The Democratic National Committee announced new officers elected during the DNC Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C., earlier today. Maria Elena Durazo and Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard were elected to serve as vice chairs, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake was elected to serve as secretary, and Henry R. Muñoz III was elected to serve as DNC national finance chair. These officers will serve alongside the following officers who will continue serving in their current roles: Donna Brazile, vice chair, voter registration and participation; Mayor RT Rybak, vice chair; Raymond Buckley, vice chair; and Andrew Tobias, treasurer. DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz was reelected to serve another term.
At the meeting, DNC members also honored the service of Alice Germond, who served as secretary; Jane Stetson, who served as national finance chair; and Congressman Mike Honda and Linda Chavez-Thompson, who both served as vice chairs.
“I am excited to serve alongside my fellow DNC officers as we continue the critical work of rebuilding our great nation under the leadership of President Barack Obama, and forging a stronger and more vibrant Democratic Party,” said DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz. “We are all committed to electing fair-minded leaders across the country who will support an agenda that continues to move this country forward. Together, we will keep building the country we’ve been fighting for—a country where all things remain possible,and where the American Dream is truly within reach for everyone, not just a lucky few.”
Biographical information on the DNC officers is below:
Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz – Chair
As the chair of the Democratic National Committee, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz works every day to advance President Obama's agenda and to elect Democratic candidates across the country. First elected to Congress in 2004, Rep. Wasserman Schultz has been a tireless advocate for Democratic values. Prior to becoming chair, Rep. Wasserman Schultz was DNC vice chair.
Mayor RT Rybak – Vice Chair
RT Rybak was reelected to serve as vice chair of the DNC. Mayor Rybak was elected mayor of Minneapolis in 2001 in his first run for public office and was overwhelmingly re-elected in 2005 and 2009. He was the first mayor of a large U.S. city to endorse President Obama's presidential campaign in early 2007. He is a strong voice for mayors within the party and an incredible surrogate for the President and Democrats.
Maria Elena Durazo – Vice Chair
Maria Elena Durazo will serve as vice chair of the DNC. The Democratic Party is the party that truly fights for America’s working families. Durazo’s years of service as executive secretary–treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, and her work as chair of the National AFL-CIO Immigration Committee, reaffirm our party’s steadfast commitment to American workers as we work toward immigration reform and the establishment of a path to citizenship to undocumented workers. In this role at the DNC, she will strengthen the already powerful bond between the DNC and our brothers and sisters in labor.
Donna Brazile – Vice Chair, Voter Registration and Participation
Donna Brazile was reelected to serve as vice chair of the DNC. Brazile is an adjunct professor, author, a syndicated columnist, and a political contributor. Prior to serving as vice chair of voter registration and participation, Brazile dedicated herself to strengthening the American democratic process as chair of the Democratic National Committee’s Voting Rights Institute, established in 2001 to help protect and promote the rights of all American citizens to participate in the electoral process.
Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard – Vice Chair
Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard will also serve as vice chair. Congresswoman Gabbard is the first American Samoan and Hindu member of Congress, and along with Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, she is also one of the first female combat veterans to serve in Congress. Her story is an inspiration, and her dedication to public service showcases the best of our party’s values.
Raymond Buckley – Vice Chair
Raymond Buckley will serve as vice chair of the DNC. Buckley was elected president of the Association of State Democratic Chairs on January 21, 2009. He has worked for numerous local, state and national campaigns, in addition to serving eight terms in the New Hampshire House of Representatives. He is the first openly gay politician to serve in that position. Pursuant to DNC bylaws, Buckley serves by virtue of being elected chair of ASDC.
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake – Secretary
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake will serve as secretary of the DNC. Mayor Rawlings-Blake was the youngest person ever elected to Baltimore’s City Council. She has made Baltimore a stronger city through her focus on improving public safety and education and strengthening city neighborhoods. Her leadership will help move our party forward and advance our longstanding commitment to education.
Henry R. Muñoz III – National Finance Committee Chair
Henry R. Muñoz III will serve as national finance committee chair. As chairman of the board and chief creative officer of Muñoz & Company, he leads one of the largest and oldest minority-owned design practices in the country. As national co-chairman of The Futuro Fund, he helped to facilitate a critical dialogue between the Latino community and the President’s reelection campaign. Ensuring that Democrats have the resources to fight for our shared values is a critical role the DNC plays, and Muñoz has both the experience and the tenacity to help Democrats win all across the country and at every level of government.
Andrew Tobias – Treasurer
Andrew Tobias will serve as treasurer of the DNC, continuing a role he has filled since 1999. Tobias was born and raised in New York, has written three New York Times best-sellers, and received the Gerald Loeb Award for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism, Harvard magazine's 1998 Smith-Weld Prize, and the Consumer Federation of America Media Service Award.