Edith is our newest staff member, joining Wellstone Action in January 2012 as the Deputy Director of Strategic Capacity Development for our Labor Training Program!

Edith was most recently the Program Officer for Education at United Way of Greater Los Angeles. She is working to create pathways out of poverty for LA County by increasing the graduation rate to 75%, and helping to ensure that parents have a voice in their children's education. She is doing this through grant making, policy and advocacy, and community organizing. 

Edith recently returned to Los Angeles after three years in Washington, D.C. where she worked as the Field Director for Choice USA, a national organization working to develop the next generation of pro-choice leaders. At Choice USA, she developed the field strategy for over 25 chapters located across the country and developed campaigns around federal funding for sex education, access to affordable birth control, and health care reform.  

During her time working in the national youth movement, Edith was asked to join a team of trainers for Campus Camp Wellstone. Campus Camp Wellstone trains young people on grassroots organizing skills to prepare young activists early in their careers and help them develop the tools necessary to make meaningful change. Edith is honored to be a part of such a vibrant and talented team of trainer/organizers and to continue the legacy of Paul Wellstone. 

Edith worked as an organizer with the Service Employees International Union for 5 years helping workers form their unions and working alongside members to build a stronger, politically powerful union. During her time there, she developed a knack for strategy and organizing, and learned the importance of leadership. 

Those five years were the equivalent of a degree in the political and economic history of Los Angeles and California through the experiences and political struggles of working people and immigrant communities. 

Edith was born feet first in Tehran, Iran, on the first day of the Iranian Revolution in 1979. She likes to hit the ground running.