PRESIDENT
Devon Davenport
My name is Devon Davenport, and I’m a sophomore from Seattle, WA, majoring in Business Economics and Public Policy in GWSB and minoring in Political Science. I am asking for your vote for President because I think my experience and enthusiasm make me the best, most qualified person for this position. I have been a leader in this organization my entire time at GW, first as a member of the inaugural Freshman Committee, then as Freshman Representative, and now as Programming Director. I have worked to develop the freshman committee into what it is today, and I have seen firsthand how increased participation from our members empowers us as an organization and improves our programming. From my first day as a member, when I walked into the GBM and landed my first internship with the McAuliffe campaign, I have experienced firsthand all the incredible opportunities that we can create for members, and I am fiercely passionate about making those opportunities available to all.
That is why my first goal is to build our membership quantity and quality- I want all members to be able to get involved through positions and committees so each has an individual role that contributes to the overall effectiveness of the organization and the good of the Democratic Party.
My second goal is to make us more financially self-sustaining. If we strengthen relations with our vast alumni network and increase sources of revenue, we will have more freedom to put on events that members can get excited about.
2016 is coming, and as the largest student organization at the most politically active school in the country, we have a role to play. I am running because I love this organization and the Democratic Party, and it would be an honor to serve as your President!
Christine Farzan
Hey everyone! My name is Christine Farzan and I’m a sophomore hailing from the only state that didn’t vote for Nixon in 1972 (if you guessed Massachusetts you’re right). I’m running to be your next College Democrats president because I believe the experience I have serving as the Executive Assistant and Membership Director combined with my vision for our organization makes me the best candidate for the job.
As President, I will lead a more accountable e-board. Greater transparency between our board and our membership will foster a tighter-knit community. I would accomplish this by having more general body meetings and by maintaining a blog featuring information discussed at e-board meetings. Secondly, as a 2-year member of the CDS, I’ve been part of our organization’s most outstanding accomplishments. However, I believe we can still improve. If elected, I will continue our legacy of fighting for our ideologies and campaigning for Democrats across the nation. We have an opportunity to play a major role in the 2016 elections and I’d love to lead us in doing so. Furthermore, as the biggest student organization at GW, we deserve to host big speakers and events. If elected, I will work to bring speakers and events that our members can be excited about. Lastly, the CDs has given me a strong sense of community throughout my time at GW and I want all our members to experience the same by creating more committees, more opportunities to get involved, and by fostering better communication between the Executive Board and the general body.
If elected, I promise to lead our organization in a new direction, so that together we can be a better College Democrats chapter than ever before. I hope I can count on your vote on April 8!
Eric Wolfert
My name is Eric Wolfert and I am running to be the president of GW College Democrats for the 2015-16 school year. I am currently a junior in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, majoring in Political Science and Public Policy. Since the moment I first stepped onto campus freshman year, College Democrats and the progressive community here at GW have been the highlights of my college experience. As president, I would seek to increase the College Democrats’ participation in both Federal and District political events. Examples of such events are phone banking for legislative causes, attending rallies, and lobbying to legislators for progressive change. Additionally, College Democrats should be more involved in campus movements to ensure a more fair and equitable university for all. Through my roles in College Democrats and my work experience, I have learned the organizing, planning, and logistical skills necessary to serve as president. I had the pleasure this school year of serving as Campaign Director and Director of Political Affairs for the College Democrats. In these roles, I organized the October campaign trips to Kentucky and Georgia, as well as organizing student debates and movie nights after Election Day. I have also worked on Capitol Hill as well as the campaigns to elect Terry McAuliffe as Governor of Virginia and to legalize marriage equality in Maryland. It would truly be an honor to serve out my long-time dream of being president of GW College Democrats, and I hope I earn your vote on April 8th!
VICE PRESIDENT
Greg Gaffney-Bills
My name is Greg Gaffney-Bills and I want to be your Vice President. In my two years at GW, I have been able to serve the GW College Democrats and the national Democratic agenda, opportunities for which I am extremely grateful. Between my experience in Affordable Care Act implementation, on the Hill, and helping elect GW alum Mark Warner to the US Senate, I’ve gained the knowledge and skills required to lead this organization through the unclear and often treacherous political climate.
