A nurse from Naperville, IL, attended the first Arena Summit in Nashville, Tennessee in December 2016. It was there that she first entertained the idea of running for office, met her future campaign manager, and built relationships with activists and candidates across the country.

Defeated an 11-year incumbent to become Harris County Judge, the executive of Texas’ largest county (and the country’s third largest). At age 29, Lina oversees a $4.3 billion budget for over 4.5 million residents.

With Arena’s support, Alessandra Biaggi defeated the leader of New York’s Independent Democratic Caucus (IDC), a group of breakaway Democrats who blocked progress on women’s reproductive rights, criminal justice reform, and ethics reform.