Richard Gephardt and Carlos Curbelo Join Issue One’s Board of Directors

Issue One is pleased to announce that former House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-MO) and former Congressman Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) have joined its board of directors.

“We are excited to welcome Richard Gephardt and Carlos Curbelo to our board of directors as key voices in the movement to fix our broken system and unite Democrats, Republicans, and independents to advance meaningful reforms to ensure a democracy that works for everyone,” said Issue One Founder and CEO Nick Penniman. “Gephardt and Curbelo have long been allies in this fight, and with a history of working across the aisle, Issue One is lucky to have them join our efforts to help imagine a better path forward for our democracy.”

Richard Gephardt, born in St. Louis, served the people of Missouri’s 3rd Congressional District for 28 years, from 1976 to 2004, and was the top Democrat in the House of Representatives from 1989 to 2003. He twice ran for president, in 1988 and 2004. After retiring from Congress in 2005, he founded Gephardt Group, a consulting firm specializing in labor relations. Gephardt earned his bachelor degree from Northwestern University and a doctorate from the University of Michigan Law School. Gephardt is also a member of the National Council on Election Integrity and Issue One’s ReFormers Caucus, the largest bipartisan group of former members of Congress, governors, and Cabinet secretaries ever assembled to advocate for political reform.

Carlos Curbelo, the son of Cuban political exiles, has been a vital voice for democracy both inside and outside the halls of Congress. He represented the people of Florida’s 27th Congressional District from 2015 to 2019. During his tenure, Curbelo served on the House Committee on Ways and Means, and he was frequently cited as one of the most bipartisan members of Congress according to The Lugar Center’s bipartisan index. Since leaving office, Curbelo has continued to be an advocate for commonsense reforms and solutions to some of the most pressing issues of our time. He attended the University of Miami, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in public administration. Curbelo is also a member of Issue One’s ReFormers Caucus and the National Council on Election Integrity, a bipartisan group of political, government, and civic leaders united around protecting the integrity of our elections.