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Hey John -
Thank you to all who submitted candidate statements for the 2021 Executive Board. This organization is great due to its wonderful members as well as its dedicated leadership. We look forward to seeing what the next Executive Board and membership will bring.
Below are the candidate statements for the AYD members running for the 2021 Executive Board. All candidate statements were submitted by 11:59 PM EST on November 20th and all have been verified as dues-paying members. Before we get into the statements, a few reminders:
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You must be a dues paying member of AYD to vote in our elections. Renew your membership and pay your dues here. Should you request dues to be waived for financial hardship, email me at [email protected].
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Elections will take place on Tuesday, November 24th at 7:00 PM EST on Zoom. Sign up to attend here.
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Absentee Voting: If you cannot attend the meeting on November 24th and would like to vote, email [email protected] to receive an absentee ballot.
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Interested in AYD leadership next year? We still have several appointed positions up for grabs as well as many caucus chair positions available (email to come post-elections).
President
Matt Royer
We have been through it this year, no doubt about it. But we are coming out stronger and our movement is coming out stronger after the past 4 years. However, after we come down from this high and our next president is sworn in, we need to continue to work on the issues that we have been working on and continuing to deliver for the Commonwealth of Virginia and for the Democratic Party.
It has been an honor of mine to serve you all over the past 4 years in Arlington Young Democrats as a caucus chair, a member of the digital team, your Campaigns Director, and now your Vice President. In that same sense, I am pleased to announce that I will be running to be AYD President for 2021.
As I see it, we have 3 main objectives for next year.
Utilizing our newly founded D&I director. We have seen what happens when there is not fair and equal representation in every aspect of society. We must continue to be the change we want to see. We should be the leaders in Virginia Young Dems, in the county, and in our country for inclusiveness. It is not enough to invite people in. We have to make sure that they feel engaged.
We must organize and engage more proactively in the legislative process. I call back to the quote, “Decisions are made by those who show up.” We work hard, day in and day out to elect people to represent our community, to represent our values. It is then on us to go to them and hold them accountable. Campaigns are just the first step. Legislation is where the changes are actually made.
We must expand Democratic control in the House of Delegates and we must elect true progressive Democrats to be Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General. Without this, none of our most important issues will be acted on.
We cannot accomplish any of this unless we do it together. We may have differences on some issues. We may come from different backgrounds. However, we are united over more than we are divided on. And I can promise you that I will be there with you every step of the way. I promise to hear you out and engage with you, because no one person can do this alone. Because the voices of the people are what make us strong and the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
I am not the type of leader to delegate. I will get down in the trenches with you every time and get my hands dirty to get work done. There is a lot that goes into this work that isn’t glamorous and isn’t in the public view. As they say, “hard work is hard.” But you know what? I love this. And if I am humbled to be elected by you, I will keep working until it's done.
I hope to earn your vote to be AYD President.
Vice President
Sacha Brenac
I am Sacha Brenac and I am running to be the next Vice-President of the Arlington Young Democrats. I have been a proud active member of AYD since the 2016 election, chairing the Civil Rights Caucus and sitting as Programming Director. As Outreach Director from 2018-2019, I completely overhauled and energized the Issue Caucus System, engaging with non-Executive Board members and creating a pipeline to leadership.
I have also sought to lead AYD’s ideological journey from a millennial social club to a progressive political force in Northern Virginia by authoring key progressive resolutions. I helped establish a new Diversity & Inclusion Committee by helping author the Constitutional Amendment that codifies an anti-racist agenda into the very structure of AYD.
Next year is going to be a big year for us. We may have won the White House, but the fight for democracy is unending. With a big win there always comes the inevitable decline in voter and activist enthusiasm. AYD must be prepared to resist that entropy and maintain our success. I am committed to build up our organization by maintaining the leadership pipeline from the General Membership through the Caucuses to the Executive Board. I am prepared to engage members in applying pressure to politicians here in Arlington and in Richmond to adopt the bold progressive reforms that Virginia needs.
I believe I have the experience and drive necessary to excel in this position and help lead the passionate progressives of AYD to a victorious 2021 and beyond.
Secretary
Tenley O'Hara
My name is Tenley O’Hara and I am running for AYD Secretary. I joined AYD two years ago while serving as a communications associate for Matt de Ferranti’s successful campaign for Arlington County Board. This organization’s sense of community and commitment to democratic values led me to apply for AYD Digital Director, where I have served almost daily these past two years.
In 2020, I was on the AYD Communications Committee where we brainstormed ways to engage our audience, increase diversity and inclusion, and tighten the editing process for the weekly newsletter. One of the major roles as secretary is creating this newsletter and I have been closely involved with editing and filling in as a substitute when necessary. I am confident that I can fulfill this task and maintain a high level of communication with our membership.
