Woodbury University. Photo: Alexis Doine, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Julius_Schulman_Institute_(Woodbury_University).jpg)
Gallery of Jodie Evans
Southwestern Law School. Photo: Jrkagan at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bullocks_Wilshire,_rear.jpg)
Southwestern Law School. Photo: Jrkagan at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bullocks_Wilshire,_rear.jpg)
Jodie Evans is an American political activist, author, and documentary producer. She served in Governor Jerry Brown's administration, managed his 1992 presidential campaign, co-founded Codepink, and helped produce films and books addressing war, media, environmental destruction, and social justice.
Background
Evans was born on September 22, 1954, in Las Vegas, Nevada, and was raised there. Her early activism developed while she worked as a hotel maid and joined coworkers campaigning for a living wage. She later recalled that this labor organizing experience shaped her understanding of collective action.
Evans has also described spending part of her youth on her great-grandfather's farm in the Missouri Ozarks. Her later advocacy combined labor and social-justice organizing with environmental concerns, peace work, and support for women's rights.
Education
Evans received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Woodbury University in 1975 and continued postgraduate study there from 1975 to 1977. Woodbury, founded in Los Angeles in 1884, developed as a private institution offering professional education in business, design, and related fields; its later Burbank campus became part of the university's modern educational identity.
She pursued postgraduate study at Southwestern University School of Law from 1977 to 1978. Southwestern, founded in 1911 in Los Angeles, is a private law school known for professional legal education in Southern California.
Evans began political and social-justice organizing in the early 1970s. As a teenager working in a Las Vegas hotel, she joined a campaign for a living wage and subsequently volunteered in George McGovern's 1972 presidential campaign.
From 1975 to 1983, Evans served in the administration of California Governor Jerry Brown, including as director of administration. Brown's first gubernatorial administration, which ran from 1975 to 1983, became associated with environmental policy, alternative energy, and a reform-oriented approach to state government. Evans later managed Brown's 1992 campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination; the campaign emphasized campaign-finance reform and grassroots political organizing.
Evans became a leading peace and social-justice organizer in the period surrounding the Iraq War. In 2002 she co-founded Codepink: Women for Peace, a women-led movement opposing war and promoting diplomacy, nonviolent action, and citizen participation. She organized or joined peace delegations to places including Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Jordan, and the Gaza Strip, and participated in public protests concerning U.S. military policy, Israeli occupation, and the influence of wealthy political donors.
Her activism also extended into environmental and community-based economic work. She has supported local agriculture, regenerative farming, slow-food and slow-money initiatives, and campaigns connected with climate justice. In 2019 California Governor Jerry Brown appointed her to the California Arts Council, where she served a term beginning in January 2019 and ending in January 2023.
Evans has worked as a documentary producer and executive producer. Her film credits include Stripped and Teased: Tales from Las Vegas Women, The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers, The People Speak, The Square, This Changes Everything, The Brainwashing of My Dad, and Shadow World. These films address war, political power, media influence, social movements, and environmental crisis.
Achievements
Co-founded CODEPINK: Women for Peace in 2002, helping develop a women-led peace movement that used nonviolent protest, citizen diplomacy, and public education to oppose war and military intervention.
Managed Jerry Brown's 1992 campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, a campaign that emphasized campaign-finance reform and grassroots political participation.
Produced and executive-produced documentary films addressing war, political power, media influence, environmental crisis, and social movements, including The Most Dangerous Man in America, The Square, and This Changes Everything.
Helped establish and support civic, environmental, educational, and community organizations, including 826LA and the World Festival of Sacred Music.
(An edited collection examining the U.S. occupation of Ira...)
2004
Politics
Evans's political work has been associated with progressive Democratic campaigning and with The People. Her political outlook has centered on peace activism, environmental protection, women's rights, campaign-finance reform, and opposition to military intervention.
