Meet the Inaugural UNUM Fellows

UNUM Fellows’ first cohort includes a diverse set of Southern elected leaders, from rural mayors to suburban school board members to county commissioners and big city mayors. This select group will embark on a year-long journey to address inequitable and discriminatory policies and practices within their communities. Uniquely positioned to redesign broken systems, they begin this signature program amidst a renewed national movement towards racial and economic  justice. 

 
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Wardine T. Alexander

City Councilor, Council President Pro Tempore, Birmingham, AL
Learn more about Wardine

Willie F.  Brooks, Jr.

County Commissioner, Shelby County, TN
Learn more about Willie

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Jane Castor

Mayor, Tampa, FL
Learn more about Jane

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Katie Cristol

County Board Member, Arlington County, VA
Learn more about Katie

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Byron Gipson

Solicitor of the Fifth Circuit, Richland and Kershaw Counties, SC
Learn more about Byron

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Reid Goldstein

School Board Member, Arlington County, VA
Learn more about Reid

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Dorothy L. Heffron

School Board Member and Vice Chair, Chesterfield County School Board, Chesterfield County, VA
Learn more about Dorothy

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Keith James

Mayor, West Palm Beach, FL
Learn more about Keith

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SHAYLA J. NEALY

City Council Member (Mayor Pro Tempore), Union City, GA
Learn more about Shayla

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Steven L. Reed

Mayor, Montgomery, AL
Learn more about Steven

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Brian E. Rowland

City Councilmember (Mayor Pro Tempore), Prairie View, TX
Learn more about Brian

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Jennifer Vidrine

Mayor, Ville Platte, LA
Learn more about Jennifer

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Bettina Umstead

School Board Member and Board Chair, Durham Public Schools Board of Education, Durham, NC
Learn more about Bettina

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Virgil Watkins, Jr.

County Commissioner, Macon-Bibb County Board of Commission, Macon-Bibb County, GA
Learn more about Virgil

 
 

PROGRAM PARTNERS INCLUDE

  • Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program;

  • Center for American Progress (CAP);

  • The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP);

  • FrameWorks Institute;

  • Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE), a project of Race Forward;

  • Hope Policy Institute;

  • National League of Cities University (NLCU);

  • PolicyLink; and

  • What Works Cities.

About The UNUM Fellows Program

As part of E Pluribus Unum’s foundational research journey in 2018, we found that people place a great deal of hope in their local political leadership and better embrace the concept of racial equity when local leadership actively seeks to advance it. Through UNUM Fellows, a signature program of E Pluribus Unum, elected leaders will gain or expand upon their understanding of how to address racial and economic equity within communities. Each UNUM Fellow will learn from nationally-recognized experts, consult with peers across the South, and design and implement an equity-based project that will create sustainable, meaningful change. 

While success will look different in each community, Fellows will leave the program equipped to: 

  • Foster meaningful participation among key community partners and leaders to drive the advancement of equity goals and projects;

  • Advance initiatives—beginning with their Fellowship project—that address racial and economic disparities in communities;

  • Cultivate long-term visions for equity within their communities that outlive any single term or administration;

  • Talk about racial and economic equity in ways that advance discourse, with a common language and understanding; and

  • Act with urgency with the support of a strong peer network and community.