Fall 2024 Broad Family Fellow
Lea Endres is an entrepreneur, educator, and human rights advocate. A renowned facilitator, she has spent most of her life working to make the tools of leadership available to everyone.
Lea’s commitment to leadership began as a fifteen-year-old working with the Oakland-based California Association of Student Councils. Hooked on the idea that a well organized community could accomplish anything, she spent the next few decades training people all over the world – from mayors in Japan to teachers in Los Angeles. She ran education programs at WorldLink Foundation and the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights before helping to found Green for All, an organization dedicated to building an inclusive green economy.
Inspired by the internet’s revolutionary potential to make leadership and community building easier and more accessible, Lea ultimately joined Jim Gilliam and Jesse Haff in creating NationBuilder. She served as the company’s Chief of Staff and then President, before becoming CEO in 2017.
Lea currently serves on the board of the Center for Humane Technology. She was a founding board member of the Dream Corps, and served in that capacity for nearly a decade. She is an accomplished screenwriter and the co-author of Jim Gilliam’s memoir, The Internet is My Religion.
Study Group- The Practice of Democracy: Creating Democratic Resilience in Our Daily Lives
In the midst of the biggest global election year in history, this study group explored what it means to be a democratic practitioner – one whose daily actions support the resilience of democracies around the world. Drawing on Lea’s experience as co-founder and CEO of NationBuilder, the world’s most used software for politics and advocacy, this group combined research from the fields of neuroscience and political science with practical exercises designed to help students build the muscles required to participate in, and strengthen, democracy. Sessions were both fun and insightful, with an emphasis on dialogue, listening, engaging in difficult conversations, and other tangible skills that are essential to healthy democracies.
Fall 2024 Semester Recap
Lea Endres said this about her experience at USC’s Center for the Political Future: “I loved being a CPF Fellow. My favorite part of the experience was being inspired every week by the exceptional students in my study group. Their commitment, thoughtfulness, passion, and insight into building democratic resilience was profoundly refreshing. Our dialogue has already informed my thinking — and will continue to in the days ahead! To everyone at CPF who makes these spaces and experiences possible: THANK YOU!”
USC students in Lea’s study group shared this about their experience:
“Participating in the Fellows Program was a transformative experience. As someone who is typically progressive, I had the chance to engage with peers from diverse disciplines and perspectives, which fostered a deeper sense of empathy and understanding. Getting to know my classmates on a more personal level inspired me to pursue tangible actions that contribute to meaningful change. My favorite part was leaving each session with the skills and motivation to practice democracy in ways that bridge divides and build connections. This experience strengthened my commitment to creating a more inclusive and equitable society.”
Taylor Ryan, NGOs and Social Change
“I learned effective skills in non-violent communication and gained confidence in my ability to listen and connect with others. My commitment to democracy and breaking down partisan barriers was reignited. My favorite part was being able to learn from Lea’s wisdom and experience, as well as connecting with like-minded students also passionate about democracy.”
Maya Tauber, Cognitive Science
Lea shared her thoughts on the importance of politics, her first political experience, her advice for having respectful political discourse, and what she appreciates about CPF in her “Quick Takes: Q&A with CPF Fellow Lea Endres” video.