In 2005, Jass Stewart ran a highly touted campaign for mayor of Brockton. As a first-time candidate, he earned 44 percent of the vote and increased voter turnout by 19 percent. “We created a strong movement for change in Brockton,” Stewart explains. “People who’ve never been involved in the political process volunteered, contributed money, and voted. And many traditional voters voted for change.”

Jass Stewart ran on a 5-point plan of accountability, jobs, education, safety, and ownership.

As a part of this movement of change, Jass Stewart founded the New Leadership Fund (NLF) in 2006 with other concerned citizens in Brockton. NLF is a cross-partisan community action committee created to support highly qualified leaders at all levels of government through training, funding, and media access.

In less than a year, NLF proved itself as a force for change in Brockton. What began as a small, committed group of citizens willing to act on their concerns to make Brockton politics more inclusive, transparent, and accountable has grown into an organization that endorsed and, more importantly, became deeply involved in helping to mount the unprecedented grassroots campaign that led to Deval Patrick's decisive victory in the Massachusetts governor's race. The organization continues to work to identify new political leaders at the local level.

Jass Stewart was born in Dallas, Texas on March 13, 1971. A graduate of Boston University, Stewart earned a Bachelor of Science in Communications and Literature and a Master's degree in Educational Media. He also studied at MIT as a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning.

But even before Jass Stewart moved to Massachusetts for college, he sharpened his skill for communicating ideas and inspiring others during his high school years at the Business Management Center in Dallas. At this magnet high school for gifted students, he was the senior class commencement speaker and an active leader in many extracurricular activities.

Since his college graduation, Jass Stewart has excelled in a wide field of professional work. He has served in key media outreach positions for major multimillion-dollar national and international media outreach efforts since 1994, including Hopes on the Horizon: Africa in the 1990s, I'll Make Me a World: A Century of African-American Arts, and BreakThrough: The Changing Face of Science in America. In addition to being one of the youngest executives in the history of Blackside (producers of the public television series Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years), Stewart also taught classes in two adjunct professorships at Boston University.

Jass Stewart cites the culture, progressive political environment, and sense of community as reasons for his permanent move to Massachusetts. Yet, his decision to move to Brockton was an even more personal one. After thriving in the bustle of the greater Boston area for 10 years, Brockton's small-town charm, convenient location, and incredible potential for a prosperous business and family life attracted him to the city in 1999.

"It's one of the best decisions I've ever made," he says. "The world is so transient these days. It's good to be able to live in a city that my family and I can call our home."

Also in 1999, Jass Stewart founded Invent Media Corp., a multimedia production company located in Brockton. He continues to consult for Invent Media on a number of projects. Currently, he’s the national director for The Big Picture Company in Providence, RI.

Jass Stewart remains committed to contributing to the civic and social life of Brockton. He currently serves on the board of the Boys and Girls Club of Brockton and the Center for the Advancement of Science Exploration at Bridgewater State College. Stewart also served on the boards of Brockton Neighbors United, the Brockton Telecommunications Commission, the Mayor's Taskforce on After-School Programs, Neighborhood Crime Watch, and the Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs. In addition, he maintains close ties to several organizations in the greater Boston area.

Jass Stewart's extensive travels have given him a broadened perspective for and greater appreciation of life at home. He has traveled to most parts of Western Europe and Southeast Asia, and has visited Ghana, Morocco, Canada, and Mexico. He has moderate working knowledge of Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Japanese.

Jass Stewart lives on Clyde Street on the north side of Brockton with his partner, Denzil Paul, and their adopted son, Jajuan. During his downtime, Stewart enjoys traveling with his family, distance running, reading, swimming, floor hockey, writing, football, and rollerblading.