Media & Press
Stephen Despin is a strategist, entrepreneur, writer, and longtime grassroots advocate whose work has intersected with public policy, political campaigns, criminal justice reform, digital organizing, and community engagement.
Over the years, his commentary and advocacy have appeared in or been connected with coverage from local, state, and national outlets. He has written opinion pieces for independent news publications, been quoted by reporters covering major policy debates, participated in public forums and press conferences, and worked alongside organizations and advocates from across the political spectrum.
His approach has remained remarkably consistent throughout that work: focus on the issue, defend individual liberty, look for common ground where it exists, and never assume that meaningful reform has to fit neatly inside a partisan box.
Featured Media & Appearances
New Mexico Qualified Immunity Reform Press Conference
Americans for Prosperity–New Mexico | March 2, 2021
During the debate over New Mexico’s landmark civil-rights legislation, Stephen joined an ideologically diverse group of advocates for a virtual press conference supporting reform of qualified immunity and House Bill 4.
The event included Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, co-founders of Ben & Jerry’s; New Mexico State Rep. Georgene Louis; Barron Jones of the ACLU of New Mexico; Diane Goldstein of Law Enforcement Action Partnership; Deborah Marez Baca of Moms Demand Action; Steve Lipscomb; Eric Griego; and other reform advocates.
Stephen participated as Grassroots Engagement Director for Americans for Prosperity–New Mexico, discussing why constitutional rights must come with meaningful mechanisms for accountability when those rights are violated.
The event reflected something Stephen had worked toward throughout the New Mexico criminal-justice reform effort: bringing people and organizations with very different political philosophies together around reforms they could agree upon.
Related coverage:
Americans for Prosperity — Ben & Jerry’s Co-Founders Join AFP-NM and Coalition to Support HB 4
Forbes Covers New Mexico’s Qualified Immunity Reform
Forbes | April 7, 2021
Following passage of the New Mexico Civil Rights Act, Forbes contributor Nick Sibilla covered New Mexico’s decision to prohibit qualified immunity as a defense against claims brought under the new state civil-rights law.
The article highlighted the unusually broad coalition supporting the legislation, including Americans for Prosperity, the ACLU, Institute for Justice, Innocence Project, National Police Accountability Project, and Ben & Jerry’s co-founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield.
Stephen’s grassroots work with Americans for Prosperity–New Mexico was part of the broader coalition effort surrounding the legislation.
Read:
New Mexico Bans Qualified Immunity for All Government Workers, Including Police — Forbes
Published Commentary
New Mexico Has Work to Do on Policing Reform
The Santa Fe New Mexican | August 14, 2020
By Stephen Despin and Barron Jones
Long before criminal-justice reform became one of New Mexico’s defining legislative debates, Stephen joined Barron Jones of the ACLU of New Mexico to make the case that police accountability did not have to be a partisan issue.
Representing organizations from very different ideological traditions, Despin and Jones argued that meaningful policing reform could simultaneously protect individual rights, strengthen public trust, and improve accountability.
The collaboration foreshadowed the broader coalition that would eventually support the New Mexico Civil Rights Act.
The article was later cited in national research examining law-enforcement accountability and civil-rights protections.
Read:
New Mexico Has Work to Do on Policing Reform — The Santa Fe New Mexican
Why a Minimum Wage Increase Is Bad for New Mexico
NMPolitics.net | September 5, 2018
By Stephen Despin
In this economic-policy commentary, Stephen examined New Mexico’s minimum-wage debate and made the case for addressing economic hardship through growth, opportunity, entrepreneurship, and a stronger competitive economy rather than relying solely on government wage mandates.
Read:
Why a Minimum Wage Increase Is Bad for New Mexico — NMPolitics.net
Erasing the Political Divide
NMPolitics.net | October 5, 2018
By Stephen Despin
Years before political polarization reached its current intensity, Stephen argued that Americans needed to rediscover something increasingly absent from national politics: community.
The piece challenged the idea that every disagreement requires a government solution or partisan battle and instead made the case for rebuilding relationships, strengthening local communities, and finding solutions together despite political differences.
That philosophy would later become a recurring theme throughout Stephen’s advocacy, writing, consulting, and public-policy work.
In the News
Sandoval County Right-to-Work Debate
New Mexico Political Report | November 3, 2017
Stephen was quoted by the New Mexico Political Report during the contentious debate over a proposed right-to-work ordinance in Sandoval County.
The debate drew organized labor, right-to-work advocates, elected officials, attorneys, and activists into a larger fight over whether local governments could establish right-to-work protections.
The coverage represents one of Stephen’s earliest currently archived media appearances involving New Mexico public policy.
Read:
Lawsuit Promised as Sandoval County Right-to-Work Effort Moves Forward — New Mexico Political Report
Criminal Justice & Civil Rights Reform
Building an Unlikely Coalition
Some of Stephen’s most significant advocacy work came from an effort that demonstrated just how powerful unlikely alliances can become.
