Jason Rae, Co-Chair

In June 2004, Jason Rae was elected the youngest ever member of the Democratic National Committee, at the age of 17. Since his election, Rae has worked hard to increase voting participation among youth, as well as to ensure that the Democratic Party reaches out and involves the youngest generation of voters.

In addition to his role as a member of the DNC, he serves as the Co-Chair of the DNC's Youth Council and on the Board of Directors of Fair Wisconsin, the statewide LGBT rights organization in Wisconsin. In 2007, he was appointed by Governor Jim Doyle to serve on the Governor's Commission on the United Nations.

Rae is currently an associate at Nation Consulting in Milwaukee, WI. Prior to joining Nation Consulting, Rae had served as a public policy intern with People For the American Way and as a political intern with the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund. He has also worked for Herb Kohl for US Senate, among other campaigns.

Rae graduated from Marquette University in May 2009 with an Honors Bachelor's of Arts in Political Science and History. He currently lives on Milwaukee's East Side.

Amber Goodwin, Co-Chair

Amber has worked on Democratic presidential, national, state-wide, local electoral and advocacy campaigns for the eight years in over 30 different states.

Amber worked on Capitol Hill for Congressman Donald Payne and Congressman Robert Menendez before working for Grassroots Solutions consulting firm as a Campaign Camp Manager, where she helped to train thousands of local, state and national issue organizers,activists and campaign workers. She was the Community and Political Organizer for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) historic contract campaign for Justice for Janitors in Houston, TX and served as National Convention Director for the Young Democrats of America. In 2008, Amber was a field organizer in her home state of Texas for the Obama For America Presidential Campaign and currently serves as the Political Director for Organizing for America in Texas.

Amber is a youth advocate for mental health issues on college and post-graduate campuses and was appointed Secretary of the Democratic National Committee Youth Council and voted Texas Democratic Party Treasurer in 2008.

Amber Goodwin is a native of Midland, TX and former All-American Student Athlete at Florida State University, where she graduated in 2002.

Rick Cofer

Rick Cofer is an Austin attorney, community volunteer and Democratic activist. The youngest elected member of the Democratic National Committee from Texas, Rick also serves on the National DNC Youth Council and is an officer with the Capital City Young Democrats, secretary of the Texas Environmental Democrats, and was founder of UT Students for Obama. Before practicing law, Rick worked for five years in local, state and national political campaigns.

Rick earned a BA with honors in government and history and a law degree from the University of Texas at Austin. In addition to political activity he is a strong advocate for environmental responsibility, serving as the Vice Chair of the City of Austin Solid Waste Advisory Commission, Vice President of the Pecan Springs-Springdale Neighborhood Association and Chair of the Bag the Bags Coalition. He is involved in a variety of community organizations, including the board of Salvage Vanguard Theater and the organizing committee of the Austin Multiple Sclerosis Walk.

Phillip Gilfus

Phillip Gilfus, 29, of Fayetteville, North Carolina is serving his first four-year term as a Democratic National Committeeman from North Carolina. He is active Democrat at the local, state, and national level. Phillip graduated from East Carolina University in 2001, interned in the North Carolina State Senate, and joined the U.S. Army after the attacks of September 11, eventually reaching the rank of Captain. His served at Army's National Training Center in Fort Irwin, California and deployed in 2005 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom with the 1/25 Stryker Brigade Combat Team in Mosul, Iraq. He left the Army in 2006, returned to North Carolina, and began law school. Phillip holds various positions in his state and county Democratic party organizations. He is currently an attorney in his hometown of Fayetteville.

Jay Goyal

State Representative Jay Goyal (D-73rd District), first elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in November 2006, serves as the Majority Whip in the 128th Ohio General Assembly. Rep. Goyal proudly serves his hometown of Mansfield and other areas of Richland County in the Ohio House of Representatives. Elected at the age of 25, he is currently the youngest member of the Ohio General Assembly.

In his second term at the Ohio House of Representatives, Rep. Goyal has been appointed as the vice chair of the Faith-based Initiatives committee and member of the Veterans Affairs; Finance and Appropriations; and Economic Development committees, as well as the Agriculture subcommittee of Finance and Appropriations – a clear testament to his work ethic and diverse background. He has been appointed as a member of Ohio Governor Ted Strickland’s Auto Industry Recovery Council. He received the 2008 Elected Official Award from the District 5 Area Agency on Aging and received the Outstanding Legislator Award from the Fraternal Order of Police. He was one of two members of the Ohio House of Representatives selected by a bi-partisan panel to receive a fellowship for the Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development, and received the prestigious “Eagle Award” from the Ohio Civil Rights Commission for his historic achievements in politics. Rep. Goyal was selected as an Honorary Member of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society. He was also one of three members of the House of Representatives to serve on the 2009 Joint House-Senate Budget Conference Committee.

