She the People

Representative Kate Hogan is in her ninth term serving the Third Middlesex District and is the highest-ranking woman in House leadership as Speaker Pro Tempore. She has championed landmark public health laws, co-chaired statewide commissions on agriculture and PFAS contamination, and is a strong advocate for economic growth, healthcare access, and protecting vulnerable communities.

Her leadership has been recognized with MassDEP’s Central Region Legislator of the Decade award and MOVA’s Legislator of the Year honor. A UMass Amherst alumna, Rep. Hogan also supports regional economic development, serves on nonprofit boards, and mentors future women leaders through the Women into Leadership program.

Yasmin Padamsee Forbes is a global leader in governance, public policy, and international development with 20+ years of experience across the U.S., Asia, and the Pacific. As former Executive Director of the Massachusetts Asian American and Pacific Islanders Commission, she tripled state funding, launched new community programs, and earned recognition from state and federal leaders.

She has held senior roles with the UN and international nonprofits, raised over $50 million for mission-driven initiatives, and currently serves on the Cambridge Human Rights Commission. Her work centers on cross-cultural collaboration, community engagement, and systems-level change.

Virginia Sapiro (Moderator), Dean and Professor Emerita, Boston University; Professor Emerita, University of Wisconsin - Madison; Supervisor of the Checklist, Gilmanton, N.H.

Virginia (Gina) Sapiro is Dean and Professor Emerita at Boston University and Professor Emerita at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. A leading scholar of American democracy, political participation, and gender politics, she has taught, mentored, and published widely for nearly 50 years, earning numerous awards and election to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. She is currently completing a book on the history of U.S. higher education.

Beyond academia, Gina is deeply engaged in civic life. She serves as President of Gilmanton’s Own, a nonprofit supporting local agriculture and the arts, and as Supervisor of the Checklist in Gilmanton, N.H., overseeing voter registrations. She has also led Shelter Music Boston and continues to support community, arts, and agriculture initiatives.