1/3. 2022– Los Angeles Conference of State Majority Leaders - The State Legislative Leaders Foundation

Conference of State Majority Leaders

July 20 – 22, 2022
Beverly Hills, CA

Getty_596330521_SantaMonicaPierVeniceBeach_Web72DPI_0

Hilton Worldwide Holding Locations Ahead Of Earnings Figures

1200px-20190616154621!Echo_Park_Lake_with_Downtown_Los_Angeles_Skyline

Overview

The 9th Annual Conference of State Majority Leaders took place in Los Angeles, California and was hosted by California Senate Majority Leader Emeritus, Robert M. Hertzberg and Assembly Majority Leader Eloise Gómez Reyes.

The Conference of State Majority Leaders presents a unique opportunity for house and senate majority leaders to come together to discuss the real nitty-gritty of their jobs.

What sets this program apart is its focus on what it takes to succeed in one of the most challenging leadership positions in any state legislature. Topics include ways to handle ethical dilemmas and how to effectively communicate your message with your constituents as well as hearing best practices from seasoned political leaders.

Highlights

• Opening reception at the iconic Beverly Hilton

• Featured speaker Steve Ballmer, former CEO of Microsoft

• Majority Leaders Only Sessions

• Concurrent sessions for Chiefs of Staff

• Exclusive tour and evening at Universal Studios

State Hosts

Hosted by Hon. Robert Hertzberg, Senate Majority Leader Emeritus
California

Senate Majority Leader Emeritus Robert Hertzberg

Senate Majority Leader Emeritus Robert Hertzberg was first elected to the California State Assembly in 1996. He then served as the 64th Speaker of the California State Assembly, unanimously elected by both parties in 2000 and 2001. After his tenure as Speaker, Hertzberg set out to the private sector as a clean energy entrepreneur and in 2014, he returned to state government when he was again elected to represent nearly 1 million people in the San Fernando Valley in the California State Senate.

Hertzberg is known for taking on the biggest and most challenging issues facing California, and for brokering some of the toughest negotiations. In the words of one veteran Sacramento columnist, he is “an intense bundle of energy, an all-night negotiator.” The Los Angeles Daily News said he, “has relentless dedication and indefatigable energy…he has a reputation for integrity and perseverance.” The Los Angeles Times said: “He is a high velocity wonk; he loves big ideas and will flesh out every one of them if you give him a chance.”

Hosted by Hon. Eloise Gómez Reyes, Assembly Majority Leader
California

Assembly Majority Leader Eloise Gómez Reyes

In 2016, Eloise Gómez Reyes was sworn in as a California State Assemblymember for the 47th Assembly District. She serves on the Aging and Long-Term Care Committee, Budget Committee, Judiciary Committee, Utilities and Energy Committee, Legislative Ethics Committee, and Budget Committee on Education.

Upon being sworn into her first term Eloise was named co-chair to the Legislative Ethics Committee. In the second year of her first term, she was appointed Assistant Majority Whip – a leadership position that ensures that legislative floor session operates efficiently.

Eloise, a proud daughter of immigrants, has been a champion for her community throughout her career. The lack of access to quality legal services in her community led her to become the first Latina to open her own law firm in the Inland Empire in order to provide necessary representation to her community.

Eloise graduated from Colton High School and received her A.A. from San Bernardino Valley College. She received her Bachelors of Science degree at the University of Southern California and then Eloise went on to earn her law degree from Loyola Law School.

On December 7, 2020, Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes was appointed as Majority Leader of the California State Assembly, becoming the first Latina and only the fourth woman to hold the position.

Featured Presenters

Steven Ballmer

Steve Ballmer is the Co-Founder of Ballmer Group, which supports efforts to improve economic mobility for children and families in the United States who are disproportionately likely to remain in poverty. Ballmer Group directs its philanthropy to help ensure that a person thrives through a healthy birth and stable family, a safe childhood and adolescence, a good education, and a career that can support a family.

He is the former Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft, which during his tenure grew to almost $80 billion in revenue and was the third most profitable company in the United States. He is also the chairman of the LA Clippers basketball team.

Steve also leads USAFacts, a not-for-profit project seeking to ground our public debates in fact and improve transparency in government spending, taxes raised, trends, and outcomes achieved, much like corporations do through their 10-K reports. He has taught at Stanford University on this topic as well as on business leadership.

He grew up near Detroit, where his father worked as a manager at Ford Motor Company. Steve earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and economics from Harvard University. Steve and his wife Connie have three sons and reside in Bellevue, WA.

Mitzi Johnson

Mitzi Johnson is a consultant and trainer in leadership and democracy, focused on the practical application of leadership skills. She also is the Director of the Beacons of Democracy program at SLLF in the midst of designing a comprehensive study of the 50 state legislatures to help leaders build more effective institutions. She served 18 years in the Vermont House of Representatives, including four years as Speaker and six years as Vice-Chair and Chair of the House Appropriations Committee. In her legislative work is most recognized for reshaping the budget process, ending an era of partisan budget votes and building unanimous support across party lines in 2020 for how to move forward with legislative work under COVID. She holds a Master’s in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School. Mitzi serves on the board for the Vermont Foodbank and the Adaptive Leadership Network, an international, non-profit engaged in leadership training and complex problem solving.

Dr. Kirsti Samuels

Dr. Kirsti Samuels is an Associate Professor Adjunct at Columbia University where she teaches Leadership and Management in Moments of Adversity and Opportunity at the School of International and Public Affairs. She is a Principal of KS Insight, a leadership and strategy consultancy based in New York City.

Dr. Samuels has spent 20 years as a mediator, facilitator, trainer and executive coach in countries and organizations seeking innovative approaches to complex problems. She has worked with executive teams, senior country leadership, and armed rebel groups. She has worked extensively in highly divided societies and has particular interest in creating spaces for dialogue and alignment across divisions. Clients range from the President of the Comoros Islands, the leadership of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, the US Department of State, the United Nations, the World Bank, to the American Hospital Association and the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT. She is the former Executive Director of the Adaptive Leadership Network.

Kirsti holds a Doctorate in Law from Oxford University, a Masters in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School, and a Bachelor of Science and Law from Sydney University.