Arizona List 21st Annual Event: Meet Our Featured Guests!

Jessica Mackler

President, EMILYs List

Jessica Mackler is the president of EMILYs list. She is a veteran political strategist known for her political smarts and sheer grit, and a dedication to doing whatever it takes to get the win. She has spent more than two decades in Democratic politics.

Her career has been steeped from the beginning in the mission of EMILYs List, starting at the organization as an
intern and then as a staffer, spending two cycles traveling all over the country helping elect women to office.

Before returning to EMILYs List in 2021, Mackler spent nearly a decade working at all levels of campaigns, all over the country. She then served as President of American Bridge 21st Century, and ran two high profile independent expenditure operations — for the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) in 2020 and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) in 2018.

Mackler was critical to Democrats winning the House majority in 2018 with an historic pickup of 40 House seats. She served as the DCCC’s first female Independent Expenditure director and built the organization’s most diverse IE team in its history. In this role, Mackler led a team of 38 and directed nearly $90 million in paid media spending across 59 congressional districts.

Politico Playbook named Mackler to its 2018 “Women to Watch Power List,” noting, “she has honed her political chops over a long career in Democratic politics.” Mackler began her career at EMILYs List as a political researcher. She later co-founded one of the only women-run opposition research firms, working with a number of clients who helped Democrats regain majorities in Congress and win governors’ offices in 2006.

Mackler returned to EMILYs List in 2021 where she played a critical role in the organization’s electoral strategy in the 2022 cycle under then-President Laphonza Butler, a cycle in which the organization helped elect a record number of governors, helped hold the U.S. Senate, sent 17 new women to Congress including 11 women of color, and flipped four state legislative chambers.

Mackler was asked to serve as interim president by the EMILYs List board in October 2023 after Butler was nominated to the U.S. Senate.

Mackler is a native of Sonoma County, California, and a graduate of UC San Diego. She lives in
Bethesda, Maryland, with her husband and two sons. She is the second mom to lead the
organization.

María Teresa Kumar

Co-Founder and President of Voto Latino Foundation

María Teresa Kumar is the co-founder and President of Voto Latino Foundation, a non-profit, non-partisan 501(c)(3) organization, and its sister 501(c)(4) advocacy organization, Voto Latino. Voto Latino Foundation and Voto Latino are the largest and most effective Latino voter registration and Latino youth advocacy organizations in the country, respectively. Fast Company named María Teresa one of the 100 Most Creative Minds, TIME Magazine named her one of thirteen Latinos reshaping industries and the country,  and the Analyst Institute recognized Voto Latino with an Expy Award for expanding the field of voter registration. A sought-after political leader and strategist, she advised President Barack Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, and she currently serves on the National Task Force on Election Crises. She is an Emmy-nominated analyst for MSNBC and serves on the boards of Steve Madden, EMILYs List, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Additionally, she is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum. Raised in Sonoma, California. María Teresa lives in Washington, DC, with her husband, Raj Kumar, and their two children. She is a first-generation graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and the University of California, Davis.

Mini Timmaraju

President and CEO of Reproductive Freedom for All

Mini Timmaraju is the president and CEO of Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America) and is the first woman of color and immigrant to helm the organization. As a seasoned political strategist and changemaker, Mini has more than 25 years of experience leading efforts to advance reproductive rights, gender justice, and racial justice in the public, private, and non-profit sectors.

Under Mini’s leadership, Reproductive Freedom for All has been at the forefront of the political response in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade—galvanizing the reproductive freedom movement and ushering in crucial wins in the 2022 midterms and 2023 election cycle. The organization’s more than 4 million members helped secure key victories for reproductive freedom champions up and down the ticket.

Mini has been a key campaign surrogate throughout the 2024 presidential election, providing remarks at the Democratic National Convention, appearing on behalf of the Harris-Walz campaign, in the presidential debate spin room, and serving as a leading voice on the campaign trail advocating to win a federal trifecta to lock in the right to abortion.

Prior to joining Reproductive Freedom for All, Mini spearheaded the Clinton campaign’s strategic work to maximize women’s participation in the election as National Women’s Vote Director. Long committed to the fight for reproductive freedom, Mini has held key positions at Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas Action Fund, and the Parenthood Federation of America. As National Director of the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, Mini managed legislative, advocacy, and communications strategy
for a coalition of 34 Asian Pacific American organizations.

Mini frequently appears on MSNBC, major news networks, and podcasts as an expert on abortion’s role in the political landscape. She is frequently quoted in the press, including in the New York Times, Washington Post, Politico, and the Associated Press.

Mini serves on the board of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) and is a member of the Moms for a Fair Court Advisory Board. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of California-Berkeley and her J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center.

Karen Finney

Political Consultant, CNN Political Commentator, Advocate

A respected television commentator, leading political and communications strategist and spirited thought leader, Karen Finney has worked at the intersection of politics, media, and cultural change for over 25 years. Her unique career includes roles as top Democratic communications strategist and spokesperson; political commentator for CNN and MSNBC; television and radio host; inspirational public speaker; Senior business and communications advisor; political polling and research; advocate for social justice and civil rights; and White House staffer.  She brings a diverse combination of skills and experience to her current work as a political commentator for CNN, columnist and consultant working with non-profit, for-profit, and political clients. 

Karen also serves on the boards of several national organizations that reflect her commitment to empowering women, illuminating tough issues from different perspectives, and supporting the next generation of leaders.  She is Co-Convener of the Black Women’s Leadership Collective and serves on the boards of Power Rising, UltraViolet and End Citizens United/Let America Vote. Karen received her bachelor’s degree in Anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles.