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Person

Loida Tapia

Nationality:

American
Occupation:

Director of Public Engagement, Secretary of State for State of Michigan

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Loida Tapia is the director of public engagement for the office of the Michigan Secretary of State, where she started in February 2019. 1

Tapia started in politics working for Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign 2 and in 2013 was a White House appointee to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. 3

Tapia was director or public engagement for the Michigan Secretary of State and oversaw the public education strategy for redrawing political districts in Michigan. 4 The Washtenaw County Democratic Party stated that Tapia was a “key partner” in the redistricting effort. 5

Background

Tapia was an organizer for Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign while she was a student at the University of Illinois. 6 She then worked with U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and went to work for Obama’s 2012 presidential campaign. 7 Tapia was the assistant to the national political director of Obama for America from August 2011 to November 2012 8 and wrote and approved memos, talking points, and speeches. 9

She was a White House appointee in 2013 to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and worked on “diversity and inclusion” projects. 10 Tapia worked for nine months in 2013 as a political consultant 11 for the Hunt Alternatives Fund, 12  a private family foundation created by Democratic donor and philanthropist Swanee Hunt.

Tapia works as the director of public engagement at office of the Michigan Secretary State since February 2019. 13

Tapia created Strategic Impact Consulting in May 2020 to work with foundations and national organizations. 14 She is a policy consultant for the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, 15 which states that its mission is to advance “racial, social and economic justice.” 16

Redistricting Commission

Tapia was the director of public engagement for the Michigan Secretary of State and recruited state residents to apply for the commission that would redraw political districts. 17 The Washtenaw County Democratic Party described Tapia as a “key partner in redistricting.” 18 The University of Michigan Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy stated that Tapia “led the implementation of a statewide public education strategy around new voting rights laws and the first ever Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission.” 19

The state of Michigan said the redistricting commission consisted of 13 registered voters randomly selected via an application process. 20

The Michigan-based lobbying and political advocacy group Voters Not Politicians completed a successful petition drive to put on the 2018 ballot a new way to draw political district maps after each decennial U.S. Census. 21 Citizens replaced legislators as responsible for drawing district lines. 22 Jack Schmitt is the chair of the Voters Not Politicians’ board and has worked in numerous senior management roles within the Democratic Party as well as the former deputy director of the left-of-center environmentalist advocacy group Michigan League of Conservation Voters. 23

COVID-19 Comments

In 2020, Tapia linked systemic racism and COVID-19 in an interview. 24 Tapia stated that many of the people classified as “essential workers” during the pandemic were “Black and Brown” people and the minorities have seen a “disproportionate impact” from the pandemic, calling it “social economics.” Tapia stated that COVID-19 had “unmasked” many structural issues involving “systemic racism.” 25

References

  1. [1] “Loida Tapia.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 11, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/loida-l-tapia-8b863611/
  2. “University of Illinois, 150 Years & Beyond.” The News Gazette. Accessed June 11, 2022. https://uofi150.news-gazette.com/people/loida-tapia
  3. “University of Illinois, 150 Years & Beyond.” The News Gazette. Accessed June 11, 2022. https://uofi150.news-gazette.com/people/loida-tapia
  4. Ensuring Our Voting System Works For All Of Us.” University of Michigan Ford School of Public Policy. July 23, 2020. Accessed June 12, 2022. https://p3estage.fordschool.umich.edu/event/2020/ensuring-our-voting-system-works-all-us
  5. “NextVote On Redistricting – Guide To The Maps And To Commenting.” Washtenaw County Democratic Party. Nov. 14, 2021. Accessed June 12, 2022. https://www.washtenawdems.org/calendar/nextvote-on-redistricting-guide-to-the-maps-and-to-commenting/
  6. “University of Illinois, 150 Years & Beyond.” The News Gazette. Accessed June 11, 2022. https://uofi150.news-gazette.com/people/loida-tapia
  7. “University of Illinois, 150 Years & Beyond.” The News Gazette. Accessed June 11, 2022. https://uofi150.news-gazette.com/people/loida-tapia
  8. “Loida Tapia.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 11, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/loida-l-tapia-8b863611/
  9. [1] “Loida Tapia.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 11, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/loida-l-tapia-8b863611/
  10. “University of Illinois, 150 Years & Beyond.” The News Gazette. Accessed June 11, 2022. https://uofi150.news-gazette.com/people/loida-tapia
  11. “Loida Tapia.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 11, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/loida-l-tapia-8b863611/
  12. “Foundation.” SwaneeHunt.org. Accessed June 19, 2022. https://www.swaneehunt.org/foundation/
  13. [1] “Loida Tapia.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 11, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/loida-l-tapia-8b863611/
  14. “Ensuring Our Voting System Works For All Of Us.” University of Michigan Ford School of Public Policy. July 23, 2020. Accessed June 12, 2022. https://p3estage.fordschool.umich.edu/event/2020/ensuring-our-voting-system-works-all-us
  15. “Share-Out.” Society For History And Racial Equity. Summer 2020. Accessed June 11, 2022. http://sharekazoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Special-Edition.pdf
  16. Kalamazoo Community Foundation. Accessed June 18, 2022. https://www.kalfound.org/
  17. Marisa Oberle. “Workshop In Benton Harbor To Recruit Michigan Residents For New, Independent Redistricting Commission.” WBND. Dec. 17, 2019. Accessed June 12, 2022. https://www.abc57.com/news/workshop-in-benton-harbor-to-recruit-michigan-residents-for-new-independent-redistricting-commission
  18. Washtenaw County Democratic Party. “NextVote On Redistricting – Guide To The Maps And To Commenting.” Nov. 14, 2021. Accessed June 12, 2022. https://www.washtenawdems.org/calendar/nextvote-on-redistricting-guide-to-the-maps-and-to-commenting/
  19. “Ensuring Our Voting System Works For All Of Us.” University of Michigan Ford School of Public Policy. July 23, 2020. Accessed June 12, 2022. https://p3estage.fordschool.umich.edu/event/2020/ensuring-our-voting-system-works-all-us
  20. “FAQ.” Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission. Accessed June 19, 2022. https://www.michigan.gov/micrc/about/faq
  21. [1] Egan, Paul. “Michigan’s anti-gerrymandering proposal is approved. Now what?” Detroit Free Press. November 7, 2018. Accessed November 14, 2019. https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/elections/2018/11/07/proposal-2-anti-gerrymandering-michigan/1847402002/
  22. Marisa Oberle. “Workshop In Benton Harbor To Recruit Michigan Residents For New, Independent Redistricting Commission.” WBND. Dec. 17, 2019. Accessed June 12, 2022. https://www.abc57.com/news/workshop-in-benton-harbor-to-recruit-michigan-residents-for-new-independent-redistricting-commission
  23. “Jack Schmitt.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 12, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackschmitt/
  24. “Share-Out.” Society For History And Racial Equity. Summer 2020. Accessed June 11, 2022. http://sharekazoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Special-Edition.pdf
  25. “Share-Out.” Society For History And Racial Equity. Summer 2020. Accessed June 11, 2022. http://sharekazoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Special-Edition.pdf
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