Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins

Last updated
Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins
Phaedra.jpg
Born1976
NationalityAmerican
OccupationEntrepreneur
Known forCo-founder and CEO of Promise

Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins (born 1976) is an American social justice advocate and businesswoman.

Contents

Ellis-Lamkins is the co-founder and CEO of Promise, a California-based company reworking the bail system. [1] Prior to this, she served as the Head of Care at Honor, [2] the CEO of the anti-poverty organization Green For All, [3] and the Executive Officer of the South Bay AFL–CIO Labor Council, an organized labor federation representing more than 100 unions and more than 110,000 members in California's Santa Clara and San Benito counties. [4] She was also executive director of Working Partnerships USA, a coalition of community groups, and labor and faith organizations working to address economic disparities in California's Silicon Valley. [5]

Early career

After graduating from California State University, Northridge in 1998, Ellis-Lamkins became a union organizer with SEIU Local 715 in San Jose. Following a campaign to secure union representation for home health care workers and other low-income employees, Ellis-Lamkins joined the staff of Working Partnerships USA as the group's education coordinator. She led the Labor/Community Leadership Institute and created its first senior fellows program. In this capacity Ellis-Lamkins created the Faith in Action training program for area clergy and lay leaders. [6] Within five years, she was running Working Partnerships USA. [7]

She also became the Executive Director [8] of the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council, a labor federation representing more than 100 unions in Santa Clara and San Benito counties, and more than 110,000 union members.

As the leader of Working Partnerships USA, Ellis-Lamkins expanded the nation's first county-based universal children's health insurance program to cover more than 160,000 children. Thirty other counties have replicated this program throughout California. Ellis-Lamkins also led the fight to create one of the first community benefits agreements in the country, which provided community standards for a large-scale economic development project in San Jose. [8] Working Partnerships was also successful in expanding the living wage under Ellis-Lamkins leadership. Working Partnerships raised $6 million in grants during its first six-years of operation and achieved policy successes at the local level while attracting criticism for the non-profit’s financial ties to the electoral activities of the South Bay Labor Council. [9]

In 2003, [10] Ellis-Lamkins led [8] the launch of Partnership for Working Families, a national coalition "dedicated to building power and reshaping the economy and urban environment for workers and communities." [11]

Green For All

Ellis-Lamkins joined Green For All as chief executive officer in March 2009. [12]

One of her first initiatives after taking over Green For All was to build a coalition of "a broad range of groups — many of whom are not known for their engagement in climate and energy issues." This coalition came together to advocate for equity-based amendments to the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES) — the climate bill in the House of Representatives. The coalition declared success when the entire House of Representatives approved a version of ACES that included $860 million for green job training and a provision guaranteeing local workers access to ACES-funded energy-efficiency and renewable energy projects. [13] Green For All describes these as "the Act’s only provisions creating opportunity for low-income people and people of color." [12]

Under Ellis-Lamkins's leadership, Green For All has also won significant policy victories in Washington State and New Mexico. [12] New Mexico created "green jobs training programs with a focus on rural, tribal communities and disadvantaged individuals" and incentives for green companies to relocate to New Mexico. [14] Green For All describes the Washington legislation on its website:

The Act puts Washington on the path to weatherize, and otherwise make more energy efficient, 100,000 buildings over the next five years. This will reduce energy costs, create thousands of quality new jobs, and obviate any potential need for new electricity-generating facilities. The Act also guarantees access to these jobs for veterans, members of the National Guard, and low-income and disadvantaged populations. [15]

Green For All partnered with the city of Portland, Oregon, on cutting edge use of Recovery Act funds. The Portland project will create thousands of clean energy jobs for low-income workers, weatherize 100,000 homes, and launch the first model of paying for home weatherization through utility bills. [16]

Ellis-Lamkins has also spearheaded two new campaigns at Green For All. The Capital Access Program, focused on the private sector, "engages businesses and nonprofits - large and small - to create, sustain, and scale green jobs." [17] Green the Block, a campaign of both Green For All and Hip Hop Caucus, is a national effort "aimed at helping low-income communities of color become driving forces of the clean-energy economy." [18] [19]