Another responsibility as secretary involves recording minutes at executive board meetings. I have experience taking notes from work and plan to include tagged tasks to ease information access. The secretary also chairs the communications committee, therefore I could easily provide guidance to the incoming digital director and help maintain aligned messaging. Digital communication became increasingly important this year due to COVID-19 and I plan to continue making sure information is disseminated efficiently and accurately.
If elected AYD Secretary, I am committed to furthering digital engagement, maintaining diversity and inclusion, easing information access, and ensuring our communications are accurate, aligned, and timely.
I hope to earn your vote November 24th!
Treasurer
Phil Kattato
I am re-applying for the position of Treasurer because I would like continue to take on serious responsibility to help advance the goals of Arlington Young Democrats, and on a larger scale, the Virginia Democratic Party. If I am re-elected Treasurer, I pledge to carry out my responsibilities faithfully and with the diligence and ethics expected of me. I understand that failure to carry out my role could result in violation of federal election laws that could severely damage the integrity of our organization. I request your support for this role and I won't let you down.
Campaigns Director
Navneet K Sandhu
I recently moved to Arlington and have been interested in getting involved with the Arlington Young Democrats. I have prior experience in community organizing and working for political campaigns.
In 2016, I worked for the Hillary Clinton for America Campaign as a field organizer. I was responsible for coordinating the Democratic Presidential, Congressional and State campaigns. Additionally, I was responsible for leading and organizing voter registration drives, phone banking and canvassing. I managed over 100 volunteers, including former Republicans, in the third largest county of Pennsylvania. One of my priorities as a field organizer was focusing on community outreach and mobilizing first time voters.
I have continued to volunteer for political campaigns during the last midterm election and this past general election. I participated in several phone banks during this general election, focusing on South Asian community outreach. Also, since moving to Arlington, I have been working closely with the local community by serving on the Impact Committee for N Street Village, which is the largest women’s shelter in the DC Metro Area.
Working with the community during the Clinton campaign has been one of my most cherished experiences and I hope to get involved politically with my local community. Because I work in the federal service, the best way for me to pursue my political ambitions and utilize my skillset is to work with the local Democratic party alongside other young professionals!
Membership Director
Annie Styles
First of all, I want to say how grateful I am for the camaraderie, support, and achievements of the 2020 e-board. Their example has taught us that AYD builds lasting relationships that change once-set paths and power movements; thank you all for your inspiring work.
I'm running for Membership Director because even as the pandemic hits Arlington harder than ever and keeps us from gathering, we must always continue to grow.
My four goals in this role are to streamline our existing successful systems, explore new digital outreach methods, find innovative ways to communicate the value we provide for our members, and build a transition plan to prepare for (fingers crossed!) safe in-person recruitment and retention opportunities after vaccine distribution later in 2021.
I have experience in both digital and in-person outreach to recruit and develop members. My education, in both marketing and democratic process management, comes from experience with incredible teams in global tech startups, a DC museum, and recently our County's Board of Elections during the general.
If we haven't met yet, I'm proudest to tell you this about me, over any metric I could give: Every team I’ve worked with has praised my capacity for heart under high pressure. Though we're young, by now I think we all unfortunately know what it's like to work through times of such deep stress it hurts. I promise to always cultivate our team with grace, empathy, and only the dankest Lord of the Rings memes.
Thank you, and happy voting!
Diversity and Inclusion Director
Maya C Jones
As a strong advocate for human and voting rights I have spent my term as secretary advocating for inclusive communications and holding the board accountable for creating an environment where all people feel empowered. I was appointed and served as the active Diversity and Inclusion Chair throughout 2020. I also worked on and advocated for the amendment that created the Diversity and Inclusion Chair. In my term I plan to continue advocating for inclusion and equity events. Further, I will provide a plan to increase access and support members of diverse backgrounds. My plan includes the development of equity events, outreach to underrepresented communities, and resolutions that push the county to take action to rectify the gaps in wealth, education, and policing we see in Arlington. I will couple that by building a relationship with ArlDems to ensure help to provide joint events and capacity for inclusion. Further, I will use my vote to advance social justice issues always taking a lens of equity to ensure we continue to move the organization forward. 2020 was a great step forward, but we will need to fight to make this world a better place. My tenure would provide the knowledge and advocacy needed to help AYD live up to its moral values.
Political Director
Adam Chaikof
I’m running for AYD Political Director because I have the necessary experience and vision to help make AYD into a major political player both during and between elections!