During the push for civil-rights and qualified-immunity reform in New Mexico, organizations that rarely found themselves on the same side of major policy debates began working toward a common goal.
The coalition brought together voices associated with the political left, right, libertarian movement, criminal-justice reform community, civil-liberties organizations, law-enforcement accountability advocates, and grassroots activists.
Organizations involved in the broader reform effort included Americans for Prosperity, the ACLU of New Mexico, the Campaign to End Qualified Immunity, Institute for Justice, Innocence Project, Law Enforcement Action Partnership, and others.
Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield also became prominent national voices supporting the effort.
Stephen’s role centered heavily on grassroots engagement: building public support, mobilizing advocates, communicating the policy case for reform, and helping demonstrate that government accountability and constitutional rights should transcend political affiliation.
In April 2021, New Mexico enacted the New Mexico Civil Rights Act.
The legislation became part of a broader national conversation about qualified immunity, government accountability, policing, and the ability of citizens to seek remedies when government actors violate protected rights.
National Recognition of the Reform Effort
The New Mexico effort ultimately attracted attention far beyond the state.
Forbes covered passage of the legislation and the politically diverse coalition supporting reform.
The Campaign to End Qualified Immunity highlighted New Mexico as an important state-level development in the national effort to reform qualified immunity.
Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield discussed New Mexico’s progress while promoting qualified-immunity reform nationally.
The successful New Mexico campaign subsequently appeared in policy discussions, legal scholarship, civil-rights research, and national reporting surrounding government accountability.
Cited in National Policy Research
National Urban League / Akerman
Stephen’s policing-reform commentary with Barron Jones in The Santa Fe New Mexican was subsequently cited in national research examining law-enforcement accountability and officer bills of rights across the United States.
Cited work:
Stephen Despin & Barron Jones — New Mexico Has Work to Do on Policing Reform
Referenced by:
National Urban League / Akerman — Law Enforcement Accountability Research
For Stephen, that citation represents something more important than simply seeing his name in another publication. It demonstrates how ideas developed during state-level reform debates can become part of a much larger national policy conversation.
Press Conferences & Public Policy Appearances
Qualified Immunity Reform Press Conference
Americans for Prosperity–New Mexico | March 2021
Speaker during the New Mexico HB 4 press conference alongside Ben Cohen, Jerry Greenfield, elected officials, civil-liberties advocates, law-enforcement reform advocates, and members of the broader criminal-justice coalition.
New Mexico Civil Rights Commission
State of New Mexico | 2020
Participated in the public-policy process surrounding civil-rights reform as New Mexico examined government accountability, qualified immunity, and potential state-level civil-rights remedies.
Criminal Justice Reform Advocacy
New Mexico | 2019–2021
Represented Americans for Prosperity–New Mexico in public advocacy surrounding criminal-justice reform, occupational licensing, civil rights, government accountability, and related policy issues.
Republished & Syndicated Commentary
Stephen’s commentary has also been republished by the Liberty Alliance of Massachusetts, extending the reach of work originally written for Talk Policy to an independent third-party audience.
Selected republished articles include:
The Libertarian Solution: A Fresh Perspective for Young Americans in a Partisan World
Are We Witnessing a Rise in Authoritarianism in American Politics?
A Call for Educational Freedom: Limiting Government Involvement in Education
From Petty Crimes to Prison Time: The Impacts of Over Criminalization on Communities
The Role of Social Media in US Politics: Pros and Cons of Digital Democracy
The Dangers of Overreaching Government: Lessons from History
Inflation and Government: Why Cutting Spending Is the Only Solution
Small Businesses vs. Corporate Giants: How Regulations Create an Unfair Market
The Battle for Educational Freedom: Unpacking the Role of Teachers Unions
Areas of Commentary & Expertise
Stephen is available for interviews, commentary, podcasts, panels, speaking engagements, and other media opportunities involving:
Digital strategy and digital organizing • Grassroots advocacy • Political campaigns • Criminal justice reform • Civil liberties • Constitutional rights • Government accountability • Public policy • Political polarization • Coalition building • Entrepreneurship • Small business • Digital marketing • Community engagement
His professional experience combines something relatively uncommon: years of hands-on grassroots organizing and public-policy advocacy with entrepreneurship, digital communications, campaign strategy, and business consulting.
That experience allows him to discuss not only what happens in politics and public policy, but how movements are actually built, how digital platforms influence public opinion, how coalitions form, and how organizations translate ideas into action.
Media & Speaking Inquiries
Stephen welcomes opportunities to participate in thoughtful conversations about public policy, civil liberties, digital strategy, entrepreneurship, political reform, and the challenge of finding common ground in an increasingly divided country.
For interviews, podcasts, panels, speaking appearances, commentary, or other media inquiries, please get in touch through the website’s contact page.
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