National Officers

 

Quentin is a lifelong resident of Saint Paul, Minnesota, and the current President of the Young Democrats of America (YDA). Quentin's first involvement in Democratic politics was in 2008 when he interned for Barack Obama's historic presidential campaign. After that initial experience, Quentin quickly became involved in his state’s Young Democrats’ chapter, the Minnesota Young DFL, and attended his first YDA event the following summer. Quentin was elected Secretary at the 2015 YDA National Convention in Los Angeles, California, and served in that role until 2019 when he was elected 1st Vice President. In addition to serving YDA as a national officer, Quentin is a past president of the Minnesota Young DFL and is the current Treasurer for his state chapter.

 

Outside of his leadership with YDA, currently works as a Partnerships Coordinator for the Office of Early Learning at St. Paul Public Schools and is a proud member of the Saint Paul Federation Educators. As someone who interacts with children, families, and educators on a daily basis, Quentin knows how consequential elections are; not only is our public education system under attack but the lack of attention and investment in communities, by both the state and federal governments, is having a substantial impact historically disenfranchised communities which is why we have to be prepared to win at the local, state, and national level. Before returning to the education field, Quentin worked professionally in electoral politics in both Minnesota and Ohio for nearly a decade and recently ran Planned Parenthood of Minnesota Action Fund paid field programs for the 2018 and 2020 election.

 

Quentin graduated from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies and recently graduated this summer from the Youth Development Leadership program at the University of Minnesota's School of Social Work where he also completed a graduate minor in Public Policy from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. If he’s not pursuing his dream of educating and guiding the next generation leaders, you can catch Quentin playing video games, working out, riding around Minneapolis-Saint Paul on his vintage Honda scooter, and spending time with his girlfriend, Rachel.

 

Terri Chapman, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, currently serves as the Executive Vice President of the Young Democrats of America. Terri is passionate about creating an organization that centers the voices of all members to ensure their needs are reflected at every juncture of YDA. Terri knows the members of YDA are what have made the organization what it is today, and is determined to make YDA a safe space for young people to express their beliefs and strengthen their values. Terri also understands that leading with inclusivity is key to building a sustainable organization, and she will continue to build on YDA’s efforts to create a welcoming community that provides a place for members to foster lasting relationships and build stronger leaders in the Democratic ecosystem.

 

Prior to serving in the role of Executive Vice President, Terri served as the Immediate Past 3rd Vice President of YDA where she advocated for Democratic issues, supported YDA’s chartered units working to elect Democrats in their own states and territories, and leveraged her resources to raise the necessary funds for the organization. In addition to serving as a YDA national officer, Terri has a long history of involvement with the Alabama Young Democrats— from serving as President, Vice President of Communications to currently serving as the Executive Vice President, Terri is committed to working as hard on behalf of Young Democrats in her state as she is across the country. In her home state of Alabama, Terri has been at the forefront of electing Democrats up and down the ballot and ensuring young people have a seat at the table. When it was recognized the Alabama Democratic Party did not have adequate youth representation, specifically BIPOC youth, Terri recruited BIPOC youth from across the state to demand a seat in the Alabama Democratic Party Youth Caucus.

 

Outside of her service with YDA, Terri works as the Community Engagement Manager for Mobility Capital Finance (MoCaFi), a black owned financial tech company that connects unbanked and underbanked communities to low to no cost financial services with the purpose of minimizing the financial wealth gap persistent in black and brown communities and providing the tools for creating generational wealth. Prior to joining MoCaFi, Terri worked as a governmental affairs professional for over eight years working on behalf of several local organizations and universities to help them further their legislative goals and facilitate relations with elected officials. Terri also worked on multiple state and local campaigns in Alabama, including Doug Jones’ Senate campaign, where she served as the Political Director for the Central Alabama region.

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Kolby was born and raised in small-town, southeast Texas and moved to Austin in 2013 to dedicate his life to becoming an unyielding reproductive justice, youth empowerment, and labor organizer. In 2019, he was elected as the first LGBTQ+ President of the Texas Young Democrats, an organization he had proudly served as a local chapter President, Membership Director, and Executive Vice President since 2015. In his campaign for the Presidency, Kolby ran openly as bipolar to decrease the stigma and barriers surrounding mental health and leadership, ushering in a new culture to the organization.

