About Us

Vote Lead Impact
Our Story
VLI Founder Krysta Jones started the organization after writing her Master’s thesis on the lack of Black congresspeople in Virginia.



Since Reconstruction, Virginia has sent only two Blacks to Congress, Representative Bobby Scott (D-VA), who represents the 3rd congressional district, and Representative Don McEachin (D-VA) who represents the 4th congressional district. Ms. Jones concluded that in order to increase the number of Black elected office a number of steps had to be taken including providing training to Black Virginians interested in politics and providing information through a network of organizations in the Black community that focus on political empowerment.

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Virginia Leadership Institute was created in 2006 with the specific goal of increasing the number of Black elected officials to 500 by 2026. Since that time we have impacted over 400 people and expanded our mission to include increasing the number Black appointed officials and the number enrolled in leadership development programs. VLI, now "Vote Lead Impact", has conducted a number of programs and events into our agenda with the goal of diversifying the voices at the political table, resulting in better public policy for us all.