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Building Women Leaders

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Michigan Watchlist 

Spotlight on Michigan Leaders
This page features women in Michigan who are making a difference and aligning with the SheLeads Initiative's mission to empower and lead change. From Elected Officials, Organizers, and Community Leaders. Know an inspiring leader we should highlight? Click here to nominate a remarkable woman in your community!

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Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson

Jocelyn Benson is Michigan's 43rd Secretary of State.
In this role, she has become one of the nation’s most prominent leaders in ensuring elections are secure and accessible. Benson’s work overseeing Michigan’s 2020 and 2022 general elections, both of which drew record-breaking turnout and were more secure than any prior election in state history, earned her national recognition, including the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award and the Presidential Citizens Medal. She also implemented new voting rights for all eligible Michiganders prior to the 2020 election, including the right to vote absentee, and oversaw more than 250 audits after the election, all of which affirmed its integrity and accuracy.

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The victory made her the first African-American woman to be elected to the Senate from Mobile County and the second one in the state of Alabama. In 2008, she became Alabama’s first African American woman to become the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate. Although this was her first statewide run for public office, she garnered 37 percent of the vote while President Barack Obama had 39 percent. She has been recognized for dedicated community and legislative service by numerous organizations, agencies and professional groups.

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 a Democratic member of the Alabama Senate, representing the 20th District since 2006. Previously she was a member of the Alabama House of Representatives from 2003 through 2006.

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Represents the 97th legislative district in the Alabama House of Representatives. She was first elected on May 21, 2013 to fill an unexpired term. She was elected to four-year terms in 2014 and 2018. She is a Democratic Party Whip in the House and chairs the Policy Committee of the House Democratic Caucus. She was named a “Legislator of the Year” by the Caucus in 2017. In November 2019, she was named one of 30 “Women Who Shape Alabama” by Birmingham Magazine. She was chosen for introducing the legislation and working diligently to get Alabama’s Equal Pay Act passed by the Alabama Legislature. 

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 Representing House District 19, Hall was first elected to the Alabama House of Representatives by special election in August 1993. She was re-elected in 1994 until now. She is a retired educator whose tenure in the education field extended for over forty years.

Rep. Hall serves as chairperson of the Governor's Commission on AIDS. She also serves as chairperson of the Alabama House of Representatives Black Caucus.

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Serves as the Jefferson County Commissioner for District 1 in Jefferson County, Alabama. Making her tenure the first ever to be occupied by a woman.

In 2022, Commissioner Scales was overwhelmingly re-elected for a second term by her constituents.  In addition, she is the first Black, three-term City Council Member to represent District 1 for the City of Birmingham, Alabama (2009-2018). She has been an active resident in the metro area for 29 years.

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Her most proud and notable accomplishment is the act of leading the Alabama Coalition on Black Civic Participation in its pursuit to concentrate on the formerly incarcerated population to engage and mobilize them to participate in the 2008 presidential election. The Secretary of State office purged 9,000 ex-felons from the registration rolls, which was further complicated because of the confusion and difficulty in identifying which ex-felons were allowed to register and vote, and which ones were not. 

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Dedicated American lawyer and Democratic politician serving Alabama's 60th District in the House of Representatives since November 3, 2010.

ivan has been a vocal advocate for civil rights, education, and healthcare. She has served on several committees, including the Constitution, Campaigns and Elections Committee, and the Jefferson County Legislation Committee.

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