Alisha Thomas Morgan
Political Voice * Inspirational Speaker * Empowering Trainer

A courageous champion for justice, equality and empowering communities, Alisha Thomas Morgan made history at age 23 by becoming the first African-American to serve in the Georgia House of Representatives for Cobb County. Elected to her fourth term in November 2008, winning over 72% of the vote, at age 31 Morgan remains the youngest female member of the entire Georgia General Assembly. A powerful political voice, inspirational speaker and empowering trainer, Morgan is one of today’s trailblazing architects for change.

As a member of the Georgia House of Representatives, Morgan serves on the Children and Youth, Education, Health and Human Services, and Governmental Affairs Committees. Morgan has become a statewide leader in the movement for education reform, bringing together an alliance of civil rights activists, education advocates, and faith communities to work with both parents and students to bring real change to Georgia’s education system. An advocate for more parental options in education, Morgan was instrumental in passing HB 881 during the 2008 legislative session – a historic bill that created the Georgia Charter Schools Commission, offering an alternate route for groups and companies seeking to establish charter schools. In 2009, she launched the “Closing the Achievement Gap” Campaign, assembling K-16 stakeholders for the first time in recent history to identify, comprehensively, ways to level the playing field in public education and prepare students to compete in a global market. Additionally, Morgan forged a bipartisan coalition and succeeded in passing the landmark education reform legislation HB 251, which empowers parents to access more options within the public school system. Other pending legislation includes a bill creating a “Closing the Achievement Gap” Commission to study best practices to decrease education disparities in Georgia. In February of 2010, Morgan was selected to participate in a national bi-partisan group of legislators to work under Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and with senior staff at the US Department of Education (DOE) on the reauthorization of “No Child Left Behind” (NCLB).

A rising star on the national scene, Morgan helped develop the Young Elected Officials Network – a national non-profit program she helped developed, dedicated to connecting and supporting progressive elected leaders under the age of 35. Morgan is also a sought-after speaker and trainer, with clients including the Harvard University Black Policy Conference, the Yale University Women’s Campaign School, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and numerous other national agencies and organizations. Morgan has gained noteworthy accolades from colleagues, state and national advocacy organizations alike, including numerous leadership awards such as the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus’ “2008 Legislator of the Year,” the Joe Mack Wilson “People’s Champion Award” from the Cobb County Democratic Party, the “Excellence in Service” Award by the Mexican American Legal Defense & Education Fund, and the “Unsung Heroine” Award by the Anti-Defamation League. Her work in education has earned her the “Champion For Choice” Award from All Children Matter, the “Putting Kids 1st” Award from the Ohio Coalition for Quality Education, and the “Legislative Leadership Award” from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Morgan has been named one of the Nation’s 30 Leaders who are under 30 by Ebony Magazine, one of “America’s Young Civil Rights Heroes” by AOL Black Voices, one of fifteen women of the “New Power Generation” by Essence Magazine, and one of Georgia’s “Brightest 40 under 40” by both Georgia Trend Magazine and the Georgia Informer. Morgan has also been featured in the New York Times, The Washington Post, and on both CSPAN and BET.

Morgan plans to release her debut book No Apologies: Powerful Lessons in Life and Politics in 2010. She has also launched Morganics, a people services company that focuses on public speaking, leadership development, training and advocacy.

Morgan is a graduate of Spelman College in Atlanta, GA where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Sociology and Drama. She resides in Austell, GA with husband David, a member of the Cobb County School Board, and daughter Lailah.