At GW, I co-founded and led an advocacy organization, which taught me to navigate the bureaucracy inherent in the GW administration. My time as the College Democrats Technology Director only enhanced those lessons, as I took an active role creating, coordinating, and communicating graphics and promotional materials for Membership, Political Affairs, Programming, and Campaigns. With a comprehensive understanding of the functions of the Executive Board and GW administration, I’m confident in my ability to lead the Dems to new heights.
If elected, I would help realize the full potential of the Dems to be an effective force for campus change. Next year promises to bring debate over sexual assault reform, mental health treatment, fossil fuel divestment, and many other issues. I’ll make sure the Dems work to keep GW on the right side of history.
I plan to leverage the Finance Committees to create external revenue streams, and make the Dems more financially independent of the Student Association. This would allow us to better weather budgetary shortfalls, bring in additional speakers, and fund travel opportunities.
I would also train our membership to play active and efficient roles in 2016. We have the numbers, enthusiasm, and dedication. With an effectively led Campaign Committee, we can help advance the agenda and protect the progress made under President Obama.
Molly Ingalls
My name is Molly Ingalls, and I’m running to be the next Vice President of the GW College Democrats. I’m currently a sophomore majoring in political communication with a minor in women’s studies. Dems was the first organization I got involved in my freshman year, and I’ve served in three positions within College Dems – Freshman Committee, Executive Assistant, and Campaign Director. As Executive Assistant, I worked closely with the President and VP to handle the details of all our events, like meeting with event planners, booking space and making sure we had all the technology we needed. As Campaign Director, I started a campaign committee and I’m currently working to plan our first-ever campaign training. I’m running because I love College Dems and I’m passionate about making this organization the best it can be, but I also think there are a number of ways we can improve and align more closely with the principles of the Democratic Party. I will work to make our membership and leadership more diverse and inclusive by starting a caucus system to increase minority representation and holding joint events with multicultural and progressive organizations. I’ll also start a freshman mentoring program and meet more frequently with e-board members to increase accountability. Most importantly, I’ll ensure Dems is prepared for 2016 with bigger and better campaign trips and closer relationships with other chapters in the DC area and beyond, and increase community service events so we can work directly on Democratic issues in the DC community. I’m so excited for another year of College Dems, and feel free to reach out to me if you have any ideas or questions!
POLITICAL AFFAIRS DIRECTOR
Arian Rubio
Hello! My name is Arian Rubio, and I am running for Political Affairs Director of GW College Democrats. I am in my first year at GW double majoring in Political Science with a Public Policy Focus and Philosophy. I currently serve as a student volunteer with the White House Office of Presidential Correspondence and I formerly served as an intern on Capitol Hill. I have also served as an outreach and debate preparation intern for a congressional campaign in New Jersey. In GW College Democrats, I am a member of the Campaign Committee, I attended our campaign trips to Kentucky and Georgia, and I have represented us in a debate with the College Republicans.
My focus as Political Affairs Director will be on doing better; not just doing more. Our focus will be on defining and asserting who we are. We always have events regarding our political views, but rarely do we try to define who we are as a component of the larger party. We are one party, but one of many different ideas. We must capitalize on that, through events such as internal debates to bring together the different ideologies of our inclusive party, define what issues are most important to us, and ultimately act on those priorities. We must capitalize on where and who we are. If we are truly the most politically active organization, then we must be the one with the largest presence, and take advantage of our location in the heart of American politics. We can do this through organizing from the grassroots level to the halls of the Capitol in order to voice our opinions to those who represent us. This means more than just showing up – it means showing up effectively.
Stand with me, so we can stand together. Thank you.
