Restoration of Voting Rights for Returning Citizens

Reverand Dr. LaKeisha Cook

Executive Director, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy (VICPP)

 Cook becomes the tenth executive director and first African American to head the 43-year-old nonprofit, nonpartisan organization. VICPP is the largest faith-based advocacy network in Virginia and one of the strongest in the nation, with 25,000 members, 750 houses of worship, and 1,000 faith leaders of all denominations across the Commonwealth.

Rev. Cook has served as Co-Executive Director for the past year alongside Bobo, who retired last week. Together, they worked to ensure a smooth transition and to advance the organization’s mission of fighting for economic, racial, and social justice. Cook has spearheaded several successful legislative campaigns, including helping to lead the coalition that passed a historic bill abolishing the death penalty in Virginia in 2021, making Virginia the first state in the South to end capital punishment. This year, she focused on criminal justice reform, winning passage of a bill that outlaws the indiscriminate shackling of youth in court. Prior to joining VICPP, Cook held a variety of leadership roles at St. Paul’s Baptist Church in Richmond. She brings two decades of experience working in nonprofits, education, and government.

Candi Mundon King

Secretary of the Commonwealth

Candi Mundon King is a community servant and elected official with over two decades of experience designing and implementing high-impact advocacy programs in education, public safety, economic development, and social justice. Mundon King’s work is driven by her commitment to closing equity gaps and promoting community wellbeing for Virginians.

Since 2021, Mundon King has represented Virginia’s 23rd District in the House of Delegates, where she advocates for Prince Williams and Stafford Counties. She currently serves as Chair of the House Committee on Counties, Cities, and Towns, Vice Chair of Public Safety, and as a member of the House Finance and Labor and Commerce Committees. During her tenure in the House of Delegates, she has championed meaningful change across sectors. Her legislative successes have included securing pay raises for teachers, protecting victims of human trafficking, providing paid sick leave for home health care workers and safeguarding renters from unauthorized home access. Most notably, she passed the historic Virginia MOMnibus, which transformed maternal healthcare across the Commonwealth. She also founded the Sickle Cell Caucus and the Black Maternal Health Caucus.

Prior to her elected role at the House of Delegates, Mundon King worked in philanthropy, advocacy, and public policy at global organizations. As Deputy Director of CARE, she led the advancement of its advocacy agenda and implemented a strategy that led to the passage of the Global Food Security Act. While at the Gates Foundation, Mundon King worked across senior leadership to grow relationships with elected, appointed, and grantee decisionmakers. She also led the foundation’s community relations in Washington, D.C. Mundon King started her career in public policy as a legislative assistant advocating for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Outside of her legislative work, Mundon King is active in her regional community–serving as a Girl Scouts Troop Leader, volunteer colorguard coach, on the Virginia Employment Commission and the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation. She is also an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Born and raised in Portsmouth, Virginia, Mundon King earned her degree in Political Science from Norfolk State University. She resides in Dumfries, Virginia with her family.

Rabbi Jeffrey Saxe

Temple Rodef Shalom

Rabbi Jeffrey Saxe was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. Ordained by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in New York with a Wexner Graduate Fellowship, he joined the clergy team at Temple Rodef Shalom in 2007. In addition to his other rabbinical roles, Rabbi Saxe is deeply involved in social justice work that seeks to pursue Jewish values in our efforts at Tikkun Olam, repairing the world. An important part of Rabbi Saxe’s social justice work is centered on building interfaith relationships and acting together with others on local and wider issues. He currently serves on the Strategy Team for VOICE, an interfaith social justice group in Northern Virginia and as a member of the Clergy Council for the Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions. He is also a rabbinic member of the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism (CSA). In addition, Rabbi Saxe has served on national committees for the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) focused on immigration advocacy, Israel and writing the latest addition of the Rabbis’ Manual.

Rabbi Saxe is also passionate about bringing Jewish teachings into our everyday lives. He brought to TRS the introspective practice of Mussar, in which small groups study Jewish texts with the purpose of cultivating positive character traits such as humility, patience and gratitude. Also an ordained cantor, he plays guitar and writes musical settings of prayers in the Jewish service.