Meet Maggie Chambers | Executive Director, Emerge Georgia

We had the good fortune of connecting with Maggie Chambers and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maggie, what is the most important factor behind your success?
The most important part of my success, as well as my organization’s success, is connecting with and seeking partnership with other people – otherwise known as networking! Throughout my career, both before and now at Emerge, my best opportunities have always come about through my relationships and willingness to ask for help with my professional goals.

In my work with Emerge Georgia, these partnerships are truly essential for how we can do our work well. I want my candidates to deeply understand the perspectives of people across Georgia’s political sector, especially as their goal is to build relationships from all kinds of voters. While I myself am definitely not an expert in all facets of running a strong campaign, I am able to reach out and build relationships with those experts who are willing to share knowledge with my candidates. Our partnerships are the root of all of our success – from recruiting candidates, to supporting candidates out on the campaign trail, to helping new electeds once they’re on the job.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My career has been an interesting and fulfilling one, so far! The throughline has always been an interest in and passion for state and local policy work. One of my first jobs out of college was working as a special assistant in the Virginia governor’s office, where I learned a lot about everything from how state budgets work to how to communicate well with elected officials. After the governor’s term ended, I took a big risk and moved to Georgia without a job lined up, but with a lot of excitement for living somewhere new and finding a new way to make a difference. I ended up working for Stacey Abrams’ 2018 campaign, which gave me an intensive masterclass on all of the forces that have shaped Georgia Democrats so far, and the long way we have to go to pass policies like Medicaid expansion that benefit all Georgians. In 2020 and 2021, I was the Communications Director for the Democratic Party of Georgia – it was an exciting time to be a Georgia Democrat, and while working with many state and local elected officials in my DPG capacity, I really got a good view of the forces and people that helped elect President Biden and our incredible Senators, and also the work that still needed to be done to help make sure they had strong Democrats leading at the state house. It was that need that brought me to my current job, where I spend every day working to train and recruit more great women and nonbinary candidates to run for state and local office, and make a difference in their communities. When I first applied to my job at Emerge, I was so inspired by the women I knew who had been through Emerge trainings and blazed trails in my home state of Virginia. Now, with almost three years and over 70 candidates trained by Emerge Georgia, I spend every day being energized by the great work of the women and nonbinary folks who are fighting for their community.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned in my career so far is just how much relationships and getting to know people as people matters. It’s not always easy, especially in this field, but for me, the people I’m able to build a genuine relationship with are the folks I keep going back to as we progress in our careers together. I now know enough to know I never know enough, and I’m so grateful to be in a job where I can always reach back out to former colleagues and contacts for advice and insight on how to help the next generation of leaders.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
For breakfasts, I always would start a staycation with a breakfast visit to Poco Loco for the world’s best breakfast burritos – I am a regular, and love trying their burrito of the week to start my weekend. I also can never resist a morning visit to EAV, whether for a fried egg sandwich at Emerald City Bagels or for a chicken patty and a matcha at Hodgepodge Coffee.

There are so many good places to eat around Atlanta! Banshee is a fancier favorite, but honestly, their little cousin Bona Fide is a really good stop for a delicious sandwich that will give you good leftovers. I’m also a big fan of Pollo Primo – they do chicken really, really well, and it’s one of my favorite lunches in Atlanta.

For an adventure, I really love exploring the nature around Atlanta! If it’s summer or fall, I’d hit up Sweetwater Creek State Park for some foliage and beautiful waterfalls, and in the winter and spring, I like climbing Arabia Mountain for a great view of the city and good birdwatching. If I feel like being a little closer to home, one of my favorite activities lately has been to get some new craft supplies at Melanated Fabrics or The Craftivist, followed by a walk along the Beltline for people watching and a stop or two.

I’ve also been really loving exploring more of the Atlanta arts and comedy scene! There’s a really cool art exhibit called Threads of Justice at the Distillery of Modern Art in Chamblee – it’s put on by Asian American Advocacy Fund, who do incredible work. I also sometimes go with my partner to improv at Dad’s Garage, which is always fun! But to be honest, my favorite evening activity recently has been getting a drink at Bob and Harriet’s Home Bar in my neighborhood, especially to listen to Saturday karaoke – it’s always a fun night!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many people I want to give a shoutout to! Thinking back to my early career in Virginia, I owe so much gratitude to my early mentors and bosses, all of whom were strong women who showed me how to make a presence for myself in a room and have confidence asking thoughtful questions and analyzing the problems in front of us. I am also incredibly grateful to my mentors from the Democratic Party of Georgia, who helped me level up my career and switch gears into political communications, and giving me the tools and trust to guide our communications policy. While my work at the DPG was incredibly stressful at times (the 2020 + 2021 campaign cycles will do that to you!), the opportunity to work with and learn from so many brilliant people across our state still informs my work now. Furthermore, it was my bosses at that job, Tracey Lewis and Scott Hogan, who encouraged me to step up again into my work at Emerge.
The last folks I have to give a shoutout to is the entire Emerge Georgia network. Every single day at Emerge, I am amazed at how powerfully Emerge alums show up for each other, and that has absolutely been true for me as well. Emerge alums are doing incredible work across the state, but no matter how busy they are, I know I can ask and receive help when we need it. That community helps lift me up when I need it, and I absolutely love that my time at work is spent bringing new people into the network who are here to help Georgia and each other.

Website: emergega.org

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emerge_ga/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggie-chambers-04617594/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mf_chambers

Image Credits
P. Villa Photo