Today we’d like to introduce you to Ellen Frank.
Hi Ellen, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I got bitten by politics as a girl of 8…helping my mother do lit drops for elections. I was always on Student Council or Class Officer…and went on to college and campaigned for my Econ professor and also did an internship in the US Senate. I took some years off when I was establishing my career and raising 2 kids. Then I got fully on board during Obama’s 2008 campaign. I’ve had my home open as a remote location for volunteer to knock on doors and make calls for many campaigns. Then during the beginning of Covid I was introduced to Sue Dean Dyke, who founded Mobilize the Vote Northeast Ohio. I signed on with them for Bidens campaign during Covid, then pivoted to Voter Engagement and Registration. I love that the primary mission of MTV-NEO is voter advocacy in underserved neighborhoods in Cleveland. We have been building relationships with HUD and CMHA buildings to assist these voters in getting their votes in and counted. We also work with Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland State, and many high schools in the city of Cleveland and the inner ring to register first time voters. We pivoted to end gerrymandering, keep abortion available in Ohio, and the latest was Issue 1 – which was a constitutional amendment for a citizens commission to re-write out maps. Right now we are very involved in protesting the actions of Trump, and the lack of response from our Senators. We are also getting out to our buildings and schools to register voters.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We’ve had a few obstacles to overcome. Funding is an ongoing issue; we can always use more active volunteers as we have a road map that we want to get to, but just don’t have the resources – yet. Scalability is an ongoing issue.
I am very proud of our volunteers and our leads – all very knowledgable, hard working, and flexible people. We have to be able to pivot and shift our priorities as urgent requests come to us.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I am retired, but my last role was VP of Merchandising for Things Remembered. My skill set is product development and design – with the ability to drive revenue to support overall goals. Working in the corporate world has taught me to focus and strategy and delivering the best experince for any event we sign volunteers up for.
Mobilize is known for our organizational skills, training for volunteers, and being incredibly nimble and flexible to pivot when called to do so. Our primary focus is voter registration and engagement in underserved communities in the city of Cleveland. These folks who live in public housing are ignored and are the people who bad policies affects the most. We advocate for them, we work on building relationships that will last for years. We are known for getting voter registrations down to the Board of Elections and following up with any issues that may have caused a problem in the process. Our group of volunteers will go the extra mile in trying to assist residents throughout the city. The same goes for the colleges we help – Case Western and Cleveland State.
I hope that my experience and training has helped Mobilize NEO build a reputation as a fast moving, high organized team with a focus on execution/exceeding our goals we set forth.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
My mentors have always been people I respected and approached regardless of industry. Making sure you can communicate easily and establish where you need development is critical. Don’t be afraid to walk away if it isn’t working for either party. I also like to stay connected to past colleagues or people from various walks of life as you never know when you need to reach out to them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mobilizethevoteneo.org/
- Instagram: Mobilize the Vote NEO (@mtv_neo)
- Facebook: Mobilize the Vote NEO Volunteers
