Officers
ROD SNYDER (WV), PRESIDENT
@RodSnyderWV
Rod Snyder has served as President of the Young Democrats of America since July 2010. He is a former President of the West Virginia Young Democrats and former YDA Mid-Atlantic Region Director.
Rod is a native of Jefferson County, West Virginia. He graduated in 2002 with honors from Eastern University near Philadelphia with a Bachelors degree in Political Science and currently works as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C. on agriculture policy.
He was a candidate for the West Virginia House of Delegates in 2004 and was named the state’s Outstanding Young Democrat of the Year in 2005. In 2008, he managed three successful campaigns in West Virginia, including the election of the youngest ever female legislator in the history of the state. Rod served on the Agriculture and RuralPolicy Advisory Committee for the 2008 Barack Obama for President campaign and has made appearances on MSNBC, Fox News, CBS News, BBC News, C-SPAN and Al Jazeera to provide political analysis.
In 2011, Rod was selected as a partner for the Truman National Security Project, and he recently traveled to Cairo to speak on the role of young people in the transition to democracy in Egypt. He also serves as a board member for the American Council of Young Political Leaders.
Rod is an accomplished singer-songwriter and was a semifinalist on season four of the television show American Idol. In 2006, he released his debut full-length album entitled “Leaving Hollywood Behind.”
COLMON ELRIDGE (KY), EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
@ColmonElridge
Vice-President Colmon Elridge has been involved in Kentucky politics for almost a decade. From working his way up from stuffing envelopes for House of Representatives candidate Scotty Baseler to introducing then Senator Barack Obama in Lexington in 2008, Colmon has worked tirelessly not only for Democratic candidates but for the values long held by our party.
Colmon is originally from Harrison County, Kentucky. He attended Transylvania University from 1999-2003 and while there served as state Vice-President, Communications Director, and President for the College Democrats of Kentucky. He also attended Eastern Kentucky University for his Master’s Degree and while there served as both the Executive Vice-President for the EKU SGA as well as the College Democrats President for EKU as well as the Vice President for the Madison County Young Democrats.
Colmon has been President of the Fayette County Young Democrats since December of 2006. Most recently Colmon was elected to serve as National Committeeman for the Kentucky Young Democrats which represents Kentucky on the national committee of state YD federations.
Colmon was appointed in December 2007 as the Executive Assistant to Governor Steve Beshear. Working on behalf of the people of Kentucky Colmon has championed expanding Children’s Health Care and education. Colmon also has the distinction of being the youngest Director of the White House Faith Based Initiatives in the nation having been appointed to that position by Governor Beshear in January 2008 at the age of 26.
“The political process is a great process but it need not be so divisive, Colmon says. I believe we can come to the table with our ideas and our passion about how to move our state and our nation forward, and while we might disagree on how to get there, we can agree that failure is no option. Our generation has an obligation to bring civility back to this process and once again restore hope to the millions of people who entrust in us the responsibility of making life better.”
KRISTIN ASCHENBRENNER (SD), VICE PRESIDENT
@Kristinaschen
Kristin Aschenbrenner of South Dakota was elected to the office of Vice President at the Young Democrats of America’s (YDA) 2011 biennial convention in Louisville, Kentucky.
Aschenbrenner was the founding president of the South Dakota Young Democrats and the first woman elected to serve as Chair of the State Presidents Association. She is also the first South Dakotan to ever serve as an officer for YDA.
Aschenbrenner currently works as a consultant in South Dakota working for both candidates and issue campaigns. Her clients have included Equality South Dakota and the South Dakota Advocacy Network for Women.
She currently resides in the beautiful Black Hills of Rapid City, South Dakota.
ATIMA OMARA-ALWALA (VA), VICE PRESIDENT
@atima_omara
Atima Omara-Alwala of Virginia was elected to the position of Vice President at the Young Democrats of America’s (YDA) 2011 biennial convention in Louisville, Kentucky.
Atima, has been an active member of YDA for the last seven years. She previously served as Director of the Mid-Atlantic Region for the last two years and before that served three years as the Chair of YDA’s Women’s Caucus. Atima has also served in state and local leadership within the Young Democrats, including state women’s caucus chair and national committeewoman in the Virginia Young Democrats.