Rep. Goyal was named the 2007 Ohio Young Democrat of the Year and the 2005 Richland County Democrat of the Year. Additionally, he is an at-large member of the Democrat National Committee, a member of the Ohio Democrat Party Executive Committee and a member of the Richland County Democrat Party Central and Executive Committees.

After graduating from college, Rep. Goyal came home to become vice president of Goyal Industries, the manufacturing firm founded by his father. Rep. Goyal has been responsible for directing many key functions of the mass transit and passenger rail manufacturing business; coordinating the negotiation, purchasing, production, and installation of various projects; and expanding the company's market share to Boston, New York, and Chicago. Rep. Goyal has been an active member of the mass transit manufacturing community, serving with the American Railroad Engineering and Maintenance Association and as a working group chair to the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers Committee on Railroad Electrification.

Rep. Goyal’s sense of service extends far beyond the political realm. His work within Richland County includes a seat on the Board of Directors for the United Way of Richland County, the North Central State University Foundation, and the University and College Access Network. He has also served on the board for the Rehabilitation Center of North Central Ohio and as a member of the United Way’s Allocations and Community Relations Committees, the Richland County Citizens’ Vision Board, the Richland County Manufacturing Coalition, the Richland County Democrat Party, the Progress Industries Business Advisory Board, the Mansfield-Richland Chamber of Commerce, the Farm Bureau, and the National Federation of Independent Businesses.

Rep. Goyal graduated from Northwestern University with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering. Internships at General Motors Corporation and the National Cooperative Business Association supplemented his class work.

Anthony Graves

Anthony Graves is an elected member of the Democratic National Committee and was a National Obama Voting Delegate to the Democratic National Convention where he represented Colorado's First Congressional District.

A product of the Colorado experience, Anthony was raised on Colorado's Western Slope and spent his formative years in Denver where he attended public schools.  He graduated from  East High School and went on to earn his B.A. Degree from DePauw University in Greencastle, IN.  In 2004, he completed an International M.B.A. from the DANIELS College of Business at the University of Denver.  Professionally, Anthony has worn many hats.  In the corporate environment, he has held roles in international operations, marketing, management, strategic planning and development.  Anthony has also been invited to teach at the University of Denver as an adjunct professor and guest lecturer at the DANIELS College of Business.  He has delivered seminars on Cross Cultural Competence and Communication, Organizational Dynamics, Team Building and Leadership.  In October of 2006, he traveled to Albania and Montenegro for the University of Denver to teach in an experiential education program with Albanian and American students.  The program focused on international development issues and the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals.

Among his many passions, Anthony is dedicated to community outreach.  He has run leadership development programs for urban youth and is a guest lecturer at the Gilliam Youth Detention Center.  He has also served on several boards for non-profit organizations including the Rocky Mountain Children's Law Center – an organization that provides legal advocacy for children who have been abused and neglected, the French American Chamber of Commerce – a chamber that fosters business relationships between French companies and Rocky Mountain area businesses, Kappa Housing – an organization that provides affordable living options for senior citizens, the Sun Microsystems Foundation where he has served as an Ambassador to bridge the digital divide, the Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods Association - that advocates for safer neighborhoods and responsible development in Denver.

Anthony was appointed by the Honorable Governor Bill Ritter, Jr. to the Utility Consumer Board that advises the Office of Consumer Counsel on regulatory issues for Electricity and Telecommunications for the State of Colorado, and by the Honorable Mayor John Hickenlooper of Denver to the Denver Community Health Board that supervises all of the public health clinics in Denver County, and the Complete Count Sub Committee for the 2010 Census.  Anthony received the University of Denver's Community Service Award in 2009 bestowed by the Chancellor and was added to the Alumni Wall of Honor.  He is also a Charter member of the Rotary Club of Five Points Cultural-Historic District (Denver) and a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

Anthony and his wife Sakari enjoy skiing, biking and reading books together in their spare time.

Alex Cornell du Houx

Rep. Alex Cornell du Houx is serving his first term in Maine's House of Representatives. He grew up in the small town of Solon and attended Bowdoin College as a Mitchell Scholar. Cornell du Houx joined the Marine Reserves in 2002 and was deployed to Iraq with the Marines' Alpha Company in 2006 - spending a year patrolling the streets in and around Fallujah. After his return, Cornell du Houx continued his work serving the Maine communities through political and community service.

Rep. Cornell du Houx led a service trip to Guatemala with the program Safe Passage to help kids move from working in the city dump to gain an education. He also worked in Peru to help build a playground for children in Lima. At home, Cornell du Houx volunteered and serves on the board of Maine's Habitat for Humanity and volunteered in local schools for the past six years. He coaches lacrosse at Brunswick's Junior High School and conducted a year of service with AmeriCorps.

