NJ Ugwa

NJ Ugwa is a Dallas, Texas native and graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where she earned her B.A. in Government with a minor in Law, Justice, and Society. During college, she was an active leader in the NAACP, the National Black Law Students Association, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. She began her career on Capitol Hill as a Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Intern before joining Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s office as an Executive Assistant. NJ now serves as a Legislative Correspondent for Senator Elizabeth Warren, working on corruption, ethics, judiciary, and oversight policy. Her portfolio includes contributing to legislation aimed at curbing unethical behavior in government and reining in nefarious corporate influence, particularly through private equity. Outside her congressional work, NJ has built a platform where she breaks down legislative reforms and demystifies policymaking. She also hosts NJ and Friends, a podcast spotlighting political professionals and the realities of navigating political spaces.

ABOUT WELEAD

Now in its 20th year, our non-partisan WeLead program successfully positions young professional women to run for office or lead a political campaign. Our 665+ alums work in the halls of Congress, campaign war rooms, K Street offices, state legislatures, city councils and corporate boardrooms across the country. The emerging leaders in the class of WeLead2026 hope to expand their influence in a political or professional leadership role. They have already worked with top political practitioners, expert speakers, and leadership coaches on how, why and when to run for office, and will start raising money for the program in December as part of the WeLead Fundraising Challenge. Through the support of your generous tax-deductible contributions, we are proud to be able to offer this program at no cost to the participants. We are also most grateful for the WeLead alum network that continues to mentor and inspire each new class to close the gender gap in political leadership.