Others do not understand the difference between the civil right of marriage, the religious rite of marriage and the “political right” of marriage discrimination.

Plain and simple, a Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people – that establishes rights and obligations between the two spouses.  Marriage in the United States was a carryover from our European ancestors and was primarily an economic arrangement negotiated between families in which family considerations of status, future economic stability, and prosperity were the most important considerations. Through our history, it has evolved and most Americans consider the primary purpose of marriage to be a commitment to the emotional and psychological support between two individuals.

Marriage in the United States has taken a long and complex journey through its own legal, moral, religiously influenced and political twists and turns to either discriminate or ultimately- make all people equal. Like our own human evolution, marriage has evolved.

Did you know that before 1662, there was no penalty for interracial marriages in any of the British colonies in North America, but by the 1920s, 38 states prohibited interracial marriage?  This was changed, federally in 1967. Women were property and in 1848, New York became the first state to pass the Married Woman’s Property Act, guaranteeing the right of married women to own property. Throughout most of the 19th century, the minimum age of consent for sexual intercourse in most American states was 10 years of age?!  In 1978, New York became the first state to outlaw rape in marriage. By 1990, only a total of ten states outlawed rape in marriage. In thirty-six states rape in marriage was a crime only in certain circumstances.

I could dive deeper into writing the history and changes and rights of marriage through the ages and where and when religion became involved- and overly concerned and destructive in the civil right of marriage (not just gay), but at the end of the day, we all have to admit that this progress in the rights of marriage indicates the advancement of us as human beings.

Gay marriage is nothing new and has a long history beyond the debated subject that it is today. Studies reveal that same sex relationships have enjoyed freedom in the past. In Mesopotamia- there is a tomb for a gay couple which means that the kingdom recognized their union. There are examples of gay marriages across the ages and even Plato wrote about such unions in ‘Symposium’.  In many artworks of antiquity, same-sex interactions were depicted with equal status as opposite sex relationships. Gay marriage was not just about gender, but also about character, excellence, beauty, and love. In the social customs of the Romans, marriage between men was common. Before someone writes me about the fall of the Roman Empire- you should also read the 12 year Catholic and Orthodox archive search by Yale history professor John Boswell that discovered  a type of Christian gay “marriage” which existed as late as the 18th century. St Serge and St Bacchus were two Roman soldiers who became Christian martyrs. “Severus of Antioch in the sixth century explained that “we should not separate in speech [Serge and Bacchus] who were joined in life”. More bluntly, in the definitive 10th century Greek account of their lives, St Serge is openly described as the “sweet companion and lover” of St Bacchus.”

What has changed? Nothing about marriage has changed through the ages. Commitment is the foundation. Marriage is the commitment to a partner in life and a family born out of that love.   Marriage is the very public commitment to protect it, to love it without fail and to watch it flourish for the betterment of humanity. Any member of humanity should embrace that.

All of us must march off to a governmental agency to get our license (our right) to marry- gay or straight.  Some of us may choose a spiritual celebration while others may choose to have a religious ceremony (the rite) to solemnize that love, but there are some who will continue their path of righteousness across the very foundation of what marriage is ultimately about- commitment to love, to family, to country and to our humanity.

In 1983, Pat Benatar sung “Love is a Battlefield.” That same year, a 3^rd year student at  Harvard Law School, Evan Wolfson (Freedom to Marry founder) wrote one of the earliest and most influential – cases for “why the freedom to marry is important and how winning marriage for same-sex couples will signal a broader path to equality for gay and lesbian Americans.” The published paper was titled “Same Sex Marriage and Morality: The Human Rights Vision of the Constitution.” It’s a long read at 141 pages, but even Wolfson quotes from Plato’s Symposium, “w’llerever it has been established that it is shameful [to be involved in same sex relations], this is due to evil on the part of the legislators, to despotism on the part of the rulers and to cowardice on the part of the government” Wolfson continues, “add in ignorance, bigotry, socialization and fear and the correlation still stands.”

30 years later, it continues…Love isn’t easy. Equality isn’t easy. Civil Rights aren’t easy, but we know that already, we are survivors.

“We are strong no one can tell us we’re wrong, searching our hearts for so long, both of us knowing love is a battlefield.” Holly Knight and Mike Chapman

Battle on my friends.

This is an older site post from 2013- It is the 5th Anniversary of this adventure.

After I was invited to apply for a position on StartupBus 2013, I immediately did the research and said, “Why wouldn’t I do this?!” 25 strangers- creating a company in 72 hours- on a bus to Austin, TX; it was the very thing I needed. My career, up to this point, had been an exciting and diverse one, but I needed a little jolt to change my mental dynamic and this seemed like the perfect experience to take me out of my comfort zone- completely- and I wasn’t wrong.

I found out that I was accepted at 3:00 p.m. on a Friday and had to be on the bus at 8:00 a.m. Sunday. My first challenge in mental dynamic testing was… spontaneity. I quickly packed a host of electronics, power cords, power strips, emergen-C packets and a bottle of Jameson.

