Andrea Batista Schlesinger

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Andrea Batista Schlesinger (born October 27, 1976 in Brooklyn, New York) is currently the Executive Director of the Drum Major Institute.

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[edit] Background

Andrea was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, by a Dominican mother and a Jewish father. She grew up in the housing projects of Coney Island[1], but her parents eventually were able to work their way out of poverty and buy their own home. Her background led to a passion for protecting the American dream, and those political interests in high school led to her appointment as the student representative to the New York City Board of Education. Andrea later studied public policy at the University of Chicago. Since then, she has worked in various capacities to promote educational equity and youth empowerment. Andrea directed a national campaign to engage college students in the discussion on the future of Social Security for the Pew Charitable Trusts, and served as Director of Public Relations of Teach For America before working as the education advisor to Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer.

Since 2002, Andrea Batista Schlesinger has led the Drum Major Institute, a think-tank originally founded by an advisor to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement. Under Andrea's leadership as Executive Director, DMI has released several policy papers to national audiences[2][3] including: Congress at the Midterm: Their Middle-Class Record [4] and Principles for an Immigration Policy to Strengthen and Expand the American Middle Class [5].

[edit] Publications

Andrea has been published in New York Newsday, Crains New York Business, The Mississippi Sun Herald, New York Daily News, Alternet.com, Tom Paine.com, New York Sun, Colorlines Magazine, The Chief-Leader, and City Limits Magazine. She is also a contributor to The Huffington Post and is on the Editorial Board at The Nation.

[edit] Accomplishments

Andrea has received much recognition for her work, including:

  • Named “35 under 40 Rising Stars, The Next Generation of Political Leaders in New York” by City Hall Newspaper.
  • Named “Expert of the Week” by Fenton Communications' and the White House Project’s SheSource program[6], a project promoting left-wing women policy experts to television and radio.

[edit] External links