MAPE’s Political Council welcomes Nicole Juan as new Chair

Nicole Juan, a member of the Political Council even before it was formerly called by that name, is the Council’s new Chair. She joined the Council’s predecessor, the Government Relations Committee, when she first joined state service a decade ago. She is a fourth-generation union member and said she “was so excited to finally be able to join a union” when she joined MAPE.  

Juan, the legislative coordinator at the Department of Human Services (DHS), was doing nonprofit political advocacy work before coming to the state “I saw working with the Government Relations Committee and the Political Council as a way to use both my passion and my skill set. I also wanted to do legislative advocacy with MAPE. One thing I really like about the Political Council’s focus is to help educate and explain the nuances of the political process to members who aren’t involved in it day-to-day because so much of our work is political, whether we think about it that way or not,” Juan said.     

“We’re state workers so by the nature of our jobs, they’re political. It’s important that we show up in those spaces and are educated and organized. We are the experts in the work we do and why it’s important for the state. It is important that we use our voices and expertise to make sure elected officials learn from us and support the agency budgets we deserve to make Minnesota work,” she added.  

The Political Council focuses on political education, MAPE’s legislative platform and priorities and the legislative session. One of the Council’s largest activities is hosting Lobby Day at the Capitol and activating members to attend on March 6. Please register by Feb. 21 if you’re planning to attend. 

“MAPE’s Political Action Committee (PAC) focuses on candidate-specific activities and endorses and screens candidates, and the Political Council holds them accountable through our legislative work once elected,” Juan said.  

She has been active with MAPE since 2015 and is a steward with Local 2101, served on the Management Labor Committee for the Paid Parental Leave campaign and is now the outgoing vice chair of the PAC.   

“The importance of workers coming together to build power is how we create better conditions for everyone. That goes both for those of us working for the State and it also lifts up standards for everyone that calls Minnesota home,” Juan said. 

Juan and her husband Ian, and their dogs Maeby and Murphy, live in South Minneapolis. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, camping and reading. “Those are my big three non-legislative session activities. When the session is over, I go hide in the woods. Another bonus is there is usually no cell service,” she joked.