I stepped on the bus and immediately noted youth and men. Our bus had 25 competitors, six female and 19 men…not bad I thought, until I pondered this again (gender and age), much later in San Antonio, TX. I took my seat and waited for the festivities to begin. We took off for our first stop, Sproutbox in Bloomington, Indiana– a 6 hour drive, in which transpired, 25 personal introductions, about 20 company ideas- which led to the formation of six teams, six company names, securing urls and the beginning of sites, apps, equity plans and yes, a pitch. Our first was miserable…

We wanted to fix health care in 72 hours, but knew we needed an MVP- so we choose prescription drugs and created MyBestRx- a cross platform robust app to assist consumers in the prescription drug marketplace.

Next stop, MyEmma- in Nashville, TN and again, we pitched…and again we received constructive criticism, new ideas and support. We worked through the night perfecting our pitch, while continuing with the site, the app and our media plan. After 3 hours sleep we were on the road again- headed for New Orleans.

Unbeknown to all of us on the Midwest bus (as well as the bus from Miami and New York),  New Orleans was hosting a national medical convention, 30,000 doctors- who occupied every hotel, motel, B&B, vrbo.com and  airbnb.com space available- so they put us in the next best place…St. Vincent’s hostel / homeless shelter. This structure of a very colorful and mixed history was ours for the night. St. Vincent’s was once a orphanage and it seemed fitting that its service of “taking care” of people, would now take care of us now. I can’t say the few hours we slept there were pleasurable, as we tackled 40 people in one room of bunk beds and 35 in another, with no blankets, flying cockroaches, unpleasant cold, face to face toilets, the trauma of a fellow female competitor’s top bunk crashing down upon the young man below and a cacophony of snoring…but it was a bonding experience and will always be a great story. After a few hours of sleeping with one eye open, one of my teammates suggested we spring for a massage, instead of breakfast, so we could get a shower…brilliant.

We found a spa nearby which only had one appointment. I let my teammate take it, but the women working there, took one look at me- and with New Orleans hospitality, said “honey you look like you could use a shower and some tea?” I did. They led me to a wonderful room, much like a slate shower in Costa Rica and let me wash off my weariness in the heat of the calming water and the aroma of my Earl Grey tea. I was revived and ready to kick some butt.

We boarded the bus once again, for a longer journey to San Antonio Texas. Working on a computer, while jumping around at 60 MPH, with intermittent internet and the lingering “aroma” of that unventilated bathroom had become the norm for us. We were also getting to know one another. We had worked, slept, drank, laughed and shared these days with strangers, now new friends. Who knows what would happen in the next few days with our projects. Some might take off, get funded, grow and prosper and some might fail, miserably. Some of us might remain friends and some of us might be glad the whole thing was finally over, but for right now, in this moment…Maclamore was playing and we were all singing, “this is a f&^*%n awesome!”

We arrived at Rack Space, a sponsor of the competition, based in San Antonio, Texas and the welcoming made me a little teary eyed. They had scores of workers linked up to cheer us all into the building- every last one of us from the Midwest, San Francisco, New York, Miami and Mexico City  High fives and hugs, as we rounded the hallway to the main event.  Everyone quickly grabbed tables, chairs and power outlets to continue working. This is when I really absorbed the “youth and men” comment I had made earlier.  Out of the 150 competitors, there were about 25-30 women, a majority of young men between 19 and 35 and two gray hairs…one was Andy, my team member who was in his late 40’s and me, freshly 50 and the oldest competitor in the room. The reality of that moment didn’t deflate me, it just inspired and motivated me even more. People were beginning to break down…headaches, head colds, sore throats, digestive issues, bruised egos and broken teams- including our own. This was THE day, the day of the competition and one of my team members quit. We were presenting in less than a few hours. We had lived through some truly challenging moments and questionable situations and I thought, “now you quit?”  I found myself saying things like “get it together, do it for the team and grow a pair”, but ultimately I wanted to do well, so I walked on, told the team and we moved on- with eyes on the prize.

When we started this whole thing, our team’s pitch went from miserable to much improved, but on this day, it was flawless and I couldn’t have been prouder. We started the day with drama, moved on to an amazing rendition of “I Am So Proud” from Gilbert & Sullivan’s, the Mikado (that’s another story) and then kicked some venture capital seeking butt. We were done and now we waited.

StartupBus 2013 saw 36 companies present in San Antonio. MidwestBus team, NextChaptr came in second and CareerMob from New York came in first, but the MyBestRx team- we did really well and still had a chance of making it- as a wildcard- to the All Star Finals at SXSW. Immediately after announcing the two top teams, we rallied in a corner, came up with our online competition and media strategy. We boarded the buses for Austin and executed, executed and executed. We spent the next 24 hours trying to amass the points we needed to make the All Star Finals.

We arrived in Austin, TX, beaten, tired and “loving it.” We were able to get a few extra hours of sleep and started the next day, running, albeit slowly. We wouldn’t know if we made it into the All Star Finals until 4PM so we divided the workload and looked for quiet places (with electric) in which to work. I dare anyone to find this place- in Austin, TX, during SXSW, but my team member Andy, isn’t just anyone…he’s a genius and we found the John Henry Faulk Public  Library. Booyha! The other guys found a second floor balcony patio in a hotel and a living room in a friend’s house and at 4:00 p.m., the email came and we were in!

