Announcing our new Executive Director, Dakota Hall

Today, we are thrilled to announce the Allianceā€™s new Executive Director: Dakota Hall!

A graphic with a blue background and a photo of Dakota Hall with the text "Major News the new Executive Director of the Alliance is Dakota Hall (he/him)"

We are beyond excited to welcome Dakota to the Alliance as we usher in a new era of leadership. Dakota will be the third executive director in the network’s eight year history and the first Black and Indigenous leader of the organization.

Dakota has been an integral part of our network as the transformative Executive Director of Leaders Igniting Transformation (LIT). Dakota will officially start as our new Executive Director on November 30th.

Join us in welcoming Dakota as the Allianceā€™s new Executive Director!

Dakota is from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He started organizing in 2012 with the United Council of University of Wisconsin Students during Scott Walkerā€™s tenure as Governor. As a student organizer, Dakota mobilized students to fight against budget cuts that undermined the student experience.  In 2017, he founded LIT to create a political home for Black and Brown youth in Milwaukee. Under his leadership, the organization has flourished, directly impacting thousands of young people across the state. LIT successfully advocated to remove the Milwaukee Police Department from Milwaukee Public Schools, the largest school district in the state, and ended the use of metal detectors on campuses and suspensions for children in elementary school. Thanks to LITā€™s dedication to fighting the school-to-prison and deportation pipeline, young Black and Brown students can attend school safely in Milwaukee.

Cendi Tena and Dakota Hall conversing
A selfie with Dakota Hall and Kat Otto tabling at a college campus
Dakota and Leaders Igniting Transformation Staff with Kamu Bell
LamontƩ Moore and Dakota Hall tabling
Dakota Hall with the Leaders Igniting Transformation Staff
Dakota Hall and Amber West tabling at a college campus in La Crosse, Wisconsin

Dakotaā€™s ambitious vision for LIT led to dramatic growth and expansion outside of Milwaukee and impacted the critical youth vote in the state. In 2020, LIT made 1.3 million calls, sent 2.1 million texts, and sent 250,000 pieces of mail to turn out young voters in Wisconsin and help flip the state blue in one of the most important elections in history. Now, LIT is stronger than ever and its own young leaders are ready to rise up.

Dakota will lead the Alliance at a pivotal moment of growth and opportunity. With 2022 just ahead and 2024 coming in hot, he is ready to take on the challenge of supporting the nationā€™s largest network of youth-led organizations dedicated to building power year round. And we have absolutely no doubt that he is up for that challenge.

Join us in celebrating Dakota with a contribution today!

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