 New Texas Board of Directors, we want to present you with an award and a gift. Thank you so much for making that happen. A man that needs the only introduction, Mr. Alex Smith. He's a credible fighter for democracy. I'm going to develop it. But I also want to highlight something that matters. Somebody who takes care of New York. Somebody who takes care of the shops. Somebody who takes care of the fellows. Somebody who takes care of the interns. And that's been the story of New Texas from the very beginning. You may have noticed that over time, the teachers of the state in New York, they're going to go to Texas. And that's because they're going to go to the business. And with many organizations, that transition to a statewide organization is a very turbulent one. A very difficult one. Somebody who has been here over the time, the truth has been here. I can tell you that the organization is better than it's ever been. And it's better at a time when democracy needs it. I want to say thank you to Drew for his tireless efforts to sleep this night. I want to thank his family for giving him to us for the years that they did. It's a such a great help. MOVE is a statewide organization at a time that Texas needs statewide organizations. They need young fighters who are willing to stand up for democracy. Drew Galloway's help is a question of whether or not we would meet our moment. But now I can confidently say we're ready to meet our moment. We're ready to continue fighting from a small student organization to a statewide powerhouse. If you spend any time talking to me, I often say, you know, I don't like the great man's theory of history. History is made by movements. It's made by people that aren't recorded. But today, a very special occasion. I want to say that history at least has one great man in my life, and that's Drew Galloway. I know the staff feels this way. I know that everybody that works with you feels this way. Thank you so, so much for all you're doing to us. And you're going to keep fighting. It's been awesome. Thanks. Here's to step up. We wouldn't be here today. It's my pleasure now to introduce Michelle Trameo, Executive Director of Texas Organizing Project, an outstanding partner of MOVE Texas. In case I get emotional and cry. First of all, I just want to say thank you to Drew. You know, I'm pretty good to cry. So, two things that I admire about Drew Galloway. One is a little bit borrowing from what Alex said. You know, Executive Director to Executive Director, you know, it's very hard to lead a staff through a transition, much less the transition from MOVE San Antonio to MOVE Texas. And I just have always admired Drew's steadfast, joyful leadership as he's shepherded the organization from, I believe, as Stephen said, you know, two employees to over for you. You know, I've really just admired watching you in action too. The other thing I want to mention in the category of things I admire about Drew Galloway, I feel like I should have made it a jeopardy game or something. But he is, you know, I knew we were going to be good colleagues when I first met him. The moment that I knew we were going to be is, one day we were on the phone and Drew was getting a lot of pressure. I'm going to keep this story a little bit vague to protect the guilty parties. Drew was getting a lot of pressure from powers that be in this city to drop a campaign that we were working on together. And MOVE's funding was being threatened. Their future relationships were being threatened. And I didn't know what to do when he told me this. And I gave him an hour separately. If they wanted out, I understood that this organization was at a critical moment in its trajectory. And this would be devastating consequences for MOVE. And Drew simply said, oh well, let them try. And I think that was the moment that you captured my heart forever, Drew. And I knew that I would do anything to block for you, to back you up. Anything that you would need from me, I was going to be there for you. So, things that I will miss about Drew Gowling. Number one, strategizing on policy campaigns and giving elected officials, including the elected officials here tonight, a really hard time about the things that we care about in this community. Number two, tag-teaming donors to ensure that even more resources are coming to Texas and that we can grow our voter participation in the state to be reflective of the majority of us that live here. And last but not least, suing election officials together. Things that I'm looking forward to. You know, one, the team here at MOVE is amazing and I know that we will continue to. I've just met Claudia, but my offer to you, I don't know where she is right now. Over there. My offer to you is the same. I'm here for you. I love this organization. I love Alex and Erin and Senen. What is Senen? I haven't seen him yet. Oh, okay. He's at the ledge doing his job. I love this organization. Can't have a party, gotta be at the ledge. And I just, you know, I'm really looking forward to MOVE Texas 3.0 under Claudia's leadership. And Drew, you know, our work together is not done. You know, our next adventure together is the oh, so sexy topic of redistricting. Nobody forget we've got redistricting around the corner. There's no rest after the ledge is over. So my final words to Drew, to go raise some hell over those redistricting maps. Michelle, I think we're all ready to raise some hell or continue raising hell or whatever it is we do. It's also my pleasure to introduce now to Bear County Commissioner for Precinct 2, Justin Rodriguez, Commissioner. Thank you very much. Good evening, everybody. It's great to see such a great crowd here supporting our good friend Drew. And the weather kind of cooperated tonight. It's a little cooler, a little less humidity, which means, you know, I was right with the world. But, you know, I wanted to come first of all to acknowledge, of course, Drew's work and his friendship and his support. But I also want to take a moment to acknowledge the work of all of those who have been a part of MOVE. Stephen from the board, Alex, everybody