She entered political organizing as a young supporter of George McGovern and later served in California Governor Jerry Brown's administration. In 1992 she managed Brown's presidential campaign, which emphasized campaign-finance reform and opposition to the influence of private money in politics. Her later work with CODEPINK placed these concerns within a broader movement for nonviolent action, diplomacy, and social justice.
Views
Evans's public philosophy centers on nonviolent conflict resolution, participatory democracy, and the belief that social change can be advanced through organized communities rather than reliance on established power. Her activism links peace and environmental issues by treating militarism, resource extraction, climate damage, and economic inequality as interconnected features of a war economy.
She has also advocated building local peace economies through regenerative agriculture, community investment, and divestment from industries associated with war and extraction. Her political writing and film work present citizen diplomacy, grassroots organizing, and creative direct action as practical instruments for democratic change.
Membership
Evans has served on the boards of organizations concerned with women's rights, peace, environmental protection, public health, education, media, and social justice. Her documented board and committee work includes the Women's Political Committee, Women's Campaign Fund, People for Parks, Sand County Venture Fund, American Friends of the Israel Museum, the Hereditary Disease Foundation, the Women's Media Center, Codepink, Rainforest Action Network, Drug Policy Alliance, Institute for Policy Studies, 826LA, Global Girl Media, the Sisterhood Is Global Institute, and related civic organizations.
These organizations represent several overlapping traditions of American civic action: electoral participation, environmental advocacy, humanitarian work, public-interest research, independent media, and grassroots organizing. Evans's board service connected her campaign experience with nonprofit institutional work.
Board member
Women's Political Committee
,
United States of America
1982 - present
Board member
Women's Campaign Fund
,
United States of America
1983 - present
Board director and treasurer
Hereditary Disease Foundation
,
United States of America
1985 - present
Board member
American Friends of the Israel Museum
,
United States of America
1987 - present
Board member
People for Parks
,
United States of America
1989 - present
Board member
Sand County Venture Fund
,
United States of America
1989 - present
Board chair
Women's Media Center
,
United States of America
Board chair
Rainforest Action Network
,
United States of America
Board member
Drug Policy Alliance
,
United States of America
Board member
Institute for Policy Studies
,
United States of America
Co-founder and board member
826LA
,
United States of America
Board member
Global Girl Media
,
United States of America
Board member
Sisterhood Is Global Institute
,
United States of America
Personality
Evans has been described by interviewers and colleagues as energetic, persistent, and highly active in public organizing. Her own interviews emphasize optimism, nonviolent action, coalition-building, and the use of creative protest to engage people in political causes.
Quotes from others about the person
In interviews, Evans has described organizing as a way to help people recognize their collective power and has emphasized modeling constructive alternatives to militarism and political violence.
Interests
Regenerative agriculture, gardening, local food systems, slow food, slow money, peace education, documentary film, and creative nonviolent action.
Politicians
Jerry Brown; George McGovern
Writers
Howard Zinn
Connections
Evans was married to Jan Krajewski; the marriage ended in divorce in 1985. She married computer entrepreneur and philanthropist Max Palevsky on February 28, 1987; Palevsky died in 2010.
She has children named Jasiu, Lala, and Matthew Evans. Her parents were Chuck Evans Folkman and Donna (Sexsmith) Folkman.
Father:
Chuck Evans Folkman
Mother:
Donna (Sexsmith) Folkman
child:
Matthew Evans
child:
Jasiu Evans
child:
Lala Evans
husband:
Max Palevsky
Computer entrepreneur and philanthropist.
husband:
Jan Krajewski
References
CODEPINK biography of Jodie Evans
Documents Evans's activism, co-founding of CODEPINK, service in Jerry Brown's administration, presidential campaign management, books, documentary production, and board service.
CODEPINK extended biography of Jodie Evans
Describes Evans's environmental and peace activism, international delegations, documentary work, co-founding of 826LA, and book-editing projects.
An Interview with Jodie Evans
Provides Evans's account of her early labor organizing, antiwar activism, CODEPINK, campaign work, and political views.