Lande Watson
Hello everyone, my name is Lande Watson, I’m a rising sophomore from the Bay Area, California, and it would be my honor to serve as your next Political Affairs Director. Serving as the Freshman Representative for Foggy Bottom this year has been the highlight of my college experience so far. I have particularly enjoyed the opportunity to lead the freshman committee and participate in political events, such as campaign trips to Kentucky and Georgia. As Political Affairs Director, I want to expand and enhance the opportunities that College Dems members can participate in and learn about politics. My main platform point is outreach, to D.C. political groups, campus student organizations, and GW faculty. There is an abundance of political organizations in D.C. that would love to work with college students and I will connect College Dems members to these opportunities. Additionally, I will work with student orgs, like the Roosevelt Institute, to do pre-debate issue preparation and other trainings so that more students can become involved in the debate process. Finally, I will set up a speaker series with political science department super stars like Professor Hayes and Professor Sides, so that even students who can’t take their classes have an opportunity to learn about politics from our amazing GW Faculty. I have the experience, passion and drive to implement these three ideas and thus provide more opportunities to all College Dems members. Thank you for taking the time to read this statement, and please feel free to approach me with any questions you have about my platform, experience, or if you just want to chat. I hope I have your vote on April 8th!
Emma Zimmerman
Hi all! My name is Emma Zimmerman. I’m a rising junior studying political science, originally from Seattle, WA, and I am so excited to be running as your next Political Affairs Director! I have been actively involved in Dems for two years, and this year I served on both the Finance/Alumni and Campaign committees. As a member of these committees I have helped plan some of our upcoming events and worked closely with our current Executive Board, so I am familiar with the leadership aspects of our group. As Political Affairs Director, it will be my responsibility to oversee our policy-related activities, as well as programing and campaigning events. I have a lot of campaign experience, both through Dems and having worked for the Washington State Democrats back in my home city of Seattle. I have also been involved in planning countless events over the years and have spent this year interning in the Senate, so I know all the best strategies for getting Members of Congress to campus. Beyond these basic responsibilities, there are three specific areas that I would like to focus on if elected. First, I want to expand the public policy focus of our group. This means campaigning for issues, not just candidates. Second, I will push for more active involvement on campus when it comes to things such as lobbying the Student Association or the GW administration for policy changes, for example the LGBTQ sensitivity training that we’ve seen come up recently. Lastly, we need to create more opportunities for active member involvement. I would like to create a Public Policy committee along the lines of the Finance/Alumni and Campaign committees, as well as short term groups of members to assist the E-Board in planning and organizing specific events.
MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR
Hannah Corn
Hello everyone, my name is Hannah Corn. I am a freshman from New Jersey, majoring in International Affairs and Political Science and am running for next year’s position as Membership Director of the GW College Democrats. For the past year, I served on the GW Freshman Committee and can say that it has been the highlight of my GW experience thus far. Surrounding myself with students who get just as passionate about health care, women’s rights, and foreign policy as they do about Baked and Wired is something you can really find #onlyatGW.
I am extremely personable and have experience programming and planning events not only on the Freshman Committee, but also in my sorority as the Assistant to Programming for Sigma Kappa. I am open to all ideas and have experienced first-hand the amazing things we can accomplish. I want to ensure that this all-inclusive environment continues during my time at GW.
As Membership Director, I want Dems to become a more integrated part of the GW Community. We can increase transparency among our EBoard by incorporating a monthly poll asking members what types of events they would like to attend.
Additionally, I want to increase the number of active members by installing a point system that would reward members with reserved seats at the next big Dems event with limited seating. Lastly, my long-term goal is to increase overall membership by having more events with other student orgs. Our members’ interests span from politics to oil painting, from law to lacrosse, and our membership and events should reflect that.
Our party is based on inclusion and equality for all, and that begins with the quality and environment of our membership. I am Hannah Corn, and I want to be your Membership Director.
Owen Evans
My name is Owen Evans and I’m running to be your 2015-2016 Membership Director for the GW College Democrats. For the past two semesters I have served this org, first, as Mount Vernon Campus Freshman Representative and now as Assistant Membership Director. These experiences have made me more than capable to accomplish the tasks at hand, and furthermore, I already have an intimate knowledge of how Dems operates, what we do well, and what we can improve upon.