 

Kolby has represented Young Democrats on the Texas State Democratic Executive Committee since 2017 and served as the President of the NARAL Pro-Choice TX Foundation from 2016 through 2020. Two years ago, Kolby was appointed as the youngest Chair of the Messaging Committee in Texas Democratic Party history. He has a proven track record of ensuring that Young Dems aren't just given a seat at the table, but are heard loud and clear at the head of the table and in the halls of power.

 

As a county government employee and very active AFSCME Local 1624 union member, Kolby has worked for a locally elected Young Democrat on the campaign trail and in the judicial system since 2015. Outside of the organizing arena, Kolby tries to prioritize spending time with friends and family, including his role as a proud cat dad to his cat, Jerome.

 

 

Nnedi Stephens has served the members of the Young Democrats of America in a variety of different roles. Currently, they serve as the 2nd Vice President of the Young Democrats of America and one of the National Committee representatives for the Young Democrats of Nevada. They have also worked for the benefit of this organization as the Director of YDA Chapter Building, Southwest Region Representative to YDA Judicial Council, Treasurer of the YDA Rural Caucus and Southwest Regional Director for both the Black Caucus of YDA and YDA College Caucus. During their time serving on the YDA National Committee, they have worked with Young Democrats across the country to hold trainings on leveraging digital organizing and communications strategies for the benefit of YDA’s chartered units and have advocated for more diverse, equitable, and inclusive practices within the organization.

 

In their home state of Nevada, they revived the Black Caucus affiliated with the second largest county party, and started the Nevada Democratic Black Caucus, the first Statewide Black Caucus for the Nevada State Democratic Party (NSDP). They have created spaces for conversations around dismantling systems of oppression whether through trainings and film screenings for Democratic groups or by organizing candidate town halls and Q&As for the marginalized communities to ask questions of those seeking public office. They currently serve on the NSDP Executive Board and are the first openly LGBTQ+ Nigerian American to do so.

 

Nnedi is an IB Diploma recipient with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering with a Biomedical Emphasis and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish with a minor in Spanish Translation from the University of Nevada, Reno. She received the 2018 Youth Leadership/Service Award from the Northern Nevada Black Cultural Awareness Society and has worked on electoral campaigns and in public service to ensure that more and more marginalized communities have the space to make their voices heard. They currently work for Meso Solutions, a hiring agency working with progressive organizations to ensure equitable and inclusive hiring practices.

 

A native Ohioan, Spencer Dirrig was born and raised in Delaware County, just North of Columbus. A second-generation American, Spencer is a proud member of the Asian and Pacific Islander community. With a passion for democracy and human rights, Spencer is dedicated to the Young Democrats of America’s mission to bring the diverse and determined generation of young activists into the Democratic Party to move our party, and our nation, forward.

 

Spencer has been a dedicated member of the Young Democrats for years, serving in a number of roles on the local and national level. After serving a full term as Vice Chair of the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) Caucus, Spencer was elected as Chair of the Caucus in 2021. In this role, Spencer has worked to highlight the diversity of the API Caucus, expand the reach of the caucus through community building, and ensure that the caucus has strong infrastructure to grow and thrive in the future. As the Treasurer of the Franklin County Young Democrats, Ohio’s largest chapter, Spencer works to raise and manage funds to maximize the organization’s impact.

 

Spencer graduated from The Ohio State University with a B.A. in Political Science and a B.A. in Economics in 2019. An experienced political organizer, Spencer has managed numerous campaigns throughout Central Ohio on the local, state, and federal level. In his day job, Spencer serves as the Political Director of the Ohio Environmental Council and the Director of the OEC Action Fund PAC. In these roles, Spencer works to advance the critical mission to combat the climate crisis and achieve environmental justice for all Ohioans.

 

Spencer has a deep appreciation for the labor movement and the dignity of work. As a proud union member, Spencer was elected and serves as the President of Workers United Local 2843, representing a number of unionized nonprofit organizations across Ohio and Kentucky. Spencer also has the honor of serving as a member of the Stonewall Democrats of Central Ohio PAC board. Outside of politics, Spencer is also a USSF Soccer Referee and enjoys hiking with his dog, Saoirse.

