Ilyse Hogue, President of Purpose, is a fierce advocate for justice and a leader, innovator and coalition builder across American and global progressive movements. A trained ecologist, she approaches social change from a systems perspective, looking to identify gaps and points of leverage at which to intervene. Ilyse most recently served eight-years as President of NARAL Pro-Choice America, during which she helped transform the legacy organization into a modern-day organizing and political powerhouse. In 2020, she co-authored the best-selling book, The Lie That Binds, on the history of the radical right, its authoritarian aims, and its reliance on white supremacy, misogyny and disinformation and produced the companion podcast featuring Loretta Ross, Wendy Davis, Stacey Abrams, Dahlia Litwick, Vanita Gupta and more. Prior to NARAL, Ilyse worked for MoveOn.org, Greenpeace, Rainforest Action Network, Media Matters for America, and the Friends of Democracy PAC.

Eric K. Ward, Executive Vice President of Race Forward, is a nationally-recognized expert on the relationship between authoritarian movements, hate violence, and preserving inclusive democracy. He brings over three decades of leadership in community organizing and philanthropy to Race Forward, having worked with leaders from government, law enforcement, business, and civil rights groups to advance civil rights work. Eric serves on the boards of several organizations and was the recipient of the 2021 Civil Courage Prize – the first American in the award’s 21-year history.

Brina Milikowsky is a political strategist and social entrepreneur whose experience and expertise sit at the intersection of law, policy, politics, and large-scale advocacy efforts.  She is a co-founder of the Voting Rights Lab, a campaign hub designed to supercharge the fight against voter suppression and transform our voting systems.  Brina previously served as the founding Chief Strategy Officer at Everytown for Gun Safety, the nation’s largest gun violence prevention advocacy organization, chaired by Mike Bloomberg.  She is a member of the boards of GALvanize, Roosevelt Forward, and NARAL Pro-Choice America.