My overarching goal in this position would be to foster a stronger sense of community. To accomplish this I believe we should have more, informative general body meetings to make the members more comprehensively aware of different events and opportunities available through the Dems. I also believe we should have stronger lines of inter-committee communication, work together with other orgs to create more meaningful and empowering events that connect with a broader audience, and I also would explore creating a membership committee in order to foster more diverse and creative events that will promote our shared liberal ideals and engender well informed discussion around campus.
Over the course of this next year I want to completely revamp the spirit of this organization. People care about Dems and what we do. It is only right that they see we reciprocate. I want people to be able to get out of Dems what they put into it, I want them to feel comfortable around the leadership, and I want them to be able to call Dems their home. In the words of Leslie Knope, “we get the chance to work hard at work worth doing…alongside a team of people who you love.” If you vote for me, I will do my best to make sure students pick Dems as their team.
Charles Spirtos
Hello, I’m Charles Spirtos and I am a freshman from the Elliott School of International Affairs majoring in International Affairs and Middle Eastern Studies. I am running for the position of Membership Director for GW Dems.
I have been an active member of GW Dems throughout freshman year and have regularly attended both social events and campaigning/political events. Coming from a highly conservative area of Ohio, I hope to bring experience in dealing with our friends from the other side of the aisle to the E Board. I have served on many Congressional campaigns in high school, assisted Dems with the Lundergan-Grimes campaign in the fall, and currently volunteer in a minor capacity with Ready for Hillary.
I believe my skill set best aligns with the skills required of membership director. Extremely outgoing, I love interacting with new people and introducing them to my ideology. I believe my diligent persuasive techniques will convince members of the GW community to join Dems. I have served as Red Cross Blood Drive Coordinator throughout high school and maintain that same position here at GW. Blood Drive coordinating has taught me recruitment tactics that will apply well with this particular club.
An outspoken liberal, I am experienced with defending my viewpoints in light of opposition. I have recently won an SA Senate campaign on an extremely progressive platform, and I am willing to fight for Democrat ideals. Of great importance to me are LGBT rights and foreign policy. I hope to find a place on this esteemed E Board. Thanks!
FINANCE DIRECTOR
Rayhaan Merani
Hi, my name is Rayhaan Merani, I’m a political science major, and I’d like to be your next Finance Director. As a SA Senator on the Finance Committee (I promise I didn’t cut your budget, I’m a freshman) I’ve worked to allocate $1.1 million to hundreds of organizations and events on campus. As someone who’s worked on the committee to allocate money, I’ve developed both a comprehensive understanding of GW’s funding system and intricacies as well as relationships with members currently on the committee and in the Senate. As Finance Director of the College Democrats I would use my experience and relationships to do five things: ensure that we attain the maximum amounts of co-sponsorships needed for events, take the best spending practices seen in other organizations to spend and save money strategically, work with sponsors and donors outside GW to decrease reliance on SA funding, create a plan to increase our budget allocation for the next year to increase programming, and find ways to build revenue for the 2016 campaign year. I hope you’ll support me in my run for Finance Director of the GW College Democrats.
Jamie Reid
Hi everyone! My name is Jamie Reid and I am a freshman studying political science and international affairs from Atlanta, Georgia. I am currently the Mount Vernon Freshmen Representative, and will be running for College Democrats Financial Director. I have worked with a few Georgia House elections as well as the Jason Carter and Michelle Nunn Campaigns this year. In high school I was one of the heads of our speech and debate team, working a lot with managing the budget, and fundraising. Over my two years, I focused on new ways for the team to raise money. This involved coordination between the Parents Association, the debate team, and Atlanta Public Schools to ensure the money got where it needed to go so we could run an effective team. Though the financial director responsibilities are a step up from this, I feel as though my fundraising and budgeting experience have prepared me well for tackling the Dems financial needs.
My platform is simple. There needs to be a closer relationship between the Financial Director, the President, and the Vice President. The Financial Director is key to making sure that the entire organization is able to put on events, and this needs to work more smoothly with the executive. Secondly, the Dems need to make sure that the alumni community is kept in the loop of all the events we have. As the largest student organization, there is an ever-growing community of graduating students that need to be in contact with after their four years. These two ideas would be able to strengthen the position of the Financial Director, and I would be a good fit to make sure that these plans can be enacted for the organization as a whole.