who has worked day in and day out to make progress in our community. I think we owe all of them a big round of applause because we know the organization doesn't run itself, right? So thank you for your work. I was reminiscing with Hannah a few minutes ago, about 2015, when it was still known as MOVE in the USA. And she was making a pitch and I met with her at a Panera. We were fancy back then, right? And, you know, she just asked for support. She told me about what the organization was doing, what the dream was. And, you know, I think at the time I wrote her check for $100 to help out. I told her she should have asked for more. But to see the group, the organization grow from what it was back then to what it is now is, I think, beyond anybody's imagination. And the lives you've touched, the communities you've impacted, and the progress we've made in this state over those few years is incredible. So thank you for that. You know, Drew has been at the forefront of that since 2016. And I will tell you, that's when I was in the legislature. You know, as elected officials, oftentimes we don't admit that we have shortcomings. And I would admit we have shortcomings. And we rely on our constituents to push us to be better. That's the only way we can be better. Drew has been one of those folks who has pushed me to be better, particularly at the local level coming back home when I became county commissioner in 2019. We had this big responsibility for local elections. And Alex, you've been there as well, making sure that we are doing the right thing by our constituents. You all know it's not been easy. For those that don't know, we have a different system here. Elections administrator does not report to commissioners court. And so we've had to push and prod and do everything we can to make sure that we make as much progress as we can. Drew has been at the forefront of those conversations. When I thought maybe, hey, we've got enough here, Drew. He would say, how about this? And push me further. And I will tell you, Alex was there too. This last November election, the huge presidential election, we were pushing for, well, we can't get 24-hour sites, but maybe we can do this. And literally on the day of the vote, when we were approving the hours for the voting during that period, we were going to settle for the regular heat to heat. And I ended up making an amendment because of Drew and others to have the polls open till 10 p.m. The first time ever in Baird County, we were open till 10 p.m. Again, still not enough, but it was a baby step. It was a step in the right direction. Again, Drew has made that his life's work. And we know that the work will continue to the people that he has touched in this organization. I know Lalia, congratulations to you. She's going to do great work. We know that. Anna and Drew have made tremendous progress. Drew, this is days about you. I'm not going to read this whole thing, man, because we've got other speakers. But this is a proclamation that is signed by Judge Wolff, myself, and the other commissioners' court as a day of acknowledgement for claiming May 5, 2021 as Drew Galloway. So congratulations. Well, and I think I have the honor of introducing the next speaker. Is that right, Leslie? Okay. So we know that this was a huge election May 1. We're still, I think, celebrating the accomplishments of all of the progress we've made as a community over the last few years in no large part due to the leadership of our mayor who won a victorious 60... I'm going to run it at the 63%. It was around their significant mandate to continue. I've had the opportunity and privilege to work with the mayor on the COVID response. A few times Nelson will call me and say, I'm tired of doing this show every night. Will you fill in with me? And so I hang out with the mayor and do the COVID update. But it's my honor to introduce our mayor, Ron Nuremberg. Ron. Good evening, everybody. Drew, I came for you to really just recognize the accomplishments that you've had in your talk in San Antonio to say congratulations. Drew and I met many years ago. I think in my first council race. And it was very clear that we shared a common cause, a similar value, which is that we believe that if more people would turn out in local elections, you would end up with better results and better public policy. That it was our entire goal as a community, regardless of the political spectrum that you adhered to, that we needed to get more people out to vote at local elections. And that when you do that, the elected officials that represents you have to represent a broader swath of the community. And that would result in more representative public policy. That first race I ran in was, I think, 7% turnout. We all know what happened in this past election. And I think it's in no small part due to the work of Move Texas. Congratulations to the leadership of Move Texas. There's been many people that have come through this organization that have gone on to great things. And I think that that's probably the biggest testament to leadership in our community or anywhere else for that matter, is that you bring people behind you that take leadership positions. I see Hannah back here, Alex, all the folks who have been part of Move San Antonio and Move Texas over the years. Thank you for moving our city and our state forward. I will say that I join a lot of you in getting the feeling that when Move San Antonio declared that they were going to go move Texas, there was maybe a little bit too soon that they were biting off a lot. But I think that the results speak for themselves, don't they? Congratulations to Move Texas. We will be working with you. We will be working with you on the redistricting process to make sure that those are outcomes that best represent Texas, best represent the young people of this community, which we've always said will live longer with the consequences of public policy than anybody else. So again, to Move Texas, best wishes. Claudia, I look forward to meeting you and working with you. Drew, we are so excited and we are grateful here in San