Future Forum Announces Congresswoman Pettersen as New Member Co-Chair, Hires New Executive Director
Washington, D.C.– Future Forum, a generational caucus of young House Democrats, named Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen (D-CO) as the New Member Co-Chair and announced Isabel J. Sanchez was hired as the new Executive Director.
Future Forum's leadership team for the 118th Congress also includes Congressman Colin Allred (D-TX) as Co-Chair for Communications, Congressman Darren Soto (D-FL) as Co-Chair for Policy & Programs, and Congresswoman Haley Stevens (D-MI) as Co-Chair for Administration and Membership.
"We are so proud to be growing our ranks within this new Congress and that Congresswoman Pettersen will be an integral part of our team as we work to lift up the voices of young people," said Co-Chairs Allred, Soto and Stevens. "We are also glad to announce that Isabel J. Sanchez will be working for the Future Forum as the new Executive Director. Isabel is a talented professional and brings to the Future Forum her years of experience working in Congress, including with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. We welcome Isabel and are excited to get to work."
"In order to have a healthy democracy for generations to come, we need young people who are engaged and excited about participating in the political process," said Co-Chair Pettersen. "I've spent much of my career getting young people involved in state and local government, and now I'm proud to serve as the New Member Co-Chair of Future Forum to continue this effort at the federal level. I'm ready to get to work alongside Representatives Allred, Stevens, and Soto to ensure young Coloradans have a seat at the table."
About Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen:
Brittany Pettersen is the Representative for Colorado's Seventh Congressional District in the United States Congress. She was elected in 2022, becoming the first woman to represent the Seventh District, which comprises Jefferson, Broomfield, Lake, Park, Teller, Chaffee, Fremont, and Custer counties. She is a member of the House Financial Services Committee, where she serves on the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance and the Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions.
Pettersen was born and raised in Jefferson County, Colorado. Even though she faced a lot of challenges growing up, because of her access to great public schools and teachers who believed in her, she became the first in her family to graduate both high school and college. Rep. Pettersen attended the Metropolitan State University of Denver where she earned a bachelor's degree in Political Science.
Before coming to Congress, Pettersen served in the Colorado state legislature for a decade. While there, she sponsored and passed legislation ranging from gun safety measures to one of the country's strongest Equal Pay for Equal Work laws to protecting access to reproductive healthcare to lowering health insurance premiums for Coloradans. Pettersen also advocated for greater investments in the state's mental health and substance abuse disorder treatment programs, after seeing firsthand the devastating impacts of the opioid epidemic through her own mother's decades-long addiction. Pettersen lives in Lakewood with her husband, Ian, their young son, Davis, and their rescue dog, Ollie.
About Future Forum's new Executive Director, Isabel J. Sanchez:
Isabel J. Sanchez will serve as Executive Director of the Future Forum Caucus making her the first Latina ever to lead the Caucus. Prior to joining Future Forum, Isabel served as the Policy Director for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) under former Chair Raul Ruiz, M.D. Sanchez advised and worked on a range of policy issues. During her tenure, she helped inform CHC's Executive Action asks of President Biden, led CHC's first-ever policy roundtables on voting rights and issues impacting farmworkers, and successfully shepherded CHC Member bills through the House floor of which 28 were signed into law. Further, she co-led the restructuring of the CHC's Leadership structure and the implementation of a strategic plan to ensure Members met their legislative goals.
Isabel is also a proud alum of former Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, and prior to coming to the Hill, Isabel helped spearhead an immigrant rights organization's office in D.C. while leading their federal advocacy portfolio.
Isabel is a Mexican immigrant and the first in her family to attend a four-year university. She holds a Bachelors of Arts degree from the University of California, Riverside in Political Science/Law and Society.
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About Future Forum Congressional Caucus: Established in 2015, Future Forum is a generational caucus comprised of 47 members from a diverse cross-section of the Democratic Caucus who are 50 years and younger. Future Forum represents the next generation of leaders in Congress and includes members of all ideological and identify caucuses in the House, members of the Democratic leadership, and the first Gen Z Member of Congress.
To learn more about Future Forum:https://futureforumcaucus-soto.house.gov/