DYD 2021 Board Elections
Hey there DYD Members! It’s that time of year again and we’re proud to present this year’s electorates for the 2021 DYD Executive Board.
Meet the candidates:
President:
Candidate:
Nicole Chernick
Letter of Intent:
Dear DYD Election Committee and Voters:
I would like to express my intent to run for the President position on the Dener Young Democrats (DYD) Board. I believe my background and experience would allow me to be a top candidate for this position. I currently serve as the Secretary on the DYD Board and I am running for President because I know there is still work to be done and I’m excited to expand on what we have accomplished over the past year.
I want to be your DYD President because I want to expand the representation of young people in the democatice party. I want to grow DYD as an organization to be a place where young people can connect with the democratic party. Through that meaningful connection is how we can move forward to make change on the local level and beyond.
For the past eight years I have been a special education teacher. I currently work for an elementary school within Jefferson County Public Schools. I am a leader within my school and most recently, I obtained my Principal licensure and I will soon acquire my Special Education Directors Licensure. I am running for the position of President because I feel I have a unique perspective as a teacher and a leader within a school district.
I want DYD to be an organization that inspires change within the Democratic party. The type of change that brings more voices into the party and focuses our mission on helping those who need it most in our society. I have a vision for how to grow and expand DYD membership and how to further the mission of DYD.
Over the past year as Secretary, I maintained communication with DYD members through social media and email communications with MailChimp. In Board meetings, I was responsible for creating the agenda, taking meeting minutes, and keeping the Board on task and on time.
In conclusion, please vote for me to serve as President on the DYD Board. My skills and experience would make a great fit for the Board. I will bring continuity to the Board as I am already serving as Secretary and know what to do, I will also bring all of my tech knowledge and further DYD’s online presence, and I will bring my political passion and vision for how to grow DYD. Our democracy depends on engaged and informed young voters and the Denver Young Democrats are a catalyst for the change we need. Thank you.
Sincerely, Nicky Dallek
Vice-President:
Candidate:
Zachary Hynek
Letter of Intent:
To Whom it may Concern:
This letter expresses my intent to run for the position of Vice President of the Denver Young Dems.
Thank you for your consideration.
Regards, Zach Hynek
Secretary:
Candidate:
Emma Oppenheim
Letter of Intent:
Dear voters,
I am writing to express my interest in the position of Secretary of the Denver Young Democrats. I am interested in the position of Secretary because it is personally important to me to be part of a thriving democratic party, and because I believe encouraging youth engagement in the political system to be one of the most important tenets of a healthy party.
I have significant experience working on behalf of the Democratic Party to elect democrats up and down the ballot. In Baltimore, Maryland, from where I moved a year ago, I was heavily involved in field campaigns for state and local candidates. I also served in the role of Political Director for the Baltimore Young Democrats for two years.
In the role of Secretary, I would be expected to set agendas, take meeting minutes, and share regular updates with the broader Young Democrats network. I would love to help contribute to setting a political agenda for the next year that includes speaker presentations, advocacy days, and fieldwork following primaries.
I look forward to working with you this year.
Thank you,
Emma
Finance Coordinator:
Candidate:
Adam Harris
Letter of Intent:
To the DYD Board & Members:
I am writing to express my intent to run for the Finance Coordinator position for the Denver Young Democrats. I believe my diverse professional and volunteer experiences have prepared me well to meet the responsibilities of the role. These include:
Extensive campaign experience, including coordinating and staffing fundraising events, for city council and congressional campaigns
Developing and managing a corporate fundraising plan for a large non-profit
Chairing an executive board for an events-driven organization
Non-profit accounting and cash management
Professional services and technology sales
As DYD Finance Coordinator, I will meet with all DYD Board members to align the organization’s strategic goals with our annual budget and fundraising efforts. We will not only aim to create value for our members but communicate our DYD story to prospective donors and grow our footprint in the political community. Amid a pandemic, our challenge will be to better leverage technology to expand our outreach and strengthen our fundraising infrastructure. With the 2022 election cycle fast approaching, we cannot afford to take the year off.
As the incoming DPOD Finance Chair for HD-4A, I will also be serving on DPOD’s Finance and Fundraising Committees for the upcoming two-year term. I intend to coordinate fundraising and reporting efforts between DYD and DPOD to maximize the energy and reach of both organizations.