Prince

Ellis-Lamkins became the manager for the musician Prince in 2014. Under her management Prince performed a number of concerts to promote social justice causes, including one in Baltimore in honor of Freddie Gray, a man killed by Baltimore police. [20]

Ellis-Lamkins is credited with winning Prince's life-long battle to secure ownership of his masters. Van Jones described that occasion as "the happiest I have ever seen him." [21]

Honor

In 2015 Ellis-Lamkins joined Honor, Inc. as their Head of Care. Honor is a San Francisco-based technology start up that helps people secure in-home health care professionals. [22]

Awards and recognition

"Spur" awarded Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins the "2018 Silver Spur Awards" [23] San Jose Magazine named Ellis-Lamkins one of the 100 most powerful people in Silicon Valley. The Silicon Valley Business Journal called her one of “40 to watch under 40.” [24] In 2009, Ellis-Lamkins received the Visionary Leadership Award for her work as executive officer of the Labor Council and executive director of Working Partnerships USA. [25]

Other activities

Ellis-Lamkins is an alumna of American Leadership Forum. She has served on the boards of the Progressive Technology Project, New World Foundation, the Women's Fund of Silicon Valley, the City of San Jose General Plan Update Task Force and the Central Labor Council Advisory Committee. Currently, she serves on the board of the Leadership Council of California Forward and is chair and co-founder of the Partnership for Working Families. [12] Ellis-Lamkins also served as chair of the Board of Team San Jose, a collaboration to ensure that San Jose's Convention Center is effectively managed to reduce costs and improve the local economy.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silicon Valley</span> Technology hub in California, United States

Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that is a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical area of the Santa Clara Valley. The term "Silicon Valley" refers to the area in which high-tech business has proliferated in Northern California, and it also serves as a general metonym for California's high-tech business sector.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Gonzales</span> American politician and mayor

Ronald R. Gonzales is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party, who served as the 63rd Mayor of San Jose, California. Gonzales was the first Hispanic to serve as Mayor of San Jose since 1845.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coalition of Immokalee Workers</span> Other organization in Immokalee, United States

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) is a worker-based human rights organization focusing on social responsibility in corporate supply chains, human trafficking, gender-based violence at work and occupational health and safety.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Caret</span>

Robert Laurent Caret is an American academic and the former chancellor of the University System of Maryland. He became chancellor on July 1, 2015. Caret, a native of New England, became chancellor of the University System of Maryland after completing presidencies at San Jose State University, Towson University and the University of Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cindy Chavez</span> American politician

Cindy Chavez is an American politician who serves as the Santa Clara County supervisor representing district two, which is home to nearly 400,000 residents in Downtown, East, and South San Jose. Her public service career began in the 1990s as a policy analyst for health care, public health, human services and transportation for the Board of Supervisors. She served two terms on the San Jose City Council, where she was also Vice Mayor, and also served on the board leadership of public agencies such as the San Jose Redevelopment Agency, and executive director of Working Partnerships USA and the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council. She has unsuccessfully run for Mayor of San Jose twice. She is a graduate of San Jose State University, is married and has a son in college.

Thomas Andrew McEnery is an American author, businessman, and teacher from San Jose, California, who served as the 61st mayor of that city from 1983 to 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Community Choice Aggregation</span> Alternative energy supply system

Community Choice Aggregation (CCA), also known as Community Choice Energy, municipal aggregation, governmental aggregation, electricity aggregation, and community aggregation, is an alternative to the investor-owned utility energy supply system in which local entities in the United States aggregate the buying power of individual customers within a defined jurisdiction in order to secure alternative energy supply contracts. The CCA chooses the power generation source on behalf of the consumers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silicon Valley Leadership Group</span> Advocacy group in Silicon Valley, California

The Silicon Valley Leadership Group is a non-profit advocacy group in Silicon Valley, California, in the United States. Its members are businesses that operate in the valley and its purpose is to influence public policy relating to the valley.

