Georgia STAND-UP

Georgia STAND-UP executive director Deborah Scott played a significant role in driving voter turnout that benefited Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden in Georgia during the 2020 election, along with the former Democratic gubernatorial candidate for Georgia, Stacey Abrams. ² In mid-November of 2020, the Washington Post profiled Scott and STAND-UP as part of a story on how progressive get-out-the-vote operations in the traditionally-Republican state helped former Vice President Biden win Georgia. ³

Initiatives

Georgia STAND-UP promotes left-of-center policies on healthcare, housing, and criminal justice. The group maintains partnerships with more than 30 other left-wing organizations across the state. ¹ The group organizes STAND-UP & Vote!, an education program for maximizing voter engagement among traditionally left-of-center constituencies. ⁴ Georgia STAND-UP also runs a training program for left-of-center organizers in Atlanta called the Policy Institute for Civic Leadership. ⁵

Georgia STAND-UP’s education program, We Show Up, helps businesses to secure contracts and individuals to secure jobs in the entertainment industry. The program began in Clayton County with plans to expand elsewhere. ⁵ TRADE-UP is the group’s apprenticeship and workforce development initiative in the construction industry. The program primarily prepares students to work in broader industrial professions, specifically in environmentalist-aligned “green economies.” ⁶⁷

Leadership

Georgia STAND-UP does not list any leadership or staff on its website, only providing general contact information and an Atlanta office address. ⁸

Deborah Scott is the founding executive director of Georgia STAND-UP. ⁹ Scott also sits on the board of the Partnership for Working Families, a coalition of left-wing groups funded by labor unions, and oversees the Atlanta affiliate of the Emerald Cities Collaborative, an advocacy group which promotes environmentalist policies. ¹⁰ In 2012, former President Barack Obama named Scott a White House Champion of Change for her progressive urban planning and environmental advocacy. ¹¹ She is married to long-time AFL-CIO national field representative Lorenzo Scott. ¹²

Melissa Conrad is the associate director of Georgia STAND-UP. ¹³ She was the 2012-2013 Daniel J. Curtin, Jr. Fellow at the American Planning Association, a leading urban planning professional organization. ¹⁴

Charles Flemming is the board president of Georgia STAND-UP. ¹⁵ He is also the president of the Georgia AFL-CIO chapter. ¹⁶

Financials

Georgia STAND-UP received $587,000 in contributions in 2015, $428,000 in 2016, $789,000 in 2017, and $576,000 in 2018. The group had significantly more funds on hand in 2017-2018 (over $300,000) than in 2015-2016 (below $170,000). ¹⁵¹⁷ In 2017, the group also received a $200,000 grant from the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, a left-wing grantmaking organization. ¹⁸