I am a mother, the daughter of an Nigerian immigrant man, the child of a Black woman who grew up in the segregated South, and a native Washingtonian who understands the injustice of living in DC without full representation in Congress. The fire I have inside to 'do justice' is rooted in my lived experience.

 

I began organizing at 15, advocating alongside my peers for quality education and safe spaces for young people. Since then, I have organized with public housing tenants and alongside my neighbors to build safer, stronger communities. In my professional life, I lead Bread for the City's major giving program, managing a portfolio of more than $1 million and helping oversee a fundraising program that generates approximately $7 million annually to support critical services for DC residents.

 

I believe I am uniquely positioned to lead the DC Democratic Party because I know voters respond when they feel seen, heard, and engaged. I know how to build strategic partnerships, raise money, and bring people together around a shared vision for a better city. I brought those skills to the recent mayoral campaign, and I am ready to bring that same energy and leadership to the DC Democratic Party by working with everyone to build a stronger Democratic Party that delivers for every ward.

 

As Chair, I will focus on three priorities: developing an ambitious strategic plan with clear goals and accountability; rebuilding trust within the State Committee through transparency and collaboration; and making the Democratic Party a year-round presence in every ward through community service, voter engagement, and partnerships with community organizations.

 

Together, we will strengthen our party, rebuild trust with residents who feel overlooked, advance DC statehood, and ensure all DC Democrats are fighting every day to improve the material needs of their neighbors.

I'm running for DCDSC Treasurer to help keep our party's finances transparent, compliant, and positioned to support the work we all care about.

 

Every DCDSC member deserves full visibility into our resources, starting with where they come from and exactly how they are used. If elected, I will keep our books accurate and up to date, provide easy-to-read financial summaries at every meeting, and make them accessible to any member upon request. I will also make it a policy to pay all approved bills and reimbursements within 30 days. Having personally waited over six months to be reimbursed by the DCDSC, I know firsthand how frustrating that can be and I am committed to fixing this process.

 

I bring direct, relevant experience to this role. As the former Treasurer of the Ward 1 Democrats, I handled all filings and successfully passed a random OCF audit. In my professional life, I run a DC real estate development company, where I manage complex budgets, track expenses, and keep meticulous records every day. I want to collaborate with counterparts in other state committees and see how we can help each other and use technology to streamline our work. Rather than operating in silos, I will share templates and best practices with my fellow Ward and affiliate treasurers to help strengthen financial operations across the entire DC Democratic Party. Above all, I look forward to working closely with the Executive Committee to build reliable, transparent financial systems that power our work.

My professional, political, and community experiences have prepared me for the Vice Chair position for the DC Democratic Party. I spent eight years as an educator in Wards 8 and 6, advocating for students, families, and equitable access to resources. I later co-chaired the DC Education Coalition for Change, bringing together teachers, students, parents, and community members to advocate for stronger public schools. As a Ward Organizer and Field Director on local campaigns, I developed experience in grassroots organizing, voter engagement, and coalition building. Today, as a Legislative Policy Advisor for the Council of the District of Columbia, I work on complex policy issues and collaborate with government agencies, advocates, organizations, and residents to advance solutions.

 

I currently serve as Vice President of the DCYD, where I have worked to strengthen relationships with Democratic clubs, elected officials, community organizations, and young leaders across the District/Nation. Through programming and engagement efforts, I have helped create opportunities for thousands of Democrats to connect, organize, and participate in our Party. These experiences have taught me that strong political organizations are built through relationships, consistent communication, and a genuine commitment to listening to the communities we serve.

 

As Vice Chair, my priorities will be advancing DC Statehood and Home Rule, strengthening accountability and transparency for our local politicians, and ensuring that all voices from all caucuses are heard. My goal is to help build a Democratic Party that is connected, inclusive, transparent, and responsive. One that brings people together, and advocates for DC locally and nationally.

Growing up in Washington, D.C., I was inspired by heroes like Barbara Lett Simons and Norm Neverson, who fought tirelessly in the 1970s for our school rights, Statehood, and a voice for our city when no one else was listening among others. To carry on this vital tradition as a native Washingtonian, my priority is to help save our city by aligning ourselves with different cultures and nationalities who respect the continuity and culture of DC residents whose voices are too often ignored.

 

Therefore, as a Ward 5 Committeewoman and a member of the Metropolitan Women's Democratic Club, I am asking for your vote to give me the opportunity to represent DC on the executive committee. As an elected member of the State committee, I am dedicated to supporting and working closely with those who want to bring positive change by engaging more with our community on the issues that matter most. These include the pros and cons of education including Statehood, ranked-choice voting, bills and Congressional attacks on DC home rule, social security, health insurance (Medicare & Medicaid), housing subsidies, gentrification, and youth and domestic crime.

