For Immediate Release
DATE: May 25, 2018
CONTACT: Press@AmericanPromise.net, 202-420-9947
American Promise Names Leah Field As Managing Director
“This new leadership position reflects American Promise’s commitment to serve and support all Americans who are fighting and winning this historic cause to end the corruption of concentrated money in our elections and secure political equality for all Americans” said Jeff Clements, the co-founder and president of American Promise.
CONCORD, MA — Today, American Promise, a national non-partisan non-profit organization, named Leah Field as Managing Director to provide support and strategic alignment for the 50-state movement to win an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to to set reasonable limits on campaign spending, combat corruption,and secure the right of all Americans to vote, serve and be represented on equal terms.
“Over 75 percent of Americans — Democrats, Republicans, and independents — are looking for leaders to rise above partisan differences and fix our Constitutional government so that people, not money, govern America.” Said Leah Field, “American Promise is providing that cross-partisan leadership, and together, we will win the 28th Amendment.”
Based in American Promise headquarters in Concord and Cambridge, Massachusetts, Leah Field brings ten years of management experience combined with a passion for cross-partisan consensus building.
“A Constitutional amendment to secure government representing the people, not big money special interests, is urgent,” says Jeff Clements, the co-founder and president of American Promise, “Leah Field is the right person to provide the management support necessary to accelerate our 50-state campaign.”
American Promise is leading the national campaign for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to address the growing influence of money, corporations and special interests in elections and government. The demand for an amendment follows a series of controversial Supreme Court cases, including Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, that struck down longstanding campaign finance laws concerning undue influence of those with unlimited funds in the political process. In the series of 5-4 decisions, the Supreme Court ruled that the use of unlimited money to influence the outcome of an election, whether by a wealthy individual, global corporation, union or other entity was protected freedom of speech under the First Amendment, and could not be limited.
To date, 19 states and nearly 800 cities and towns have passed resolutions with cross-partisan support formally calling on Congress to propose an amendment to address the problem of widespread corruption and political inequality. In Montana and Colorado, voters have approved ballot initiatives supporting this Constitutional amendment by 75-25%. In November 2016, Washington State became the 18th State to call for this Constitutional amendment, with a voter initiative passing by wide margins in every region and every Congressional district of the state.
As part of the movement, American Promise leads five key programs:
- Writing The 28th Amendment is an 18-month program that pairs widespread cross-partisan citizen energy with Constitutional and legal expertise to build cross-partisan consensus and support for the specific wording of the amendment. The project aims to educate and engage Americans through online forums and public townhalls about how the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution can effectively end the control of concentrated money in elections and politics in America, and strengthen the ability of all Americans to participate in self-government.
- The Candidate Pledge is a volunteer-led effort to get candidates and elected officials at all levels of government to pledge on the record that they will use their office to advance the 28th Amendment. To date, American Promise’s members have secured pledges from over 100 local, state, and federal candidates.
- The National Citizen Leadership Conference brings Americans together and empowers citizens with diverse political viewpoints yet a common goal to win the 28th Amendment at an annual conference in Washington, D.C.
- Civic Courage provides trainings, tools, and a national network for citizen leaders and local organizations across the country. With members in all fifty states and American Promise Associations in over 12 states, we support, connect, and amplify cross-partisan local actions by all Americans all over the country.
- The People Govern Not Money initiative is likely to appear on the 2018 ballot in Massachusetts. If it passes, it will create a non-partisan, all-volunteer Citizen Commission to advance the policy of Massachusetts in favor of amending the U.S. Constitution. The proposed Citizen Commission will provide credible information to the people about the role of money in our politics, the best approach to the 28th Amendment, and to what extent our representatives are working across partisan lines to advance the amendment.
American Promise’s prestigious Advisory Council includes Former U.S. Senator Alan Simpson, Former U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe, Former Representative Jim Leach, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Former State Senator Nina Turner, Former Montana Supreme Court Justice James Nelson, Former Governor Mike Dukakis, Ben Cohen, Bob Monks, Judy Wicks, Joe Kearns Goodwin, Ella McGrail, Rev. Dr. Katherine Henderson, Kahlil Byrd, Matt Patsky, Professor John Coates, Professor Tamara R. Piety, Jack Doty, Professor Lawrence Lessig, Donnel Baird, Steve Lipscomb, Greg Moore, Debra Winger, and Cheryl Clyburn Crawford.
Moving from a profit driven to a mission driven vocation, Leah Field joins American Promise as Managing Director. With a strong background in organizational and financial management, she is thrilled to contribute her experience to empowering staff, volunteers, and citizens to win the 28th Amendment. Born and raised in New England, she earned her BA in Psychology from Boston University. Previously, she worked as an Operations Manager at BioMimetic Systems, a biotech firm in Cambridge, MA and most recently, she worked as an Engagement Manager at ATLANTIC-ACM, a Boston-based strategic marketing and management consulting firm.
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American Promise, a national non-partisan, non-profit organization is supporting citizen led initiatives in 50 states with one goal: winning the 28th Amendment to get big money out of politics. American Promise inspires, empowers, and organizes Americans from across the political spectrum to build support for the 28th Amendment community by community, state by state, to drive the Amendment out of Congress and to the States for ratification. To learn more about American Promise and to help this cause, visit www.AmericanPromise.net
