FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: February 27, 2026
Contact: [email protected]
Run for Something Welcomes Ilyse Hogue, Leah Israel, and Wendi Wallace to Its Board of Directors
Addisu Demissie has been named Run for Something’s new board chair
NEW YORK — Today, Run for Something (RFS) announced three new members to its board of directors: Ilyse Hogue, Senior Fellow at New America and Co-Founder of The All American; Leah Israel, public affairs consultant and strategist; and Wendi Wallace, political strategist and former Deputy Executive Director for the Democratic Governors Association. Addisu Demissie, founding principal of 50+1 Strategies, has also been named the new board chair.
“We are thrilled to welcome Ilyse, Leah, and Wendi to Run for Something and Addisu as our new board Chair. Their passion for championing the next generation of leaders and extensive experience building grassroots campaigns up and down the ballot will be invaluable as we continue building momentum heading into a critical midterm election year,” said Run for Something President and Co-Founder Amanda Litman.
“Run for Something is changing the future of American leadership by uplifting young leaders in communities across the country,” Addisu Demissie said. “I’m proud to be leading the Board of Directors as its new chair, and look forward to supporting the next generation of leaders who are bringing about real, lasting change to their communities.”
“Gen-Z and millennials are the future of our democracy,” Ilyse Hogue said. “It’s never been more important that we support and empower young, diverse leaders to push back against rising authoritarianism, and I’m proud to be joining an organization doing just that.”
“Run for Something is doing something that’s never been done before – investing in young, diverse new leaders and changing what leadership looks like in America,” Leah Israel said. “I’m inspired by their efforts each day and the efforts of so many young Americans who are stepping up to lead and to run for office in their communities.”
“The future is here, and it starts with young people,” Wendi Wallace said. “Since its founding, Run for Something has helped usher in a new era in American politics and brought thousands of new voices to our politics nationwide. I’m thrilled to be joining the Board of Directors to help bring more new, diverse voices to our democracy.”
Addisu Demissie is a senior Democratic strategist with more than two decades of experience leading high-stakes campaigns for electoral, nonprofit, and corporate clients. He served as campaign manager for Gavin Newsom’s 2018 gubernatorial campaign and for Cory Booker’s 2013 Senate and 2020 presidential campaigns, and has advised on races from school board to state legislature, primarily in his home state of California. Beyond the trail, Demissie has led ambitious political media and civic engagement efforts, helping produce the first fully virtual Democratic National Convention in 2020, serving as Executive Director of LeBron James’ More Than A Vote, and appearing as a regular co-host of Pod Save America and a political contributor on MSNBC and CNN.
Ilyse Hogue is a Fellow at New America, where she oversees the Gender, Extremism, and Engagement Project. Trained as an ecologist, Hogue has put those skills to use in understanding and leveraging systems of power: social movements–both left and right—as well as systems of governance and politics. She spent close to a decade as President and CEO of NARAL Pro-Choice America (now Reproductive Freedom for All). Under her tenure, the organization tripled in size, and Hogue designed and led initiatives to raise the salience of reproductive freedom in political and cultural discourse, dissecting and leveraging how to undercut its potency as a rallying cry for authoritarian forces.
Leah Israel specializes in development, advocacy, corporate counsel, and public affairs. She has advised Fortune 500 companies, non-profit organizations, political campaigns, elected officials, and philanthropic institutions. She also served as the Chief Development Officer for the 2020 and 2024 Democratic National Conventions. She has provided strategic guidance to presidential, senate, and statewide campaigns such as Senator Tammy Duckworth, Governor JB Pritzker, and Pete Buttigieg; as well as mission-driven organizations including Human Rights Watch, Building Back Together, and the Victory Fund, amongst many others.
Wendi Wallace has spent two decades helping progressive candidates and organizations. Most recently, she served as the Deputy Executive Director for the Democratic Governors Association, where she played a leading role in helping to elect the largest number of Democratic Governors since 2010.
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Run for Something (RFS) recruits and supports young progressive candidates running for state and local offices. Since its founding, RFS has helped elect over 1,600 candidates across the country, including 43 candidates in red-to-blue seats in the 2025 election cycle. Today, RFS has the largest database of any other Democratic organization, with nearly 80,000 people reaching out since last November with interest in running for office.