Sustainable Silicon Valley (SSV) is a collaboration of businesses, governments, and non-governmental organizations that are identifying and addressing environmental and resource pressures in Silicon Valley. As its first initiative, SSV engaged Valley organizations, who are the SSV Partners, to work towards a goal of reducing regional carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions 20% below 1990 levels by 2010. The SSV approach to reaching this goal is to facilitate strategies to reduce CO2 emissions through increased energy and fuel efficiency and through the use of renewable sources of energy.

The Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (SVTC) was formed in San Jose, California- as a research and advocacy group that promoted safe environmental practices in the high tech industry. The organization was founded in 1982 after leaks at manufacturing sites at IBM and Fairchild Electronics were suspected of causing widespread birth defects and health issues in the Silicon Valley.

Sudhir k is an Indian-American business executive.

The East Bay Green Corridor is a regional partnership working toward promoting the San Francisco East Bay as a global center of the emerging green economy. The members are thirteen East Bay cities, schools and research institutions. The partnership's stated goals are to attract and retain green businesses, promote research and technology transfer, strengthen green workforce development programs, and coordinate a regional effort to secure federal funding. West Berkeley activists have criticized the City of Berkeley's planned implementation of the corridor, over concerns that zoning regulations may be relaxed for the benefit of developers and large corporations, and could negatively impact the city's light manufacturing district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bay Area Climate Collaborative</span> US Climate Change organization

The Bay Area Climate Collaborative (BACC) is an initiative of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group through its Sustainable Valley Foundation. It was established on March 6, 2009. The former mayors of San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland launched the BACC with the Silicon Valley Leadership Group and business and civic leaders. The BACC created a 10-point action plan including initiatives in solar energy, energy efficiency, electric vehicles, and green jobs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Spinner</span> American business executive (born 1969)

Steven Jonathan Spinner is an American business executive who is known for his work as an angel investor and adviser to Silicon Valley startups and his volunteer work as a fundraiser for President Barack Obama’s 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns. He previously served as a stimulus adviser for the United States Department of Energy and was peripherally associated with the Department of Energy loan to a failed solar company, Solyndra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gregory Kats</span> American businessman

Gregory H. Kats is an American businessman, environmentalist, and thought leader in the green economy sector. He is President of Capital E, a national clean energy advisory and venture capital firm. Kats is also founder and CEO of the Smart Surfaces Coalition, a non-profit organization consisting of 40+ national and international partner groups working to ensure the rapid, cost-effective adoption of resilient urban surface infrastructure, or "smart surfaces", in cities. Previously, Kats served as a Managing Director at Good Energies,[2] a multi-billion dollar global clean energy investor, and Director of Financing for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).[3]

The South Bay Labor Council, AFL–CIO (SBLC), is the labor council of Santa Clara and San Benito counties in California's Bay Area. The SBLC is affiliated with the AFL–CIO, one of the national labor confederations of the United States. The SBLC represents over 100,000 men and women of 101 unions in Silicon Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Liccardo</span> Mayor of San Jose, California, United States

Samuel Theodore Liccardo is an American politician from California who served as the 65th mayor of San José from 2015 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, Liccardo was elected mayor in November 2014. He was reelected in 2018 with 75.8% of the vote. As the leader of the California Big City Mayors Coalition, Liccardo advocated on statewide issues including homelessness and COVID-19 response.

Silicon Valley Education Foundation (SVEF) is a non-profit organization serving Silicon Valley. Headquartered in San Jose, California, the SVEF creates resources and programs for students and educators in Silicon Valley in Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.