 

My political background includes living in Detroit, Michigan, for 15 years, where I served as a precinct delegate and an active member of Districts 13 & 14. During that time, I worked on several campaigns, including those for Jennifer Granholm, Kwame Kilpatrick, State Representatives, Clerks, and various local initiatives. If you would like any further information, please feel free to contact me via email at shealiat413@gmail.com or by text at (202) 840-2222. I would appreciate your support and your vote.

I am seeking to serve as Recording Secretary of the DC Democratic State Committee because I believe strong organizations are built on communication, accountability, and keeping members connected to the work.

 

I bring experience in community organizing, Democratic engagement, constituent advocacy, and neighborhood leadership. Through my work across Ward 7, I have organized community initiatives, worked with residents and stakeholders, participated in civic and electoral efforts, and helped bring people together around issues that directly impact their communities. My experience has taught me the importance of listening, documenting, following through, and making sure people have the information they need to participate effectively.

 

As Recording Secretary, my goal would be to ensure that the business of the DC Democratic State Committee is organized, transparent, accessible, and accurately documented. I would work to maintain clear and timely meeting records, ensure members are aware of decisions and action items, and help create stronger communication between committee leadership and our members.

 

I also want to help build a culture where every Ward, committee, and Democratic voice feels included and valued. We have an important election ahead, and I believe our internal organization must be just as strong as our public campaign efforts.

 

I am ready to bring energy, organization, accountability, and a spirit of service to this position—and to help strengthen the DC Democratic Party from the inside out.

I am an engineer turned attorney turned organizer who has spent the last decade engaged across movements for good governance, fair economies, and intersectional communities. I am also a queer transgender woman who survived medicalized conversion therapy as an intersex youth. My lived experiences of discriminatory trauma fuel my passion for designing and implementing transformative strategies for delivering dignity to all people while centering those who are most vulnerable.

 

I am drawn to serve on the Executive Committee because I am excited to support the functional administration of a DC Democratic Party rooted in pro-democracy, pro-social, and pro-justice values. My organizing experiences both outside and within the Democratic Party ecosystem have made one thing clear: working families want a political party with candidates who share a positive vision to deliver a long, healthy life for themselves and a hopeful future for their loved ones. I will collaborate with all civic partners to clarify our purpose, articulate our platform, and activate processes in alignment with that unifying vision.

 

I am specifically running for Corresponding Secretary to ensure that the perspectives, plans, and needs of the Executive Committee are reliably shared with the whole DCDSC membership. Comprehensive communication through channels with integrity is essential. We deserve messaging stewards who respect information as power that must be equitably distributed.

 

In addition to embodying all that I have described above, I offer careful consensus-building, courageous accountability, and compassionate curiosity in my candidacy for this role.

My name is Melissa Irby and I am running to be Vice Chair of the DC Democratic Party. My qualifications to run for the seat include my work in local politics in different organizations and supporting various local candidates (DC, Maryland and Virginia) in their runs for local seats. To further elaborate on those roles, I have volunteered with the D.C. Democratic Women’s Club and the D.C. Federation of Democratic Women to highlight and fight for various issues that impact the quality of life of District residents. During my tenure in those clubs I have participated and sometimes led efforts to get out the vote via voter registration drives, postcarding campaigns, and panels and forums which focused on local and national issues. Most recently, I co-chaired the Women in Blue event, meeting with the DC City Council and the Mayor to advocate for various issues affecting DC residents.

 

My goal as the Vice Chair would be to increase voter engagement across all 8 wards of the District through authentic outreach and conversation, to increase voter-focused activities and to support the Mayor and Delegate as we fight for statehood and strengthen Home Rule until we achieve the Statehood goal. I see this role as continuing the effort to sure up allies across the national Democratic continuum to support the District as we are in the biggest fight for our rights.

I am interested in serving as Recording Secretary because I believe the strength of the DC Democratic Party depends on having an organization that is organized, transparent, accountable, and responsive to its members.

 

My experience as an ANC commissioner, organizer, and advocate has taught me that good governance starts with doing the fundamentals well: listening to people, documenting decisions, following through on commitments, and making sure members have the information they need to participate meaningfully. I would bring that same approach to the Recording Secretary role.

 

I am particularly drawn to this position because I see the Recording Secretary as more than someone who takes minutes. It is an opportunity to help strengthen the institutional memory and day-to-day functioning of the State Committee, while making sure the work of the Executive Committee is clear and accessible to the broader organization.

 

I also want to serve on the Executive Committee because I want to help build a Democratic Party that is more connected to grassroots Democrats, working people, and communities across the District. My organizing and public-service experience has taught me that people are more likely to engage when they know their voices matter and when institutions demonstrate that they are listening.

 

I would bring organization, accountability, and a strong commitment to service to this role—and I am ready to do the work.