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Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon
Steve Simon is Minnesota’s 22nd Secretary of State. He was sworn into office on January 5, 2015, and as Minnesota’s chief elections administrator pledged in his inaugural address to “work with anyone, of any political affiliation, from any part of our state” to protect, defend, and strengthen the right to vote in Minnesota.

As Secretary of State, he partners with township, city, and county officials to organize elections on behalf of Minnesota’s nearly four million eligible voters, and to ensure that the election system is fair. His goals as Minnesota’s Secretary of State are straightforward: expand access to voting, remove barriers to voting, make business services as streamlined as possible, strengthen protections for victims of domestic violence and, most importantly, be a Secretary of State for all Minnesotans.

Wintana Melekin
Wintana Melekin is the founder and executive director of Groundwork Action, a statewide civic engagement organization dedicated to building the next generation of leaders in Minnesota. With more than a decade of experience leading transformative campaigns and organizations, Wintana has been at the forefront of efforts that have reshaped the state's civic and political landscape. Her work has contributed to the election of leaders at every level of government from school board to Congress and to major policy victories, including raising the minimum wage to $15 dollars an hour in the Twin Cities, passing paid sick time, restoring voting rights for more than 55,000 Minnesotans, and ending prison gerrymandering.

Through Groundwork Institute, our sister organization, Wintana leads the Election Protection Network, coordinating Minnesotans' response to upcoming threats to democracy. The Institute is her vision for a statewide hub where leaders are trained, supported, and resourced equipping organizers and community members with the skills, strategy, and connections they need to strengthen democracy and build a more just Minnesota.

Chai Lee
In the last 11 years, Chai has worked at Nexus Community Partners in the Boards and Commissions Leadership Institute (BCLI), where he trains BIPOC leaders who want to get appointed to public boards, committees and commissions. For the last four years, Chai has been the program director.

In another hat he wears, Chai is on the Metropolitan Council, in his eighth year of service. He was first appointed by Governor Walz to the Met Council in 2019, and once more in 2023. In previous service on community boards, Chai Lee has served on many councils and committees including the District 1 Community Council in Saint Paul, the Gold Line BRT Community and Business Advisory Committee, and the Saint Paul’s Long-Range Capital Investment Budget Committee (the CIB), to name a few.