Economic conditions in Silicon Valley have led to categorization of the region as an hourglass economy, a type of socioeconomic phenomenon that favors the disproportionate growth of the upper and lower classes with comparatively weak development of the middle class. This economy is typically a characteristic of highly developed nations and regions that experience a steady influx of capital, invest heavily in research and development, and have a high cost of living.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Affordable housing in Silicon Valley</span>

Silicon Valley, a region located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, is one of the most expensive regions to live in the United States, and many residents lack access to affordable housing. In 2018, the median home price across the area was $1.18 million, the highest of the 100 largest metro areas in the U.S. The growth of the technology industry in the area, including major companies like Google, Facebook, and Apple, is frequently cited as a major cause of the issue. There have been local efforts to address affordable housing, as well as state measures in response to housing issues across California.

References

  1. ↑ "Investors Said My Business Was Insane. I Raised $3 Million Anyway". Inc. 2018-07-12. Retrieved 2018-12-13.
  2. ↑ "Announcing Honor". Honor. Retrieved 2016-04-24.
  3. ↑ "About Us — Green For All". Greenforall.org. Archived from the original on 2011-04-08. Retrieved 2011-04-17.
  4. ↑ "South Bay AFL–CIO Labor Council". Atwork.org. Retrieved 2011-04-17.
  5. ↑ Working Partnerships USA. "Working Partnerships USA". Wpusa.org. Retrieved 2011-04-17.
  6. ↑ "Organizer's Forum: People". Organizersforum.org. 2001-09-11. Retrieved 2011-04-17.
  7. ↑ "Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, the Robin Hood of Silicon Valley, is America's new Queen of Green | the Stimulist". Archived from the original on 2009-06-26. Retrieved 2009-10-23.
  8. 1 2 3 "SBLC Wiki : Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins". Atwork.org. 2009-03-10. Retrieved 2011-04-17.
  9. ↑ "The Six Million Dollar Woman by Najeeb Hasan". Metroactive.com. Retrieved 2011-04-17.
  10. ↑ Working Partnerships USA. "Working Partnerships USA". Wpusa.org. Retrieved 2011-04-17.
  11. ↑ "The Partnership For Working Families : About Us". Communitybenefits.org. Retrieved 2011-04-17.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Staff and Board — Green For All". Greenforall.org. Retrieved 2011-04-17.
  13. ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/phaedra-ellislamkins/the-clean-energy-bill-sto_b_223561.html and http://www.greenforall.org/about-us/staff
  14. ↑ http://www.greenforall.org/blog/state-spotlight-green-jobs-training-bill-passes-new-mexico-senate, http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/states/news_detail.cfm/news_id=12460
  15. ↑ "Washington Senate Bill 5649 — Green For All". Greenforall.org. Archived from the original on 2011-10-05. Retrieved 2011-04-17.
  16. ↑ "The growing green jobs boom. — Green For All". Greenforall.org. Archived from the original on 2011-01-06. Retrieved 2011-04-17.
  17. ↑ "Green for All announces new program for businesses — Green For All". Greenforall.org. Archived from the original on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2011-04-17.
  18. ↑ "Free business profile for GREENTHEBLOCK.NET provided by Network Solutions".
  19. ↑ "Our New Campaign Unveiled at the White House! — Green for All". Archived from the original on 2009-08-15. Retrieved 2009-10-23.
  20. ↑ Ed Payne (6 May 2015). "Prince announces Rally 4 Peace concert in Baltimore". CNN. Retrieved 2016-04-24.
  21. ↑ Jones, Van (22 April 2016). "Prince -- The man I knew". CNN. Retrieved 2016-04-24.
  22. ↑ "Uber-type work is now a Band-Aid for stagnant wages — but that could change". Washington Post. Retrieved 2016-04-24.
  23. ↑ "2018 Silver Spur Awards: How Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins Creates a More Just Criminal Justice System". Spur. November 12, 2018.
  24. ↑ Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal (2009-03-10). "Cindy Chavez likely to replace Ellis-Lamkins as South Bay Labor Council leader | Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal". Sanjose.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2011-04-17.{{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  25. ↑ "SBLC: Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, Olympian John Carlos honored at COPE Garden Party". Atwork.org. 2009-06-23. Retrieved 2011-04-17.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.