 

 

 

A native Hoosier, Arielle Brandy was born and raised in the Rust Belt city of South Bend, IN, where she resides. A graduate of Indiana State University, she received her Bachelor's degree in Political Science with a concentration in Legal Studies. A proud Afro-Latina voting rights advocate and community organizer, she is passionate about empowering women, youth and BIPOC into leadership and mentoring. She has become her community’s go-to on policies impacting the Black & Brown communities, voting rights, voter registration and voter education. She is the co-founder of HOPE (Hoosiers Organized People Energized), a nonpartisan Indiana non-profit formed to register, engage and mobilize Indiana’s rising electorate. She is currently the Executive Director of I Vote For, a female-led non- partisan charitable initiative built to sustain voter empowerment and engagement beyond any one election cycle or candidate. She is also co-founder of Vote Safe Indiana, a bipartisan non-profit with the mission of improving Safe Voting Rules amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

 

Arielle was most recently the Indiana State Director for the Pete for America Campaign. As State Director alongside her Pete for Indiana team, she led volunteer & voter outreach efforts throughout the state to help drive success in each Early State primary and build a strong coalition of elected officials, candidates, party official support for Pete Buttigieg in the state of Indiana. Arielle spearheaded national surrogate programs to include voices of supporters/validators from South Bend & Indiana. She also traveled across the country as a National surrogate speaking directly about Pete’s leadership as her Mayor, advocating for Pete’s policies that would directly improve the lives of Black & Brown America ultimately leading Mayor Pete to be nominated Secretary of Transportation under the Biden Administration. 

 

Before hitting the national campaign trail, Arielle led the exploratory committee as Political Director for Senator Eddie Melton’s bid for Indiana Governor. For 3 years, Arielle served as the Democratic Board Member of Voter Registration for St. Joseph County. As an Election Administrator her work around voting accessibility during the 2018 midterms was showcased as a final Top 10 short film documentary at the University of Norte Dame. 

 

Arielle has served as a Regional Field Director in 2016 for the Indiana Democratic Party Coordinated Campaign for John Gregg for Governor, Evan Bayh for U.S Senate and Lynn Coleman for Congress in the 2nd Congressional District. As an organizer in 2016, she co-founded the St. Joseph County African American Democratic Coalition alongside the counties most prominent Black women in activism, civil rights, elected office and Democratic Party politics. Advocating for issues that affect the Black & Brown community through community forums and initiatives, she strives everyday to bridge the gap between government and the community. 

 

Since 2011, Arielle has served the state of Indiana as an Executive Board Member for Indiana Young Democrats. She is currently serving her second term as the state’s 1st Afro-Latina President of IYD and previously has served two terms as National Committeewoman, VP of Equity and Inclusion and 2nd District Chair. In 2019, Arielle was appointed to serve on the Young Democrats of America National Convention planning committee, overseeing the convention’s training, speakers and panel discussions that brought over 1,000 Young Democrats, Presidential candidates and national trainers from all over the country to Indianapolis, IN. 

 

 Standing strong with women’s rights and advocating for women’s healthcare accessibility &  policies, she now serves on the Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest/Hawaii Board and is a member on the Planned Parenthood Advocates of Indiana/Kentucky Political Action Committee (PPINK PAC). A graduate from the inaugural class of Hoosier Women Forward, a Democratic women’s leadership organization, Arielle now serves as the Alumnae Chair on the HWF board helping women across the state of Indiana get elected into office, hold leadership positions, find their purpose and have a seat at every table. She leads the alumnae programming and continued education and training of over 65 Democrat women.

 

Arielle was awarded City of South Bend & SBCSC Hispanic Heritage Month’s Latino Leaders Award in 2020 and ‘Leader Under 40’ by Mayor Pete Buttigieg and the City of South Bend in 2019.  She serves her South Bend community as Deputy Chair of the St. Joseph County Democratic Party, a member of Latino Young Professionals Network and a Press committee member of ‘Not In My Community’ Campaign- combating the use and distribution of synthetic drugs in her community.  

