National Convening Program Books 2016 YEO National Convening Program Book | Page 68

YEO Bios
KRISTY PAGAN State Representative
Canton, Michigan

Michigan State Representative Kristy Pagan is a first-term representative from the 21st House
District. She serves on the House Appropriations Committee and the Oversight and Ethics
Committee, serving on the Department of Community Health Subcommittee and as minority
vice chairwoman of the Department of Education Subcommittee. Pagan graduated from Salem
High School and Western Michigan University. She then moved to Washington, D.C., where
she worked in child nutrition policy for a nonprofit organization and took night classes to earn
her master’s in political management from George Washington University. Pagan then worked in
education policy with U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow. In 2011, Pagan moved back to Michigan,
starting her own business dedicated to civic and community engagement, and worked at Wayne
State University Law School. Pagan serves on the Canton Community Foundation Board of
Directors, the Advisory Council for the STEM program at Canton High School, and is an
advisor to Youth Leadership Canton. @kristypagan

AMELIA PELOQUIN Town Councilor
Southbridge, Massachusetts

Amelia Peloquin recently completed her first year in office, serving as town councilor-at-large in
her hometown of Southbridge, Massachusetts. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Smith College
and her professional experience has included regional work for public libraries and interactive
media agencies. Peloquin inadvertently fell in to politics in 2011, after Tea Party-affiliated groups
launched a voter intimidation campaign targeting Hispanic voters in Southbridge. She was
honored with a Defender of Civil Liberties award from the ACLU of Massachusetts for her work
during that cycle. In addition to her work on the Southbridge Town Council, she serves on the
advisory council for ASPIRA of Massachusetts and the Southbridge Town Committee for her
party. She focuses on civic engagement, sustainable land use, solid waste disposal facilities, and
local tax policy.

JOHN A. PETTIS, JR. City Councilman
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

John A. Pettis, Jr. serves as the Oklahoma City Council Ward 7 Councilman. At the age of
30, Councilman Pettis became one of the youngest people to be elected to the Oklahoma City
Council. A community volunteer and advocate, Councilman Pettis has spearheaded significant
social and political change locally and nationally. Councilman Pettis served as the Chairman of
the Central Oklahoma Workforce Investment Board Youth Council (Workforce Oklahoma),
an organization that develops comprehensive strategies that ensure youth acquire the education,
vocational skills, and moral support they need to reach their full potential and find success in the
labor