Contact: Kenza Hadj-Moussa, 612-386-9556
NEWS RELEASE
St. Paul, MN—TakeAction Minnesota is one of the state’s largest independent, progressive political organizations. Today, TakeAction Minnesota’s Board of Directors announced Elianne Farhat as its next executive director, following an extensive national search.
“Elianne is a distinguished leader in our movement. I’m absolutely thrilled,” said Mai Chong Xiong, board chair of TakeAction Minnesota. “She has a bold vision, political acumen, clear commitment and experience in building a statewide, multi-racial movement. I’m grateful to all our members who contributed to the Board’s thorough, collaborative, and nation-wide search process.”
After serving for 12 years as TakeAction Minnesota’s executive director, Dan McGrath announced his plans to transition earlier this year.
“I’m incredibly excited for Elianne to jump in,” said McGrath. “She has a unique mix of organizing, campaigning, and leadership experiences at both the state and national level. She’s the right person to take on this job.”
Elianne joined TakeAction Minnesota as its program director in November. She’s worked for numerous state and national organizations including the Center for Popular Democracy, PICO National Network, and the Minnesota AFL-CIO.
“It is a real honor to be chosen as TakeAction Minnesota’s next executive director,” said Farhat. “We are in a defining time in our country’s history. This moment requires us to organize and build community across our state to ensure our Minnesota values win the day. TakeAction Minnesota’s members and staff are up for the fight to deliver a brighter, more joyful future for generations to come. I couldn’t be more excited to be in the fight together. Our future is worth fighting for.”
Elianne was raised Northeast Minneapolis’s Lebanese neighborhood and earned her degree from Macalester College. She’s board chair of Headwaters Foundation for Justice. Her mother is state representative Mary Kunesh-Podein.
TakeAction Minnesota members will celebrate outgoing executive director Dan McGrath after the August primary. He doesn’t have a new gig lined up. Elianne begins her new role on September 4, 2018.
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TakeAction Minnesota is a statewide, multi-racial people’s organization. We advance democracy and equity through organizing, political action, and policy campaigns. Our offices are located in St. Paul, Duluth, and St. Cloud.
