Andrea Dew Steele

L-R: ?, A'shanti Gholar, Hillary Clinton, Andrea Dew Steele

Andrea Dew Steele founded Emerge America with Kamala Harris.

Emerge America

Emerge America was founded by Kamala Harris and Andrea Dew Steele.

A'shanti Gholar is "is the first Black woman president of Emerge, the nation’s premier organization that recruits and trains Democratic women to run for office."

According to the Emerge America website, there are "more than 1,200 Emerge alums in elected office".

Who is Kamala Harris?

On August 14, 2024, Andrea Dew Steele participated in "an engaging discussion about the life and career of" Kamala Harris as one of "those closest to her". From the Evite:

"Join us for an engaging discussion about the life and career of Vice President (and soon to be Presidential Nominee) Kamala Harris. We'll hear from those closest to her about her life, achievements, and impact on the political world. This is an opportunity to learn about one of the most influential women and politicans [sic] to come out of San Francisco, as well as your chance to get a first hand account of the life of a potential future president.

Lateefah Simon is a highly respected civil rights advocate and community leader known for her extensive work in racial and social justice. She is a Democrat currently running for the Oakland-area congressional seat held by Congresswoman Barbara Lee, who is serving her final term in that role. Simon was a staffer for Harris in the San Francisco District Attorney’s office and considers her a mentor. Born and raised in San Francisco, Simon became a mother at a young age and started her career in activism as a teenager. She first gained recognition as the youngest person to receive the MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship in 2003, which she was awarded for her work at the Center for Young Women's Development (now known as the Young Women's Freedom Center).

Her career has been marked by her leadership in various nonprofit organizations and her dedication to improving the lives of marginalized communities, particularly young women of color. Simon has held significant roles at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights, the San Francisco District Attorney's Office, and the Akonadi Foundation, where she worked on issues related to criminal justice reform, economic justice, and racial equity.

In 2016, she was elected to the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Board of Directors, where she became known for her advocacy for transit equity and accessibility. Simon is also recognized for her work in advocating for police reform and supporting families impacted by violence.

Andrea Dew Steele is an American activist who co-founded Emerge California in 2002, and founded Emerge America in 2005 which now has affiliates in 27 different states of the U.S., with the goal of having an affiliate in all 50 states by 2020. The goal of Emerge affiliates is to increase the number of Democratic women in all areas of the government. Steele spent her career in Democratic activism and has been a director at Human Rights Watch. She is also a regular contributor to the Huffington Post.

Steele earned a Political Science B.A. at Tufts University and an International History M.A. from the London School of Economics. Steele was a policy analyst for several years in Washington, D.C., on Capitol Hill, where she helped fundraise for Democratic causes and candidates. Steele was friends with Kamala Harris and helped her in her first race for District Attorney.

Debbie Mesloh is a seasoned public affairs strategist with extensive experience in political communication and advocacy. She currently serves as the President of the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women, overseeing initiatives to promote gender equality and the advancement of women and girls in San Francisco. Previously, she served as a senior advisor on Kamala Harris's Senate campaign, directing communications and community outreach strategy. Mesloh also co-chaired Harris’s transition to the Senate, where she was responsible for hiring senior staff and setting the communications strategy. Her strategic insights were crucial during the 2021 San Francisco School Board recall efforts, where she provided critical analysis and guidance on the political landscape.

In addition to her Senate campaign work, Mesloh was a senior strategist for Kamala Harris's Attorney General campaign, focusing on communications and community outreach. After the election, she served as Chief of Staff for Harris's transition team and created a long-range strategic plan for communications, community affairs, and statewide issues management once Harris took office. Mesloh’s career is marked by active engagement with several political and community organizations, solidifying her reputation as a dedicated advocate for equitable treatment and policy development in support of women's issues​.

Mark Buell is a native San Franciscan, a graduate of the University of San Francisco and a decorated Vietnam veteran. He has spent 35 years in both public and private real estate development. He served as San Francisco’s first Director of Economic Development under Mayor Joseph Alioto, and later served as the first Director of the Emeryville Redevelopment Agency from 1977 to 1985. He was a founding member and first President of CALED, the California Association for Local Economic Development and has served on the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission under Dianne Feinstein. He is currently chair of the Presidio Trust Board of Directors, the Chair of the Marin Community Foundation, President of the SF Recreation and Park Commission, and as a graduate of the University of San Francisco, he sits on the Board of Trustees. Mr. Buell is a former board president of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and also served on the boards of the Bolinas Museum, and the Chez Panisse Foundation. Mark and his wife Susie Tompkins Buell are long-time philanthropists who have championed significant fundraising efforts benefitting the San Francisco Bay Area.

How San Francisco’s Wealthiest Families Launched Kamala Harris

Excerpt from a Politico article by Michael Kruse titled "How San Francisco’s Wealthiest Families Launched Kamala Harris"

By 2002, at the start of her campaign for D.A., she showed her packed, jumbled, leather-bound Filofax to Andrea Dew Steele, who was working at the time as Susie Tompkins Buell’s political and philanthropic adviser. Harris had organized her contacts in an inefficient and outdated way, Steele told me, but the list itself was formidable. “Definitely,” she said.

Recently, in the sitting room in the Pacific Heights house of socialite-turned-attorney Sharon Owsley, I visited with Owsley as well as Debbie Mesloh, a longtime Harris friend, and we talked about these inroads Harris was able to make.

“Kamala also comes from, you know, kind of an intellectually established family,” Mesloh said.

Owsley agreed. “A very fine family,” she said. “Her mother was east Indian and came to this country and became a renowned scientist, and her father came to this country and became a professor of economics. So, she has, you know, the genealogy to move in any circles. But I also have to emphasize that … you don’t need that—but she had it all right.”

Beyond Resistance: Reclaiming our Progressive Future

Andrea Dew Steele of Emerge America participated in a panel discussion at Beyond Resistance: Reclaiming our Progressive Future, a November 15, 2017 gathering of the Democracy Alliance:

"The NEXT Majority: How Virginia's Women Candidates, Activists, and Voters Provide a Playbook for the 2018 Elections (Salon F)

Hosted by Fran Rodgers, Marcy Carsey, Shelley Rubin, the Tioga Fund, and the Women Donors Network.

Progressives were horrified and perplexed when most white women voters chose Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton. But anger over the election inspired many women to become first time candidates and activists. The first electoral test of the "gender resistance" is in Virginia 2017.

Join this caucus to hear from the Women Effect Action Fund's team-Civix Strategy Group Founder and CEO Karen Hicks and Analyst Institute Executive Director Aaron Strauss-about their fascinating test on mobilizing and persuading women voters now.

Here [sic] from Emerge America President Andrea Dew Steele about Virginia's unprecedented success in training and fielding women candidates. Join the conversation on translating the recent surge in grassroots women's activism into policy and electoral wins for all progressives-and how those lessons can be applied in 2018.

Supporting Lucy Flores

Steve Phillips October 15, 2014 ·

Had a great event last night for Lucy Flores's campaign for Nevada Lt. Gov. And with special guests CA Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and Obama's nominee for Ambassador to Mexico, Maria Echaveste! — with Yukiya Jerry Waki, Laura Brady, Johanna Silva Waki, Andrea Dew Steele, Amy Chen and Crystal Zermeno.