During my time in AYD, I successfully revived the once moribund Commerce, Labor, Technology, and Finance Caucus by forging close ties with local unions and passing multiple resolutions on important labor issues facing Virginia and the country at large. To replicate this success across AYD, my first act as Political Director will be to individually meet with each of the caucus chairs and devise a strategy for reaching out and forging close ties with like-minded progressive groups in Arlington and the Greater DC area on the whole. The ultimate goal of this is to have our caucus chairs serve as AYD’s ambassadors to every corner of the progressive community so we can better understand their goals and how we can best serve them.
I also pledge to hold virtual summits with all of the caucus chairs at least once every other month so we can brainstorm about how to improve caucus outreach, member engagement, and opportunities for cross-caucus collaboration.
Rachel Locke
Hi everyone! I’m excited to put my name forth for the newly created Political Director position, which focuses on political activity for AYD and supporting caucus activities. I’ve been a co-chair of the Health, Environment and Education (HEE) Caucus for the past two years, and am now eager to step into more of a leadership role on our AYD Executive Board. With everything 2020 has thrown at us so far, the usual activities of AYD have had to shift while still working towards our goals of electing Democrats and supporting our AYD members and Arlington community. In this position, I would work to support our caucus chairs and caucus members in this new landscape and focus on hearing from you all what types of activities and support is most needed. I’ve experienced both successes and challenges being in the caucus chair role, and if elected to be Political Director would use that experience to continue to improve the processes, activities and outcomes of our caucuses to be as impactful as possible. I would also work with other members of the Executive Board to build on our successes from these past few months with our political activities and outreach in the COVID-19 environment, and plan for 2021, assuming that we all make it through this whirlwind that is 2020.
Community Service Director
Shivani Saboo
My name is Shivani, and I am running for Community Service Director.
I just graduated from the University of Virginia with an engineering degree in computer science. I currently work as a technical consultant in the federal contracting space. I am a lifelong resident of the area, and I LOVE giving back to my community.
Community service has always been an integral part of my life both while at college and locally at home. I did Girl Scouts for 12 years in the Arlington area, which allowed me to do all sorts of service work across various fields - tutoring, park clean up, homeless shelters, food kitchen, animal shelters, senior centers, etc. I now also work administratively for Girl Scouts to ~organize~ volunteer opportunities for troops in the area. My work with Scouts has given me access to a vast network of diverse volunteer opportunities and service initiatives in the area. This experience and network would also allow me to organize service opportunities for AYD with smaller niche volunteer groups more specific to our community AND with groups with big national chapters.
I have also held various leadership positions in similar organizations - I was the Service Chair and subsequently the President of the Indian Student Association, Vice Chair for the Asian Leaders Council, and Chair for the Student Council at UVA.
I believe my previous leadership skills, my in-depth knowledge of the area, and my desire to give back to this wonderful community make me an excellent fit for this position!
Party Representative
Michael Hemminger
I’m running for the position of Democratic Party Representative. I would like to pursue this role to continue to champion the mission of young democrats across the county. We know that so much of our own future relies on the decisions that others are making for us. Young voices are no longer the voice of the future, but the voice of right here and right now. We have incredible talent in YD, and we must ensure our voice is heard at the table. If re-elected, I hope to elevate, recognize and mentor aspiring young leaders from all walks of life that want to learn more about county politics.
As a previous membership co-chair of the Arlington Dems, it was my true pleasure serving the community and democratic party of Arlington as a voting member of the Steering Committee. I have attended all of these meetings in recent recent years and have developed key partnerships, alliances and deep relationships. I have had the opportunity to learn the intricate details of what makes politics in Arlington so successful.
I believe that it is those experiences that have provided me with the needed skillset to celebrate young voices and initiatives. I hope to strengthen the ties between Young Dems and the Arlington Dems with a focus on inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility for all.
In my role as Party Rep I have demonstrated my ability to welcome and elevate young, diverse voices in party leadership. I hope to continue this work for you next year. Thank you for your consideration.
As a reminder:
- You must be a dues paying member of AYD to vote in our elections. Renew your membership and pay your dues here. Should you request dues to be waived for financial hardship, email me at [email protected].
- Elections will take place on Tuesday, November 24th at 7:00 PM EST on Zoom. Sign up to attend here.
- Absentee Voting: If you cannot attend the meeting on November 24th and would like to vote, email [email protected] to receive an absentee ballot.
- Interested in AYD leadership next year? We still have several appointed positions up for grabs as well as many caucus chair positions available (email to come post-elections).
Democratically yours,
Dan Matthews,
President, Arlington Young Democrats
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