Antonio that you spent some time here getting our community's civic engagement engine running. Something that I think we all will benefit from for years to come. So congratulations, Drew. It's really a pleasure being able to introduce my two longtime friends of Justin and Ron. It's lovely to see where you are today and what you're doing for our community. Thank you both very, very much. It is really a pleasure. This is a long time coming. But to introduce the next speaker that will speak on behalf of the staff of Move Texas, Claudia Yolufana. I'm the first caller, the most of the speakers, no offense. But buenas noches, good evening. It's so nice to see everybody in person and in face after one long year of not being able to have these kinds of gatherings. But I'm so excited to be here and to talk a little bit about Drew. And I've had the pleasure and honor for the last four weeks of just spending a lot of time with Drew. Day in, day out. Together we've strategized, we brainstormed, and most importantly, cheese neamos. But when thinking about what I really wanted to say and the feeling that I wanted to convey on behalf of the team, I was thinking about the very first time I actually met Drew. It was in 2018, I had just moved to Austin from El Paso and was trying to really understand the ecosystem, the organizations that are serving young people in this great state. And I remember that we were meeting up for coffee. It was like 95 degrees outside and Drew walks in with a blazer and literally dressed up like he is right now. And doing what an executive director does so well, just representing this organization. And soon we start talking and he shares this collateral material with me. And I'm, of course, looking at all the stickers, looking at all the amazing impact at Move Texas. And I noticed that he wasn't even reading it. He was really just speaking in that moment from his heart. And sharing about the amazing trajectory and story of Move Texas. From coming, from being an organization started in a campus by a few passionate students who are seriously just looking to plug in and make an impact in their local election, to then becoming the statewide organization. And I remember in that moment feeling so energized and so truly passionate. And I think that feeling was truly what he was trying to convey. When he shared about his vision for Move Texas, this was 2018, right, in the middle of a midterm election. And I was just so inspired and so moved because quite frankly, what other organizations can say that they have that kind of story? Coming from a campus to now leading a statewide organization. And when I think about where Move Texas is going now and where we are even from that meeting in 2018. And as you mentioned, we have people at the Capitol day in, day out fighting for our right to vote. I think about the big fight right here in Texas. And when we share with urgency and with so much anger that we are the ground zero for the fight for our voting rights. I know that we as an organization could not be the player that we are. Had it not been for someone like Drew at the helm of this organization. Pleasure spending the last four weeks with you. Thank you for believing in me and thank you for all of your advice. And when we think about, you know, where we're going, I'm not only excited, but I'm also feeling really confident because I know that he's laid out such a beautiful and powerful foundation. And he's brought together truly a magical. It is my honor on behalf of the team to offer you with this gift that. And so it says el futuro está en tus manos. And as we think about the future, let's remember we are the largest, most diverse piece of the electorate. And we are the face of power in Texas. And we have you to thank for the day that our policies are going to be reflecting our values and that are elected beautiful diversity of the state. Thank you, Drew. Good afternoon. I knew that week four would be the hardest week of onboarding. And it's because of this moment. I'd like to ask Flavia and also can I say a few words. Thank you to all the speakers tonight for your kind words. And thank you for joining us here this afternoon, both in person. And for those who couldn't join us in person in San Antonio, those who are joined us online. Thank you to now cast for streaming this. This is one of the very first in person social distance events that move has posted in nearly a year since COVID made us all digital organizers. You know, I'm honored to be spending these final hours this week with each of you. So I want to tell you a little story about my interview. Every Texas, you know, I was in my final interview for Move San Antonio, the executive director role. And we were in the office and there was a large board table that maybe had, you know, 15 chairs around it. Hannah was there and all the board was there. And they were asking me like rapid fire questions of what would you do if this happened? What would you do if this happened? I think that what was your favorite curse word was one of them. And like what if you could dress up as any through. And but the last question was like when you leave, move Texas. What will you leave? And I remember that question and I remember sitting there for maybe 30 seconds and saying, we're going to be moved Texas. I saw all the eyes around the table like, oh, I screwed this question way up. This is an organization that focuses on local organizing. And I just said, like, you know, we're going to be statewide. But, you know, a couple days later, Hannah and Chris Stewart called me and offered me the role. So, you know, now as I sort of stand here and we are moved Texas, it gives me a tremendous amount of pride. The move staff knows especially how difficult events like this are for me. Because that's exactly why they wouldn't let me anywhere near the planning for it because I would have changed the location. You know, as Alex said, I really shy away from using the first person singular in nearly all aspects of the building. No one person can be responsible for the success of the community or the success