 

A full time single mother to two beautiful daughters, Arielle strives to ensure that our communities are educated, empowered, full of diverse leadership and inclusive policies not only now but for future generations to come. 
 

 

Mohammed, known to many as Tazbir, is currently the Treasurer and most recently served as the 2nd Vice President of the Young Democrats of America (YDA). During his tenure as a national officer, he has focused primarily on building relationships with various political, policy-oriented, and voter outreach organizations. In addition, Tazbir has furthered our relationship with the Democratic National Committee and leveraged his contacts to raise funds for YDA operations. He has a long history of Young Democrat leadership experience, including his previous tenure as the President of the Manhattan Young Democrats and National Committee Representative for the New York State Young Democrats, and in his current capacity on the DNC Youth Council.

 

Outside his work with YDA and the DNC, Tazbir graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in political science and government from the Colin Powell School at the City College of New York. During his undergraduate education, he was involved in several political activities from internships and fellowships at the White House, U.S. House of Representative, U.S. Senate, and with the New York State Attorney General, along with working on many campaigns ranging from presidential to local races. Upon graduation, he worked as an External Affairs Manager for the Center for Court Innovation, a criminal justice reform non-profit.

 

Soon after he attended the University at Buffalo School of Law and gained experiences working for the New York State Attorney General, the Community Justice Clinic at the law school focusing on immigration cases, and with the Enforcement Department of FINRA. He also served as a Constitutional Law Teaching Fellow. Since graduating he passed the New York bar and works for a law firm in New York.

 

A native and current resident of Los Angeles County and the proud son of two Mexican immigrants, Dunixi currently serves as 3rd Vice-President of the Young Democrats of America. He has passion for creating a more diverse, welcoming, and inclusive YDA so that any voice that wants to be at the table has a place. Dunixi understands that Labor’s home is the Democratic Party, because of this he fights to make sure young workers are a prominent voice in YDA.  He has been an active part of YDA’s International Affairs Committee so that YDA has a positive impact in developing youth democratic leaders around the globe.

Dunixi brings a diverse range of political leadership experience to the table. He proudly served as Immediate Past Treasurer of YDA, the President and Chief of Staff of the Nebraska Young Democrats (NYD), Secretary of YDA’s (former) State President’s Association (currently known as the Association of Chartered Units Presidents), Chair and Secretary of YDA’s Budget Committee, as well as the Midwest Regional Treasurer. He has also served on the Executive Committee and State Central Committee of the Nebraska Democratic Party, as well as an associate member of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party. Dunixi is also a Delegate to The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor.

In his day job, Dunixi has the honor of being a Political Organizer for SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, where he empowers nearly 100,000 Healthcare Workers across the State of California. With nearly a decade of experience as a political campaigner, he has fought to elect Democrats everywhere— the red and blue, the rural and urban, and the safe and swing parts of this country. Dunixi studied Political Science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Go Big Red) where he fell in love with Cornhusker football and the best steaks in the country!

 

Stephanie Campanha Wheaton is a first-generation American, raised in New Jersey and Pennsylvania but very much a New Yorker. She currently serves as the Chair of the Site Selection Committee and Meetings Director of the Yong Democrats of America (YDA). Her middle name means “campaign” in Portuguese and she got her start rallying for candidates in her parent's home country of Brasil and eventually went on to study political science at Boston University. She has served on the board of her home chapter of the Brooklyn Young Democrats and as National Committee Representative and Meetings Director for the New York State Young Democrats. She also served as Meetings Director for YDA from 2019-2021 and acted as the Chair of the Convention Planning Committee for the Cincinnati Convention. 

She is dedicated to public service and has worked in government for the majority of her career - mostly for Attorney General Letitia James. She also worked as the Senior National Surrogate Scheduler on the Bernie 2020 Presidential campaign - the first national campaign to unionize their staff. She is currently a member of SSEU 371 and works in the Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment. She is deeply dedicated to progressive politics and ensuring a lasting legacy for YDA because she knows that we must leave this organization better for those who come next. 

She resides in Brooklyn, NY with her husband, a paramedic for the Fire Department of New York, and her two cats, River and Rio.