The HMDDC Leadership Team is comprised of the HMDDC Chair and the Secretary, both elected by members of the Committee, and Vice Chairs selected by the Chair. The primary purpose of the Leadership Team is to assist the Chair in setting Committee priorities and strategies as well as assisting with the day-to-day administration of the Committee.
Chair—Richard Chew
Richard has been involved with HMDDC for almost 20 years. Most recently he served as Treasurer and Vice-Chair, Finance, He was elected Chair at the start of 2020. In addition to serving as Chair of HMDDC, he sits on the Steering Committee of FCDC.
Vice Chair, Strategy—Joanne Collins
Following up on her fantastic performance as Vice Chair, Precinct Operations (and more), Joanne will be working with the Leadership Team to establish strategies to WIN—how we win at the precinct level and across the Hunter Mill District. Joanne will also serve as our primary point of contact with candidates on strategies to win not only in Hunter Mill, but in other areas as well.
Vice-Chair, Communications—Kenny Bledsoe
Kenny is returning as the Vice Chair, Communications. In addition to serving as our elected Committee Secretary, Kenny will be working with the Leadership Team to manage our various channels of communication to Hunter Mill Democrats and the public. This includes “The Hunter Mill Democrat” (the HMDDC newsletter, sign up here); www.huntermilldemocrats.org, (the HMDDC website); and the HMDDC social media channels (which currently include Facebook and Twitter, @huntermilldems).
Vice Chair, Membership—Rachel Rice
Rachel is returning as the Vice Chair, Membership where last year she successfully managed, and survived, a tremendous influx of new member applications associated with the Fairfax County Public School Board endorsements. Rachel will serve as our primary interface with FCDC on membership matters, including processing new member applications, monitoring attendance requirements, and volunteer requests.
Vice Chair, Outreach—Shyamali Hauth
Shyamali is also a returning Vice Chair. As Vice Chair, Outreach, she is responsible for outreach to underserved and underrepresented communities in the Hunter Mill District, a task she excelled at over the last two years. Her responsibilities will include identifying target communities for outreach efforts and working with the Leadership Team to develop strategies for engaging these communities. Shyamali will be the face of HMDDC with individuals and key leaders in targeted communities with the goal to foster a positive image for Democrats in the Hunter Mill District. She will also continue her key role in promoting diversity within HMDDC to reflect the demographics of our district.
Vice Chair, Precinct Operations—Susan Pederson
Susan is a key member of the Leadership Team. Working with the Leadership Team, Susan develops operational plans to support the strategies put forth by the Leadership Team. These plans will include identifying and training leaders for each HMDDC precinct. They will also be involved in volunteer recruitment and assignments to meet our needs on Election Day and the campaign activities leading up to Election Day. Susan will also serve as our primary interface with the FCDC Precinct Operations Standing Committee.
Vice Chair, Finance (Treasurer)—Diana Smith
Diana is responsible for ensuring the Committee’s finances are in order. Her responsibilities will include working with the Chair and the Leadership team to establish an annual operational budget. She will be responsible for working with the FCDC Treasurer to obtain the monthly status (ledgers) capturing all reported revenue and expenses, and then updating the HMDDC financial report(s) as needed. Diana will provide a monthly status report to the Leadership Team and a quarterly report to the full Committee summarizing the financial health of the Committee. Diana will also be our primary interface with the FCDC Finance Standing Committee.