Rep. Cornell du Houx also worked for the Office of Health Policy and Finance and is working to promote green energy and jobs in his districts and across the sate. Cornell du Houx is also working to improve veterans' issues both in Maine and nationwide, including access to higher education and healthcare. He currently works with the Truman National Security Projects on National Security and energy issues.

Alex Flores

Alex Flores was born in Los Angeles, California and lives in Corrales, New Mexico. He started college at Macalester in St. Paul, Minnesota before retreating from the cold to Washington DC where he graduated Cum Laude from The George Washington University in the spring of 2008 with a degree in Public Policy. During his final two and a half years at school, he worked in the Political Department at People For the American Way where he worked with the C-4 and Political Action Committee campaigns. In New Mexico, he was one of the youngest ever appointed voting members of a statewide Democratic Party Committee - Platform and Resolutions. He is also a Young People For (YP4) Senior Fellow and graduate of YP4/People For the American Way's (PFAW's) Front Line Leaders Academy - a year-long campaign training program. He has consulted for campaigns and recently ran a successful "online draft campaign" to push his Congressman to run for the US Senate. He spent the summer of 2009 in Washington, DC as a Fellow in the Office of US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and then spent several weeks at the National Community Reinvestment Coalition. He was also recently appointed to the College Democrats of America National Policy Council and was elected as an At-Large Member of the Democratic National Committee Youth Council.

Meghan Gaffney

Meghan Gaffney Buck is currently Director of Political Operations with the Dover Group in Washington, DC. Prior to working at the Dover Group, Meghan worked with Majority Action, a Senate issue advocacy organization, where she raised and managed a budget of $4 million. Meghan’s experience also includes work in 2006 as a Regional Financial Services Director at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee where she oversaw fundraising for targeted races in 20 states in a region that spanned the country—from Michigan to Hawaii. She also has unique experience working on the ground in Congressional special elections in Ohio, Texas and California. Her background includes fundraising for the first ever early Presidential Caucus in Nevada, working with national issue advocacy organizations and building finance infrastructures for candidates and committees in CA,MO, NV, OH, PA.

Meghan was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, is a graduate of Saint Louis University and currently lives and works in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, DC.

Matt Glazer

Matt Glazer has worked on over 50 campaigns for candidates and non-profits and has been recognized by the Austin American Statesman with the Texas Social Media award. Matt¹s first major fore into online strategy was during the 2004 election were he worked on Generation Dean, an affiliate of the Howard Dean for President Campaign. During the next four years, he worked on a series of issue-based campaigns across the country including No Nonsense in November, New Voters Project, Corporate Accountability International, Alaska Coalition, and political races throughout Texas . Most recently, he served as the Communication Director for the Travis County Coordinated Campaign and a principal founder of TexBlog Pac. Apart from campaigns; Matt also currently serves as the editor of Burnt Orange Report and recent recipient of a 2009 Best of Austin award.

Asra Husain

Asra Husain is an attorney in the Madison area. She graduated from University of Illinois in 2009 with her J.D. During law school she served as the President of the National Democratic Law Students Council, also known as Law School Democrats. Prior to law school, Asra worked for President Barack Obama in his U.S. Senate office in Chicago as a Constituent Services Agent and the Asian American Outreach Coordinator. She also worked in Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky's district office in the same capacities. Asra was a delegate of the Illinois Women's Institute for Leadership's 2005 class and a graduate of the DNC's Campaign School. Asra also holds a Masters of Arts in political science and a Bachelors of Arts in political science, communications and international studies, both from Loyola University-Chicago.

Jonathan Padilla

Jonathan Padilla is from San Jose, California. HE was born and raised in the heart of Silicon Valley and have been active in Democratic politics since 2000. Jonathan has worked with Democrats from local races and groups to state level and national organizations as well. In the past he has lead the Young Democrats of America High School Caucus working to build a strong grassroots organization dedicated to getting Democrats elected and lobbying for progressive policy positions and is honored to represent the West on the DNC Youth Council and plans on advocating for increased representation for young people on the DNC and the party in general.

Jeffrey D. Richardson

From 2006 to 2008 Jeffrey D. Richardson served as Vice Chair of the DC Democratic Party, Member of DNC Youth Council, and member of the DNC LGBT Caucus, and currently serves as the President of the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, one of the oldest and largest LGBT Democratic political clubs in the country. Mr. Richardson is a graduate of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and The Howard University School of Social Work, and was formerly a researcher at Howard University’s DC-Baltimore Center on Child Health Disparities where his work focused on the development and evaluation of youth development strategies targeting the prevention of adolescent risk behavior with a specific focus on adolescent sexuality and youth civic engagement. He currently is working with non-profit organizations to leverage existing public private partnerships to support the development and implementation of out-of-school time youth programs in the District of Columbia that can be replicated nationally.