Johanna Silva Waki

Interim Vice President, Training & Community Engagement, Emily's List

Johanna is the interim Vice President for Training and Community Engagement where she oversees partnership, community engagement and training programs which help to expand and diversify the pipeline of women running for public office.

Most recently, Johanna served as the Programs and West Coast Director for State and Local Campaigns at EMILY’s during the 2016 and 2018 election cycle. She worked tirelessly to increase the number of Democratic, pro-choice women in both chambers of California’s state legislature. By 2018, the number of women legislators in California increased by 10%, and overall female representation in the state grew to more than 30%. In 2016, she led the effort to flip New Mexico’s House and Nevada’s state Assembly and Senate and increased the majority and number of women in Colorado’s State House.

In 2002, Johanna founded Hope Road Consulting, a full-service political consulting and public relations firm, which she led until 2015. One of her stand-out achievements was to manage Vote Hope 2008, the largest independent expenditure in support of Barack Obama for President.

An immigrant of Nicaragua, Johanna, lives in the San Francisco with her husband, Jerry, son Sebastian, and dog Leo. Johanna holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and La Raza Studies from California State University, San Francisco.

Panel Information

Saturday, December 5

1:10 PM EST

The Future is Female … One Nation United

32 million Latinos were eligible to vote in 2020, and they were a key factor in the outcome of the presidential election. Latinas drive household decisions and affect who shows up to the polls in their communities. This conversation will address the key role Latinas had in the presidential elections and what issues drove Latinas to the poll such as affordable and quality healthcare, immigration, and the economy. This panel will also address the growing number of Latinas running for office and participation in elections.