A graduate of the University of Virginia, Atima has spent her time in politics and public service for the last eight years, working for 4 Congressional races, 2 state legislative races, for the unions and other progressive organizations. Currently, she is a graduate student at George Mason University pursuing a masters in public administration and works for a national disability rights group.
Atima, and her fiance Clay, live in Arlington, Virginia.
MIKE CORBETT (NY), VICE PRESIDENT
@VPCobett
Mike Corbett was elected to the position of Vice President at the 2011 YDA Biennial Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. Mike has been an active member of YDA for the past four and a half years. He served in the position of Labor Caucus Chair for the past two years. During his tenure, the caucus has continued it’s success of reaching out to labor and building bridges between unions and YDA. Mike has also served in state and local leadership within the young dems organization, including as Chief of Staff to two presidents of the New York State Young Democrats.
A third generation Teamster, Mike served as Trustee of Teamsters Local 814 in New York City from 2006-2009. Mike also represented his union at the 2006 Teamsters Convention as an Alternate Delegate. He is still working in the ranks as a commercial mover.
Mike Corbett was born, raised, and still lives in his beloved New York, NY at the only address he has ever called home.
MONTICA TALMADGE (NC), DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEEWOMAN
MATTHEW FRUTH (IL), DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEEMAN
EMILY ROBINSON (IL), SECRETARY
@MLEDawn
Emily Robinson, a native Michigander, moved to Chicago in 2004. Prior to her move to Chicago, Emily attended Hope College, graduating with B.A. in Political Science in 2004.
Upon her arrival in Chicago, Emily worked in the office of 1st Ward Alderman Manny Flores. In her spare time, working with then Committeeman Flores, she founded the 1st Ward Young Democrats. Emily helped build this chapter to one of the strongest chapters in Chicago. Emily also joined the Young Democrats of Cook County and the Young Democrats of Illinois. She served as Secretary in the Young Democrats of Cook County and National Committeewoman and Treasurer in the Young Democrats of Illinois.
Emily broadened her horizons attending Young Democrats of America meetings beginning in 2005. Emily has served as the Vice Chairman of the Rules & Charter Committee, Secretary of the Site Selection Committee, and also as a member of the 2009 Convention Committee.
Emily left Alderman Flores’ council office to pursue a legal career. Following her graduation from John Marshall Law School in January, 2010, Emily now practices law in Illinois as a government attorney.
Emily has brought increased transparency to the efforts of the Young Democrats of America by improving internal and external communication, effectively liaising with the YDA Communications Committee to improve the organization’s website, and providing the membership with expanded access to information.
JONATHAN PADILLA (CA), TREASURER
@DemocratJP
Jonathan Padilla serves as YDA’s Treasurer and youngest board member. He has spent six years in the Young Democrats of America, having attended his first national convention in 2005 in San Francisco, California.
Jonathan is an emerging leader in Democratic politics, the Latino community, and in his home state of California. He is currently a rising senior at Harvard College where he studies government and is writing a thesis examining how California’s Governors have used statewide referenda to set the public agenda.
Getting his start at 11 years old in 2000, Jonathan has worked on local, state, and national campaigns ranging from gubernatorial contests in California to senatorial matches in Massachusetts to offering support to high school outreach with Obama for America.
In YDA, Jonathan was the founder and first chair of the High School Caucus, bringing together students from across the nation to advocate for H.R. 5 and S. 7, which were eventually signed into law, cutting the interest rate on federally subsidized student loans in half. He was also the first chair of the YDA Community Service Committee, ensuring that
every state organization had a robust community service focus.
Outside of YDA, Jonathan has worked in House Appropriations with Congressman and DNC Vice-Chair Mike Honda. He has also served in White House Communications where he was on the team that handled the Gulf Oil Spill and Justice Kagan’s confirmation proceedings.
His most recent endeavors landed him at Google’s public policy team where he was an advocate for clean energy and an overall innovation agenda.
Serving as a Delegate to the California Democratic Party and as an At-Large Member of the DNC’s Youth Council, Jonathan has a broad range of experiences that have prepared him to serve as YDA’s Treasurer.
Beyond politics, Jonathan is active in community work with the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, a national nonprofit that seeks to advance the educational and leadership opportunities afforded to young Latinos and the Silicon Valley startup community where he has been involved with social media and technology ventures.
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