Mary Pat Hector started organizing at 12, advised President Obama at 18, and ran for office at 19 — losing by just 22 votes. That loss reshaped her entire path. Today she's CEO of Rise, a national organization fighting for free college and student basic needs across 10+ states, and the founder of Equity for All, a platform helping young people of color in the South gain political power.

Key Takeaways:

• She advised President Obama on criminal justice reform at 18 and has since helped mobilize over 4 million voters through Rise.
• When a Black woman takes over from a white male founder, the funding dynamics shift overnight.
• The most impactful skill a young leader can learn is fundraising — without it, you'll always work for someone else.
• Progressive organizations are facing a post-2024 crisis as foundations pull back out of fear of political retaliation.

In this conversation with Dreena Whitfield, Mary Pat opens up about the real cost of being the youngest, the first, and the only in the room. She shares what happened when she stepped into the CEO role after a white male founder — and how fundraising, dynamics, and expectations shifted overnight. She talks about building sisterhood as a leadership survival tool, balancing being a new mom and CEO, and what she's hearing from young people who are losing faith in democracy.

This episode covers: growing up in a service-driven household in Atlanta, what it was like in the Oval Office at 18, the emotional toll of running for office as a teenager, founding Equity for All after her election loss, leading a hunger strike at Spelman, her path to leading Rise, navigating progressive fundraising after 2024, the personal sacrifices young leaders make, and the legacy she hopes to leave behind.

If you're a young person figuring out how to lead, an organizer navigating burnout, or someone who wants to understand what it actually takes to build civic power — this episode is for you.

About Mary Pat Hector: CEO of Rise, Founder of Equity for All. Spelman College and Georgia State University graduate. Rise has mobilized over 4 million voters nationwide. She helped register over 500,000 Georgia voters through Black Youth Vote. Led hunger strikes that gained 75,000+ meals for HBCU students. Youngest board member of Headcount.org. Featured on MSNBC, CNN, NYT, Hulu's 1619 Project, Forbes, and more.

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Host: Dreena Whitfield / WhitPR
Executive Producer, Writer & Creative Director: Keena Williams / Struxa

• (00:00) - Meet Mary Pat Hector: The Activist Who Started Organizing at 12 Years
• (01:22) - How does growing up in a service-driven household shape your leadership?
• (02:36) - What makes Atlanta a unique city for Black leaders and organizers?
• (05:06) - What is it like advising the President of the United States at 18 years old?
• (08:09) - What happens when you run for office at 19 and lose by 22 votes?
• (13:10) - How losing an election inspired the founding of Equity for All
• (16:08) - What does Rise do and how did Mary Pat Hector become CEO?
• (19:28) - What really happens when a Black woman takes over from a male founder?
• (21:40) - How does a young CEO fundraise with no prior experience?
• (24:31) - How are progressive organizations adapting after the 2024 election?
• (26:59) - Why are young people disillusioned with democracy and what can be done about it?
• (29:01) - What does it cost to be the youngest, the first, and the only in the room?
• (32:13) - What do young civic leaders sacrifice in their twenties for the work?
• (34:23) - How do you balance being a CEO, a new mom, and a wife at the same time?
• (37:09) - How do you separate your identity from your work when service is all you know?
• (40:29) - What legacy does Mary Pat Hector want to leave for the next generation of leaders?
• (44:03) - How did Mary Pat Hector's mother shape her into the leader she is today?
• (45:27) - Rapid Fire: Organizing playlists, dream career paths, and the quotes that keep her going
• (48:30) - Why it matters to platform the work of Black women in leadership