Fundraising: One of the chief duties for a Party Chair is to ensure the financial viability of the party. Outreach is important, but so is having a robust program that makes funders enthusiastic about the opportunity to invest in winning strategies. My experience working in telephone and door to door sales in my youth has given me a level of comfort reaching out to ‘friends I haven’t met yet’ and making the asks that are necessary. My recent experience in starting a local 501c4 nonprofit (Rural Organizing Initiative) and an Arizona State PAC (Rural Power PAC) and collectively raising over $250,000 in our first full year is a testament to my ability to find the necessary money needed to keep good work moving forward.

Organizing: I like to say “organizing is well intentioned chaos”. Bringing together people from very disparate experiences and living situations is not for the faint hearted. To be a successful organizer, you must be willing to see things from many different perspectives and be willing to pivot as the need arises. The job of an organizer is to believe that there are many people who would like to help if given the right opportunity and then finding and presenting those opportunities in an accessible way. I believe it is imperative that the vast numbers of volunteers needed for a successful election are made to feel both Valued and Valuable. They must feel the work they are doing is important and effective and they must feel their hard work is appreciated.

My experience working with the Arizona Democratic Coordinated Campaign, the Yavapai County Democrats, Rural Arizona Engagement, Indivisible, and Rural Organizing Initiative as well as numerous campaigns both in Arizona and Indiana gives me the background and knowledge needed to empower and facilitate a powerful Democratic Party organizing program that is vital to our success in both 2026 and 2028. I am proud to have been part of the efforts in Yavapai County in 2022 that were crucial in getting Kris Mayes the 280 votes needed to win the race for Attorney General. In 2024, my work contributed to the successful passage of Proposition 139, Arizona for Abortion Access, and the election of Senator Ruben Gallego.

Operations: My previous experience serving on professional boards, including the Midwest Aquatic Plant Management Society, the Indiana Lake Management Society, and Friends of International Women in Art, has given me insight into managing large organizations and the opportunity to work collaboratively across lines of difference to achieve collective goals. My experience working with elected representatives from all levels of government will be an important asset in this role.

Campaigns: Becoming part of the All America PAC team and working for Senator Evan Bayh, working towards the re-election of Senator Mark Kelly with Mission for Arizona, and supporting municipal and county candidates through my work at Rural Organizing Initiative has allowed me to experience the inner workings of different types of campaigning. It has also given me insight into what works well and what doesn’t work quite so well and how regional context matters and affects strategy. What works in one community is not the same thing that will work in another. In 2024, I led a team of amazing volunteers to recall a MAGA city council member. We then recruited and elected candidates for the 3 open council positions and the mayor’s seat, changing the political landscape of Cottonwood, AZ. After all of these varied experiences, I feel I have a unique insight into the significant differences in urban, suburban, and rural organizing that will be crucial to winning in 2026.

Facilitating: One of the greatest challenges for the next party chair will be to bring together party members who felt very passionate about recent events. Learning to move past recent hurts is not an easy task. Although I am not perfect and have been known to express my views strongly when I felt it was necessary, I am also ready to listen when others have an opposing viewpoint and am able to admit when I have been wrong. One of my strengths is that I am able to recognize talent in others and am always happy to lift up and support those whose work can make a positive difference.

Press: My experience talking to the press and appearing in podcast and radio interviews will allow me a level of comfort in speaking with the media to represent the party in a positive way.

Commitment: Whether or not I obtain this position, I am committed to doing all I can to help get Democrats elected in every seat in 2026 and beyond.