{"id":5655,"date":"2024-06-12T19:22:09","date_gmt":"2024-06-13T02:22:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/center-for-political-future\/?page_id=5655"},"modified":"2024-12-10T17:16:25","modified_gmt":"2024-12-11T01:16:25","slug":"lea-endres","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/center-for-political-future\/fellows-program\/former-fellows\/lea-endres\/","title":{"rendered":"Lea Endres"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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\n\n \n Center for the Political Future<\/span>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
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\n Fall 2024 Broad Family Fellow\n <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
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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.<\/p>\n

Lea\u2019s commitment to leadership began as a fifteen-year-old working with the Oakland-based\u00a0California Association of Student Councils<\/a>. Hooked on the idea that a well organized community could accomplish anything, she spent the next few decades training people all over the world \u2013 from mayors in Japan to teachers in Los Angeles. She ran education programs at\u00a0WorldLink Foundation<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Ella Baker Center for Human Rights<\/a>\u00a0before helping to found\u00a0Green for All<\/a>, an organization dedicated to building an inclusive green economy.<\/p>\n

Inspired by the internet\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Lea currently serves on the board of the\u00a0Center for Humane Technology<\/a>. She was a founding board member of the\u00a0Dream Corps<\/a>, and served in that capacity for nearly a decade. She is an accomplished screenwriter and the co-author of Jim Gilliam\u2019s memoir,\u00a0The Internet is My Religion<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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Study Group- The Practice of Democracy: Creating Democratic Resilience in Our Daily Lives <\/strong><\/p>\n

In the midst of the biggest global election year in history, this study group explored what it means to be a democratic practitioner \u2013 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.<\/p>\n

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Fall 2024 Semester Recap<\/h3>\n
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Group Photo of CPF Fellow Lea Endres’ Fall 2024 Study Group<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lea Endres said this about her experience at USC\u2019s 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!”<\/p>\n

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USC students in Lea’s study group shared this about their experience:<\/p>\n

“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.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Taylor Ryan, NGOs and Social Change<\/p>\n

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“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.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Maya Tauber, Cognitive Science<\/p>\n

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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 \u201cQuick Takes: Q&A with CPF Fellow Lea Endres<\/a>\u201d video.<\/p>\n