The Young Democrats of Washington is led by the President, with several Vice Presidents who each lead a Department. They all serve on the Executive Board, along with our National Committee representatives, and WSDCC Representative.
President
Lillian Ferraz
You can reach Lillian here.
Vice Presidents
Christopher Jackson, Executive Vice President
You can reach Christopher here.
Mayra Velazquez, Vice President of Operations
You can reach Mayra here.
Derrick Skaug, Vice President of Membership Engagement
I am a lifelong activist in the Democratic Party starting in 2008 when he caucused for Barack Obama at 17. My passions are focused on social justice, mental health and disability rights, equality, equity, and fighting for a better world. I believe strongly in the Democratic Party’s ability to be a force for positive change. I was President of the WSU Young Democrats from 2011-2012 and am currently the Secretary for the Spokane County Young Democrats. I have lived in Eastern Washington all my life and have worked in a volunteer or formal capacity on numerous campaigns. I was an Obama Delegate in 2012 to the DNC and have held various leadership positions in YDWA. I try to be accessible and kind to anyone looking to get involved. Currently I am the Deputy Campaign Manager for Naghmana Sherazi for Spokane City Council.
You can reach Derrick here.
Matthew R. Lang, Vice President of Government Affairs
You can reach Matthew here.
Geoff Long, Vice President of Communications
Geoff Long is excited to be serving in the role of Vice President of Communications for the Young Democrats of Washington. Geoff who is originally from Baltimore, Maryland is a proud alum of Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI has served in various roles within the organization. His previous stops include President of the Baltimore County Young Democrats and Treasurer of the Mid-Atlantic Region. He has a passion for being part of the solution and not the problem when it comes to the various issues that impact his community hence his passion for being part of the political process. He has spent considerable amount of time over the years mentoring the inner-city youth under the umbrella of his fraternity Phi Beta Sigma. Geoff is excited to be working with a team full of passionate individuals who share the same vision for a better Washington.
You can reach Geoff here.
Mike DeVine, Vice President of Technology
Mike DeVine (he/him) is a web developer based out of Kirkland. A native of Long Island, NY, he is often confused by the strange, friendly ways of the West Coast. Mike was raised in the suburbs along with his younger siblings, attended Suffolk County Community College after high school, and later transferred to Rochester Institute of Technology, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in New Media Interactive Development.
Mike worked for years with various government entities during his time living in Arlington, VA, but was only driven to take political action after the 2016 presidential election scared the complete hell out of him. He joined the Young Democrats because he believes that the problems our society faces are systemic, long-term, and will require a generational effort by individuals driven to secure a future for themselves, and for those who come after.
Mike also currently serves as chair of YDWA’s Nerd Caucus, is an elected Precinct Committee Officer (PCO), is the At-Large Director East for the King County Young Democrats, and is KCYD’s Representative and Tech Committee Chair for the 45th District Democrats.
When he’s not laboring over a hot MacBook, Mike enjoys playing and collecting retro video games, watching the Yankees, Mariners, and Padres, and playing badminton. He is also lucky enough to be cat-dad to Tails, the undisputed Best Cat of Washington State.
You can reach Mike here.
Party Affairs
The Party Affairs Department is lead by the Executive Vice President, who manages the relationships with the Democratic Party at all levels. All members of this department serve on the YDWA Executive Board.
Shayna Daitch, National Committee Representative
You can reach Shayna here.
Arne Nelson, National Committee Representative
Arne (he/him) was born in Tacoma and hails from Kitsap County (the traditional lands of the S’klallam, Suquamish, and other Coast Salish people). Raised here and in Pennsylvania, Arne has been a tenacious Democrat for years first knocking on doors to help Barack Obama win Pennsylvania in 2008.
He has previously served on the board as Executive Vice President, Current Affairs Director, and Chair of the Young Democrats of Kitsap County. He led efforts to redraft and update our Code of Conduct in previous terms, a Code of Conduct that now serves as a model for other Democratic groups across the country. Arne is excited to serve as one of our National Committee Representatives ensuring Washington is well represented at the national level and sharing his institutional knowledge with new board members.
A graduate of The Evergreen State College, Arne spent years working on campaigns across the country and now works for Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates supporting organizing efforts around reproductive rights in six states including Washington.
You can reach Arne here.
Nathaniel Block, Washington State Democratic Central Committee (WSDCC) Representative
You can reach Nathaniel here.
Elijah Rakha-Sheketoff, College Democrats of Washington (CDWA) President
You can reach Elijah here.