Nominee for Most Valuable Organizer
Laura Derrick Follow @laderrick
Nominee Information
Nominee's Organization
Organization: Organizing for America Ohio
How the nominee exhibited innovation
Laura's turf started out with over 20 counties in the southeastern, Appalachian part of Ohio. In rural turf, facing splintered groups and volunteers who had been without support for a while, Laura immediately started building relationships. She told her personal story and she asked people theirs. She then trained volunteers to do the same. Laura convinced everyone who was in disagreement to attend Women's Wednesdays at Applebee's and she started the process of bringing everyone together. She brought people together in a way no one had thought possible.
Laura was also a pioneer in messaging. She adapted the campaign's persuasion training to match her part of the state and no one left an office without the training. Every volunteer knew how to tell their story and relate it to the policy agenda of the President. Her willingness to share her personal story of illness and talk about how it relates to the President resonated with communities that have been hit hard financially for decades. She showed a strength and power that others emulated until they found it in themselves.
How the nominee exhibited respect
Laura's commitment to training her staff and volunteers resulted in two of her Field Organizers being promoted to Regional Field Directors. Both of them say that without Laura's guidance and leadership, they would not have been successful in their new roles. Many managers hold tight to their best staff; Laura trains her team, teaches them everything she knows, and then helps them succeed and grow.
Laura also deeply respected the communities she was organizing in. She never judged, listened to people's stories and empathized with stories of loss of jobs and opportunities. It was because of her respect that so many people wanted to be a part of the movement she had created.
How the nominee exhibited courage
Facing both personal and family illness, Laura knew first hand the impact of the Affordable Care Act. While in Texas, her family made the commitment for her to volunteer full time to help pass the ACA, because they knew it was a lifeline for their family and for so many Americans. When asked to come to Ohio for the re-election, Laura and her family again agreed she should take the opportunity for her to make a difference in so many people's lives. Leaving her family behind, and fighting for her life, she moved to Ohio to make sure all American's have access to health insurance. There is no more courageous organizer than Laura and no more courageous family than hers.
How the nominee exhibited excellence
There is a map of Ohio with red arrows where Republicans picked up votes and blue arrows where Democrats picked up votes. Over half of the arrows where Democrats won more votes where in Counties that Laura oversaw. Her belief in the power of her volunteers and her steadfast commitment to training lead to larger victories than anyone thought possible. Her organizing is one of the main reasons why the President won Ohio again.
Additional Comments
Having worked with hundreds of talented, courageous and hard-working organizers in the last year, Laura stands out as the person who deserves this award the most. Through personal sacrifice, steadfast commitment and an unwavering faith in people, Laura is hands down the organizer of the year. She organized things no one else thought possible and showed that anything is possible.
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Submitted By Jenn Brown
- Relationship to Nominee: Former Co-worker
- Follow jennb_jennb
Nominee Information
Nominee's Organization
Organization: Organizing for America Ohio
How the nominee exhibited innovation
Laura's turf started out with over 20 counties in the southeastern, Appalachian part of Ohio. In rural turf, facing splintered groups and volunteers who had been without support for a while, Laura immediately started building relationships. She told her personal story and she asked people theirs. She then trained volunteers to do the same. Laura convinced everyone who was in disagreement to attend Women's Wednesdays at Applebee's and she started the process of bringing everyone together. She brought people together in a way no one had thought possible. Laura was also a pioneer in messaging. She adapted the campaign's persuasion training to match her part of the state and no one left an office without the training. Every volunteer knew how to tell their story and relate it to the policy agenda of the President. Her willingness to share her personal story of illness and talk about how it relates to the President resonated with communities that have been hit hard financially for decades. She showed a strength and power that others emulated until they found it in themselves.
How the nominee exhibited respect
Laura's commitment to training her staff and volunteers resulted in two of her Field Organizers being promoted to Regional Field Directors. Both of them say that without Laura's guidance and leadership, they would not have been successful in their new roles. Many managers hold tight to their best staff; Laura trains her team, teaches them everything she knows, and then helps them succeed and grow. Laura also deeply respected the communities she was organizing in. She never judged, listened to people's stories and empathized with stories of loss of jobs and opportunities. It was because of her respect that so many people wanted to be a part of the movement she had created.
How the nominee exhibited courage
Facing both personal and family illness, Laura knew first hand the impact of the Affordable Care Act. While in Texas, her family made the commitment for her to volunteer full time to help pass the ACA, because they knew it was a lifeline for their family and for so many Americans. When asked to come to Ohio for the re-election, Laura and her family again agreed she should take the opportunity for her to make a difference in so many people's lives. Leaving her family behind, and fighting for her life, she moved to Ohio to make sure all American's have access to health insurance. There is no more courageous organizer than Laura and no more courageous family than hers.
How the nominee exhibited excellence
There is a map of Ohio with red arrows where Republicans picked up votes and blue arrows where Democrats picked up votes. Over half of the arrows where Democrats won more votes where in Counties that Laura oversaw. Her belief in the power of her volunteers and her steadfast commitment to training lead to larger victories than anyone thought possible. Her organizing is one of the main reasons why the President won Ohio again.
Additional Comments
Having worked with hundreds of talented, courageous and hard-working organizers in the last year, Laura stands out as the person who deserves this award the most. Through personal sacrifice, steadfast commitment and an unwavering faith in people, Laura is hands down the organizer of the year. She organized things no one else thought possible and showed that anything is possible.
Submitted By Jenn Brown
- Relationship to Nominee: Former Co-worker
- Follow jennb_jennb