of our friends, our family. But regardless of any of the niceties that the speakers say tonight, tonight is no exception. Move Texas would not be here today if it weren't for the hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of young people that have given their time to this organization. The last five years have been the joy of my life. Every day I've been fortunate to watch, support, coach, and scale the work of energetic, passionate young people building power across the state. And I've loved every minute of it, from winning polling locations on college campuses, to registering new voters, to hosting the largest national voter registration day event in the nation, to struggling to react to COVID, to stressing out about where the next check was going to come from, and to working beside the best dam organizers in the entire state. All the ups and downs, I loved every moment of it here. And together we've accomplished so much. We've expanded from one city to 11 cities. We've expanded from 10 campuses to over 70 campuses. Our team has gone from two full-time employees to 35 full-time staff, five part-time staff, and 15 youth fellows. We've developed thousands of youth leaders through our civic leadership program, our artist fellowship, and our volunteer programs. We've increased our organizational budget by 5,000 percent in the last five years. And we've registered over 120,000 young voters across the state. Actually this would have been possible without each one of you, so thank you. I must take a second and show my immense gratitude to the following groups of people who made Move Texas what it is in this moment. First, I recognize our communities. Young Texans from Laredo to Denton, from San Antonio to Houston, Young Texans made this organization. From UTSA to UT Arlington to University of Houston, they are the backbone of this organization. To all of our supporters, both in San Antonio, who believed in us early, to all of our supporters across the state, to all the donors who donated to us nationally, your gifts have powered our work. To our allies and champions, to candidates, socials, community leaders, and others who believed in the power of young people and who stood up for that power when it mattered, thank you. To our networks, to the Alliance for Youth Action, to our sister affiliates, other youth organizing groups across the nation, to New Leaders Council, to Leadership San Antonio, thank you. To our partners, to the Texas Organizing Project and Texas Civil Rights Project, who are the lawyers for us whenever we have to go fight for something. They protect me from the Attorney General. To Texas Rising, to Jolt, to Workers' Defense Project, to all of the movement organizations doing this work every single day, thank you. To the Move Texas Board of Directors who believed in me, who believed in our vision, who believed in our budget when we put it in front of them, thank you for believing in us and the power of young people. To the Move Texas alumni, so many who are here tonight who came through our programs but now work in political networks who work in City Hall, who work in County Commissioner's Court, who run campaigns. You are the embodiment of our vision and so thank you so much. And then finally, or second to finally, the staff. I have never worked with a more passionate, dedicated staff in my entire life. The amount of, you know, time that they dedicate to this organization is unfathomable. And it's because of their dedication that we are who we are. But I must thank first Mia, who... I know that there is this hour of executive manager and I would not be anywhere if it wasn't for her. She's the one that tells me to go take a walk or eat lunch or that kind of thing, so thank you, Mia. And then to Claudia and to Hannah, who has shown us the way from where we came from and is showing us the future. I'm proud to be a part of this small little cohort and see your vision come to life. And then finally to my family, to Martin, to Drew, to Graham, to Gretchen, who has supported me during every step of my journey at the Move. They've allowed me to miss dinner. They've allowed me to show up late to school events. They've allowed me to work the weekends and to focus on this work when it mattered most, and when people relied on us. And so thank you for your patience to me, patience to me, and promise, I promise to make it up to you over the next couple months. Even though I don't vacation well. So as I close out my time at Move, don't worry. I'm not going anywhere. I'll announce my next steps in the coming weeks, but I can rest assure you that together we will build progressive movement infrastructure together for our family, for our friends, and for our communities, and we will win. We will win. We will win, and we will win for all of them. So please support Move Texas right now with your time, with your talent, and with your treasure. So pull out your phone and donate. This incredible organization deserves all you can give it. I'll be right beside you starting on Friday afternoon, cheering them on for the way. So thank you for your support of me, your support of Move Texas, and for your belief in the power of Young Texans. We have hand sanitizer, flasks, wipes, but we've got the tissues. I want to thank you all for being here. This is really an important moment in the life of Move Texas, just Texas in general, and that was not a mistake of mine. Thank you all. Thank you and stay, have another drink, have some food. But before we let you go, what's a party without some cake? So we have a little going away, sing of the mile, like, here's to New Drew cake. So we're going to have you cut it. There's cupcakes for you all to take home, or have now, or whatever works. But again, thank you all for coming. We want to thank Nowcast San Antonio. We want to thank your good kind. And we want to thank Jaylen Events, who really put this all together, because Move Texas is not an event company. We're a youth civic organization. And that's what we do for ourselves. Thank you Casey. Thank you Jaylen. Please stay and enjoy yourselves.