Name: Aisha C. Moodie-Mills
Job: Adviser for LGBT Policy & Racial Justice, Center for American Progress
Location: Washington, D.C.
Age: 34
After a decade as a political fundraiser for members of Congress, Aisha Moodie-Mills shifted her attention to civil rights issues in 2009 when the fight for same-sex marriage came to the District of Columbia. As president of the Campaign for All D.C. Families, she became a key strategist leading the district to become the sixth jurisdiction/state in the country to extend marriage rights to lesbian and gay couples. In her current role, Moodie-Mills now fights as a policy advocate–influencing legislative bodies to adopt laws and policies–for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people of color.
Last Position: President and CEO of Synergy Strategy Group, a boutique fundraising and political consulting firm
Education: Moodie-Mills holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s in business administration from the University of Maryland, College Park
How she got the job: In 2010, Moodie-Mills and her newlywed wife, Danielle, an environmental education lobbyist, came up with the idea to create the Fighting Injustice to Reach Equality initiative (FIRE) as a think tank that worked to eliminate social, health, and economic disparities faced by LGBT people of color. Instead of trying to launch it as a stand-alone organization, the duo brought the idea to the Center for American Progress (CAP), subsequently garnering $250,000 in funding from the Arcus Foundation. Moodie-Mills went to work at CAP and launched FIRE with the release of the initiative’s inaugural report, Jumping Beyond The Broom: Why Black Gay and Transgender Americans Need More than Marriage Equality. “This project is evidence that if you have a really impactful idea, are passionate about it, and have a solid plan to sustain the work, others will support your vision.â€
(Continued on next page)