I’m excited for the opportunity to build on the club’s momentum and serve our party and community in a meaningful way. And with your support, I can put these skills to work.
Sincerely,
Adam Harris
Community Liaison:
Candidate:
Andrew Wood
Letter of Intent:
Letter of intent to run for Community Liaison on the Denver Young Democrats Board
I am running for the Denver Young Democrats (DYD) Board because I want to continue to do my part to support the Deomcratic Party in Denver. My experience and political involvement also make me well suited to serve as Community Liaison on the DYD Board.
I have been involved with DYD since moving back into Denver a couple years ago; I’m currently the Community Liaison and I previously served as the High School and College Organizer. I’m also very involved with the Democratic Party of Denver (DPOD) and my local house district; I’m the HD4 Secretary, HD4B Co-Captain, and a PCP for my neighborhood.
Additionally, I’ve worked the past three election cycles for the Democratic Party. Either dedicated or foolish, I quit my job in both 2016 and 2018 to work on those campaigns. I also took a leave of absence to work the 2020 campaign. Each time I served as the Voter Protection Director for the Colorado Democratic Party Coordinated Campaign. I am supremely proud of the work we’ve done over those years to protect the vote, expand the vote, and make it easier for people to vote in Denver and across the whole state.
When we engage voters, we win. The Denver Young Democrats are centrally important to making sure that we activate and engage with young voters in Denver. Through continuing to grow and improve DYD we can tap into the passion and power of young dems in Denver. That is how we move the ball forward to make the difference that we want to see.
Please vote for me to serve as Community Liaison on the DYD Board. My experience and political involvement make me the best person to serve as Community Liaison. I will devote the necessary time and energy to make sure that DYD does everything it can to energize and engage young voters in Denver for the next election and many more. Thank you for your time and consideration, and thank you for being involved with the Denver Young Democrats!
Sincerely, Andrew Wood
High School / College Liaison:
Candidate:
Andrés Carrera
Letter of Intent:
Good afternoon,
My name is Andrés Carrera and I would sincerely appreciate the opportunity to run for the High School/College Liaison position of the Denver Young Democrats. I strongly believe that my deep and abiding passion for public service and ability to communicate effectively with diverse community members in Spanish & Mandarin Chinese would make me a promising candidate for this role.
Before starting my political career in Colorado, I served as a strategic communications specialist for Lenovo Headquarters in Beijing, China, reporting to the CFO of the PCSD Worldwide Services Financial Division, Christina Zeng. In my capacity as her communications aide, I became highly practiced in cooperating effectively with individuals from a radically different cultural background. In order to perform well, I became advanced in Mandarin Chinese and -- most importantly -- how to work at a Chinese company. Every day, I would walk into meeting rooms where I was the only American, and grew comfortable with expressing myself in a manner that conformed to the prevailing culture -- a skill that I would happily employ as High School/College Liaison for the Denver Young Democrats in reaching out to diverse communities.
Indeed, Denver is a proudly multicultural city with a historically large Latinx population with which I have had the pleasure to engage as legislative aide to a Denver Democratic state representative Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez and policy aide to the Adams County Board of Commissioners. In addition to working directly with groups such as Servicios de la Raza, 9to5 Colorado, Padres y Jovenes Unidos, and Working Families Party while at the State House, most recently, I have had the privilege of spearheading Spanish-language Latinx outreach efforts for Adams County as part of its ongoing COVID-19 pandemic response and recovery efforts. I established and maintained a special working group made up of community-based organizations and local public health agencies to comprehensively engage the Latinx community throughout the pandemic, with the stated goal of connecting Spanish-speaking residents to critical support like rent relief, testing sites, and business grant opportunities. In fact, as a result of my diverse community outreach efforts, I was selected to be a commissioner on the Denver Immigrant and Refugee Commission, where I was recently elected secretary.
The common thread of my professional career has been liaising with diverse communities in a culturally competent and meaningful way that I believe would serve the Denver Young Democrats well. I thank you for the opportunity to submit a letter of intention to run for the High School/College Liaison position and invite any questions you may have.
Best,
Andrés