Sebastian Weinmann
Hello fellow Democrats, I am Sebastian Weinmann. I’m running to be your 2015-2016 Finance Director because I have the proper experience, many great ideas, and a strong passion for all things Dems. I have the proper knowledge and skills to serve as your Finance Director because of various experiences that I have acquired during my academic and professional careers. In high school, I served as the treasurer of three honor societies. During this time, I oversaw community wide events, fundraisers, and charity efforts. I also managed the societies’ bank accounts by keeping records of donations, dues, and event fees. Additionally, I have years of experience working in an accounting firm, so I am not afraid of tons of paper work, and I can be trusted to handle confidential information. These experiences have given me the necessary knowledge and skills to successfully execute the responsibilities of the Finance Director. I also have many great ideas that I believe will improve not only the Finance Committee, but also GW College Dems as a whole. One idea that I want to pursue is improving our alumni relations. Our organization has a fantastic network of alumni and I believe we should reach out to them more in order to create a key income source through receiving donations, which would to benefit the organization, as well as to create networking opportunities, which would benefit the members themselves. My passion for Dems is another reason why I know I will be successful in serving as your Finance Director. I have demonstrated this passion during my entire time here at GW by attending almost every Dems event and by serving on the Freshman Committee. So remember, experience, great ideas, and passion for Dems are why you should vote for me as Finance Director on April 8th!
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
Jamie Kleiner
Hey everyone, my name is Jamie Kleiner and I will be running for Communications Director for the 2015-2016 school year. For the past year, I have served as an active member on the Freshman Committee and have worked hard to make Dems more inclusive for the freshman class. As one of the only “Vernies” on the committee, I worked very hard to reach out to our entire freshman class by planning activities on both The Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon Campus. Through my experience on the committee, I gained valuable insight about the organizational and managerial aspects of College Dems.
As Communications Director I intend to both continue the already outstanding work of our current communications team, as well as add additional innovative ideas in order to further our organization’s publicity. One of my biggest objectives will be to strengthen our ties with the university’s radio station, WRGW, which assigns coverage that specifically reports on political student organizations. WRGW should be at all of our debates, guest speakers, and political events. Additionally, I believe that our membership needs to have more advanced notice about our monthly events. I therefore intend to create a monthly calendar system that will be posted to our website, Facebook, Twitter, etc. I will also add a link to the monthly calendar at the bottom of every list serve. This will give members easy access to our agenda, thus opening up more opportunities for the general body to propose event ideas to our Membership Director. Lastly, I hope to appoint a “photo committee” in order to better encapsulate our social and political events for social media. Having talented photographers on our executive team will help enrich our visual presence around campus. As Communications Director, I will strengthen our organization’s networking.
COMMUNITY SERVICE DIRECTOR
Kate Bell
Hey Colonials! My name is Kate Bell and I’m running to be re-elected as the community service director for the 2015-2016 College Democrats Executive Board.
Within this organization I’ve been on executive board for two years, serving as the Freshman Representative and the community service director this year. I’m a proud brother of Alpha Phi Omega, a community service fraternity, and I’m a Freshman Day of Service Leader and Community Building Community guide! I have both participated in and been a leader for the Alternative Breaks program, and I currently serve as the Director of Outreach for the Colonial Army. I believe my commitment to the community makes me the most passionate and qualified candidate.
This past year as community service director, I teamed up with organizations such as the DC Humane Society, The American Red Cross, The American Cancer Society, and the Free Minds Book Club to host and participate in events on and off campus that serve the DC community and address countless issue areas that our neighbors face. I helped coordinate our participation in advocacy walks, blood drives against the college Republicans, and write night events. I have worked tirelessly to coordinate events for our members that make a real and lasting impact in the community, and will continue to do so if reelected.
This organization is special. There is no GPA, major, or specific skills set requirement. What brings us together is simply much deeper than that. It is our passion and commitment to advance the democratic agenda that makes our connection to each other and to the party unbreakable. I am honored to serve on such an incredible executive board, and I hope you give me the chance to continue to set a standard of excellence for our participation in the service community.