DA should be a place of joy, excitement, and fun for the extraordinary volunteers who make things happen. As Secretary, I can help our teams get there.
About Me
Some commonly asked questions
This state department kid was born in Germany, where the travel bug bit me when I took my first flight at 3 days old – to Senegal. The bug and its side effects – a love for learning and improvising – haven’t left me yet. My Chinese-German-English heritage helps to make the world my home - I’ve lived in 11 countries and I’m always looking for the next place to explore. I became an activist at age 8, when I organized the students at my school to sign a petition to prevent the removal of the arts program. I later chose to pursue a career in the arts, working in IT to fill the gaps between gigs. Surprisingly, these jobs share numerous requirements - flexibility, improvisation, intense focus, and understanding of different structures and goals. After Trump was elected, I signed up to volunteer at DA, and I hope to continue helping to keep Democrats in office in the role of International Secretary. answer to this item.
I began volunteering with the Global IT Team. I felt right at home rolling up my sleeves and getting involved, thanks to the professionalism and openness of the team. The introduction of new platforms at DA led to the creation of new standards and procedures and I joined the helpdesk team, where I got to meet many DA volunteers. This also gave me the chance to find out how things in DA work, to see different global teams being built, and to understand some of the challenges and rewards that working as a volunteer at DA can bring. As Global Caucus Coordinator, I work with all 11 global caucuses to plan and execute events, build community, advocate, and coordinate with the Global ExCom. As new teams are built, I work closely with them to find their individual paths. My greatest achievement? Helping 3 new caucuses in the space of a few months to flourish – by giving them tools and information to reach their goals, and by keeping dialogue and the exchange of ideas open.
Enabling our volunteers and building well-supported, diverse, imaginative teams is crucial to getting out the Democratic Vote – and we can do it in numbers that we haven’t yet seen. DA should be a place of joy, excitement, and fun for the extraordinary volunteers who make things happen. As Secretary, I can help our teams get there. Our membership has grown and expanded, and our organization and teams have grown along with it – but so has the amount of work. We can simplify and improve our communications, procedures, and outreach without making our procedures burdensome and difficult. As Secretary, I plan to work with our Global ExCom to create an open environment for the exchange of ideas that also doesn’t flood our volunteers with unwanted messages. I’d like to help build out our systems so it's easier to get involved and easier to find information so that our volunteers can spend more time just doing the things that they volunteered for.
My first job was in IT for an international company. My team embodied the spirit of cooperation, thinking outside the box to find solutions for a rapidly growing company. I developed and ran user training for both the in-house lawyers and their staff, and was a lead in the pilot program to support overseas IT departments as the company expanded. I’m still doing this - for DA.
At DA, I've worn many hats. I am Global Caucus Coordinator, an IT Team member, and Global Events Team volunteer. As part of this, I've helped CCs in all regions, and aided the Global Comms and the State Teams too. I’ve worked with nearly all the organizing tools that DA uses and introduced a few as well. Success in 2024 depends on enabling the teams that use these programs, maximizing the synergies of these teams and their tools, and adapting a responsive approach to ensure we meet the milestones we set for ourselves.
The Democratic Party is a Big Tent Party, and as we grow, more diverse viewpoints enter our arena – and we should be inclusive. This is true of Democrats Abroad too. We need to find new ways to hold debate, discussion and share information in an inclusive and effective way. My priorities as Secretary will be to:
- simplify our internal communications platforms and create a virtual space for the exchange of ideas;
- help new leaders get oriented and find the tools they need - including key things like charter requirements, comms guidelines, training, and networking;
- keep dialogue within our organization open, fair and inclusive.
Observing our charter and respecting our own guidelines and rules isn’t always simple – but these are things that can be made easy with the right team and set of tools, and I intend to make this all more transparent and easy to follow – for any volunteer, no matter what their level.
We need a team of leaders who understand and have real experience in communications, team building, inclusivity, and planning to activate the overseas voters who are not our members. Our leaders must understand what makes voters tick. A well-coordinated team with a solid plan based on data, analytics, and a mission can make this happen.
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