Young Democrats of America

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Young Democrats of America
Image:Young Democrats of America.png
President	David Hardt
Founded	1932
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Mother party	Democratic Party
International affiliation	International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY)
Website	www.yda.org

The Young Democrats of America (YDA), founded in 1932, is the official youth arm of the Democratic Party of the United States, although it severed official ties with the Democratic National Committee following passage of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 and became an independent 527 group. The group's membership consists of those Democrats under the age of 36 (although two chapters allow members under the age of 40), and its political activities tend to concentrate on increasing the voter turnout of young Democrats and affecting the issues impacting that demographic group. It tends to be somewhat more focused on political activism than the party at large.

Contents 1 2007-2009 YDA Leadership 1.1 National Elected Officers 1.2 Caucus Chairs 1.3 Regional Directors 1.4 Other Elected Leaders 1.5 Committee Appointments 1.6 Other Appointments 1.7 Staff 1.7.1 National: 1.7.2 State: 2 See also 3 External links

[edit] 2007-2009 YDA Leadership

YDA membership elects nine national officers biannually at the organization's National Conventions. These officers, as well as six "stakeholders" who are leaders in other related organizations form the national board, which deals with day-to-day management of the organization. The officers were elected at the 2007 YDA National Convention in Dallas, Texas.

Along with the national officers, YDA's national executive committee includes chairs of the nine constituency caucuses, eight regional directors, and a variety of appointed officers.

[edit] National Elected Officers

• President: David Hardt of Texas
• Executive Vice President: Chris Anderson of Tennessee
• Democratic National Committeeman: Francisco Domenech of Puerto Rico
• Democratic National Committeewoman: Crystal Strait of California
• Vice President for Programs: Josh Blevins of Arkansas
• Vice President: Ashanti Fayshel Gholar of Nevada
• Vice President: Omar Khan of Florida
• Secretary: Stephanie Hausner of New York
• Treasurer: Amy Lewis of Virginia

[edit] Caucus Chairs

• LGBT Caucus Chair: Rachel Kau-Taylor of California
• Women's Caucus Chair: Atima Omara-Alwala of Virginia
• Minority Caucus Chair: Erica Contreras of Texas
• Disability Issues Caucus Chair: Ben Spangenberg of Virginia
• Labor Caucus Chair: Isaac Robinson of Michigan
• Jewish Caucus Chair: Josh Pasek of Pennsylvania
• High School Caucus Chair: user:Alicia Froio of Pennsylvania
• College Caucus Chair: Thione Niang of Ohio
• Rural Caucus Chair: Amanda Nelson of Washington

[edit] Regional Directors

• Northeast (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont): Michael Gilberg of New York
• Mid-Atlantic (Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Young Democrats Abroad): Rod Snyder of West Virginia
• Southeast (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virgin Islands): Robert Hooks of Mississippi
• Great Lakes (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio): Kristofer Anderson of Illinois
• Midwest (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin): John Owens-Ream of Nebraska
• Southcentral (Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas): Emily Beer of Texas
• Southwest (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming): Kevin Bondelli of Arizona
• Pacific (Alaska, America Samoa, California, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington): Rob Dolin of Washington

[edit] Other Elected Leaders

• State Presidents Association: Omarr Williams of Illinois

[edit] Committee Appointments

• Resolutions Committee: Jessica Utovich of Ohio
• Chapter-Building Committee: Jamie Oliver of Arkansas
• Campaign Committee: Rocky Fernandez of California
• Budget Committee: Mark Bracken of Massachusetts
• Credentials Committee: Lindsay Barrett of Tennessee
• Finance Committee: Mark Newman of North Carolina
• Communications & Outreach Committee: Tara Martin of New York
• Site Selection Committee: Shaunica Pridgen of Indiana
• Rules & Charter Committee: Kirk Miller of Georgia
• Affirmative Action & Outreach Committee: Tashea Brodgins of Maryland
• Judicial Council: Adam Weiss of Washington, D.C.
• Community Service Committee: Jonathan Padilla of California
• International Affairs Committee: Jeff Leanna of Nebraska

[edit] Other Appointments

• Chief of Staff: Rachel Morse of Oklahoma
• Administrative Director: Billy Joyner of Georgia
• Organizing Director: Joe Henriquez McNearney of New York
• Parliamentarian: Daniel Davis of Washington

[edit] Staff

[edit] National:

• Executive Director: Alexandra Acker
• Political Director: Tony Cani
• Director of State and Local Programs: Ramon Gardenhire
• Director of Operations: Stephen Zigmund

[edit] State:

• Young Democrats of Arizona Executive Director: Stan Williams
• Young Democrats of Arkansas Executive Director: Gary Moody
• California Young Democrats Executive Director: Stacy Berger
• Young Democrats of Georgia Executive Director: Tim Cairl

[edit] See also

• College Democrats

[edit] External links

• Young Democrats of America - national website
• YDA YouTube channel
• YDA Facebook group
• YDA MySpace pageeo:Young Democrats of America