For Immediate Release: Mar. 21, 2023
Contact: Luke Thomas, press secretary, [email protected]
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Mar. 21, 2023) – The Indiana Republican Party today announced the members of the third cohort of its nationally-recognized seminar and leadership training program, the Indiana Republican Diversity Leadership Series (IRDLS). The program provides the preparation and necessary resources to increase the civic engagement of minority Republicans throughout the state and bring them into leadership positions.
“Each year our program has welcomed a group of Hoosiers that are driven to make a real difference in their communities, and this year is certainly no different,” stated Kyle Hupfer, chairman of the Indiana Republican Party. “With some participants already running for local office and others getting involved in the party in other ways, I’m excited to see how this cohort will engage with the program and use it to help them develop into strong, effective leaders.”
The cohort of 16 Hoosiers represents a wide range of backgrounds and includes entrepreneurs, ministers, lobbyists, financial advisors and more from communities across Indiana.
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Abimbola Adeniyi (Marion)
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Ayodeji Babaleye (Hendricks)
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Maya Angelou Brown (Lake)
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Angel Cisneros (Lake)
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Chaka Coleman (Hamilton)
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Evelyne Duge (Johnson)
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Emily Edwards (Lake)
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Lisa Foreman (Marion)
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Seni Gonzalez Barron (Hamilton)
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Muheto Jackson (Marion)
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Tracy Justice (Hendricks)
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Ronald Morrell, Jr. (Grant)
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Elie Muzungu (Marion)
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Van Sui (Marion)
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Vaughn Taylor (Hendricks)
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Pau Thupha Thang (Allen)
Biographies for each member of the cohort are available here.
The first session of the class will be held this month with sessions running monthly through late this year; those sessions will be followed by a trip to Washington, D.C. Class sessions will cover topics including civic engagement, campaign management, communication, and all levels of government.
More information about the series is available here.
The IRDLS continues the Indiana Republican Party’s ongoing work to develop authentic relationships within minority communities across the state. Hupfer announced this commitment during his remarks at the 2018 Indiana Republican Party State Convention before hiring Whitley Yates as the party’s director of diversity and engagement in 2019.
“Today’s announcement shows that this program wasn’t just a flash in the pan,” stated Yates. “As a party, we’re truly dedicated to this program’s mission and to the success of its participants. I'm thankful to be in this position to once again help empower and equip underrepresented Republicans to effect meaningful change in communities across the state.”
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