We had become a real company…an idea, a name, a website and an app- along with-personality conflicts, drama, disgruntled employees, arguments, chaos, fun, laughter, drinking, losses and wins- in now, 96 hours. We presented again at the StartupBus All-Star Finals in front of an esteemed panel of VC judges and we did well, but most importantly, we had fun.  We returned the next day to our respective homes….exhibited, exhausted and exhilarated.

Note: Upon return, MyBestRx was incorporated in Delaware, the app is in development, we’ve got some good press and have entered numerous funding competitions…the journey continues!

Note: I presented as CEO at TechCocktail and featured in Crains Chicago Business

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20130409/BLOGS11/130409800/this-entrepreneur-s-app-aims-to-cut-prescription-costs

This is a post from a 2013 website that I  wanted to re-post here.

The Blackhawks had won the Stanley Cup and were readying to make the traditional visit to the White House. I was the Chairman of the Board for the nonprofit, Dreams for Kids and as a part of the Blackhawks Charities, was invited to make that trip as well and meet President Obama and First Lady, Michelle.

I am a policy and social justice junkie, but I had only been to the White House, once before- as a “tourist.” This time it was personal and emotional for me.  It wasn’t the Blackhawk win, although the Championship run was amazing. It wasn’t even the success or pride I felt, working with the Dreams for Kids organization… it was meeting the President. A President I had been waiting for, the President who revived my hope in an America Dream for everyone. The America that could strongly reunite as one people- away from the destructive economic policies that separated us in the first place. An America that believed in everyone’s value and supported everyone’s dream- even if it meant giving a little bit more so that all Americans could succeed.

After the 2000 election, I was disillusioned as I watched the controversial Supreme Court ruling and over the course of the next eight years, I had been part of a neo-conservative history in which the average citizen had no control. We watched our Country- and the world watched us– as we went to war on false premises-and continued with torture and the neglect of American ideals.  A war which was costly to our integrity and more importantly to our youth and financial stability.  The assertion of executive powers, the politicization of the Department of Justice, allowing investment banks to go unregulated, FEMA’s failures in a time of climate science realities, energy policies which deeply hit our pockets and contained no forward thinking, skyrocketing deficits, job creation of less than 1%, 40% decrease in the S&P, and millions of Americans who lost their savings, their homes and their hope. The “American Way” had become about wealth and power and “me”- and I was longing for the America of “we”.

The 2008 election was a time of hope, but it was also a time of reality for me- we had fallen far, both economically and in respect, and it was going to take a strong administration to clean up the mess, get us back on track and plan for our future.  The Obama administration inherited a broken government which took years to create and would take us years to recover. Present day America had become the land of the quick fixes, instant gratification and ignoring our past.  It took us over 12 years to recover from the Great Depression- and it would take us more than 2 years to recover from this- but impatience grew and partisan politics became a very painful reality in the mid-term elections of 2010. Another force of change had entered the American political landscape and the “hope” for real change was challenged yet again. As William Galston said, “Obama in fact had not one but two agendas—the agenda of choice on which he had run for president and the agenda of necessity that the economic and financial collapse had forced upon him.” He tried to do both- which was a double edged sword for all of us; we wanted so much.

As I stood at the White House, in March of 2011- shaking the President’s hand, I thanked him for his dedication to the American people. He was my choice for change; he was my choice for the future- one of equal education, equal opportunity, social justice and protection, forward thinking on energy, manufacturing, innovation, infrastructure, the economy and jobs.

Those first two years were difficult and the mid-terms were even worse. Policy accomplishments were many, but political roadblocks were crushing. Through it all, he started the wheels of change.  In fact, he was one of the most active Presidents in US history. “This president has delivered more sweeping, progressive change in 20 months than the previous two Democratic administrations did in 12 years.” – Tim Dickinson

Those first two tears tackled key issues of importance: The Wall Street Reform Bill, The Housing Rescue Plan,  The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (which  consisted of tax cuts for working-class families; state funds for infrastructure projects; and state funds to prevent the layoff of police officers, teachers and other needed roles),  Lily Ledbetter, Credit Card Reform, Clean Energy, Affordable Care Act, Repealing DADT, Hate Crimes Prevention Act, Ending Combat Ops in Iraq, Reforming Student Lending and hundreds, yes- hundreds of other initiatives to better America.

If you look at any of the reports from the first 24 months in office- there are success reports and failure reports, but what’s most striking for me- is the generational gap. “The generation gap that surfaced in the 2008 election persists two years later,” says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. “Most people who are 50 or older say that Obama has been a failure in office; a plurality of younger Americans think his administration has been a success.”

Just over two years ago I stood in Grant Park and witnessed history. Now at the White House, I am shaking the hand of the future.  My children and your children are the future. Our investment in their future is the most important thing we can do for them. This includes education, equality, innovation, infrastructure, energy, the environment, financial protections and social justice-

Our history, both good and bad has brought us here, but now it’s time to think…forward and to move… forward, together. Hope is more than a feeling; it’s the start of everything.