Since 2003, America Votes has built a diverse and lasting coalition of issue organizations working to achieve our common goals.
The fight for America’s future is always in motion – and so are we. America Votes works year-round to ensure there is never a gap in the progressive community’s efforts to build on our successes.
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Deputy State Director
Deputy State Director
Valerie Barnhart is the Deputy State Director at AV Georgia. Val has over a decade of experience in the Labor movement working on coordinated and independent electoral campaigns. Val lives in Atlanta and enjoys adventures with their dog, Mercy.
National Operations Director
National Operations Director
Rahel is the National Operations Director, a new role created to serve the growing America Votes staff and the myriad responsibilities associated with the Finance, Human Resources and Information Technology. Her background includes over 5 years of organizing for change in Brooklyn, NY with the Democratic Socialists of America, serving as the Co-chair for 3 years, orienting newly politicized members and canvassing for local candidates.
State Director
State Director
Ashlei Blue is the North Carolina state director for America Votes. Her career has focused on fighting voter suppression and gerrymandering. She loves supporting Southern organizers, writing songs and storm chasing. Ashlei is from the All-American city, Fayetteville, N.C.
State Director
State Director
Rachel Bowman is the State Director at America Votes Ohio. Rachel has worked in progressive politics for ten years, including as a field organizer for Obama for America, field director for the DFL House Caucus, digital director for Moms Demand Action, and program director at For Our Future Ohio. She is a passionate trainer and field expert. Rachel is a New Leaders Council Columbus 2020 alum and current board member. When she’s not working to create progressive change, she’s taking her rescue mutt, Emma, to a park in Columbus, Ohio.
State Director
State Director
Carol works with her team to grow the progressive movement and elect good people up and down the ballot in Pennsylvania. Before joining America Votes, she worked in the labor movement, most recently as the executive director of the Southeastern PA AFL-CIO.
Program Director
Program Director
Chelsea Castellano is the Colorado Program Director at America Votes. Her background includes leading and organizing grassroots ballot measure campaigns to reform exclusionary housing laws and increase voter turnout and equal representation in local elections. She’s worked on campaigns to support progressive candidates and spent eight years developing climate policy and programming at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. She grew up in NJ, is an avid (albeit not talented) pickleball player, and enjoys concerts, coffee, and paddleboarding on high alpine lakes.
Communications Director
Communications Director
Prior to joining the Maine Votes team, Amy served as the communications director for Planned Parenthood in Maine, an MV steering committee member. A voracious reader, Amy usually has a book in her bag. When not working, she loves to travel & dance (lindy hop is her favorite).
State Director
State Director
Kate is the New Hampshire state director at America Votes. She also serves on the board of the ACLU NH, is an identical triplet and lives in Manchester with her husband and three young sons.
Deputy State Director
Deputy State Director
Nervahna Crew was raised in Wilmington, Delaware. She earned a BA in Sociology: Criminal Justice in 2002 from Delaware State University. A couple years after graduating, she decided she needed a change of scenery. In 2004, she found that place, and relocated to Raleigh, North Carolina. She has an extreme love for Raleigh and appreciates the beauty it offers not only for herself, but for her son Randall. She previously served on the Wake County Democratic party as Secretary from 2014-2017. In 2020, she served as a North Carolina Regional Political Director for the Biden/Harris campaign. In November 2018, she was elected to office to serve as Wake County’s first African American female Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor. Nervahna is currently the Deputy State Director for America Votes North Carolina.
Florida Director of Voting Rights
Florida Director of Voting Rights
Davis entered politics in May 2016 as a field organizer for the Florida Democratic Party, the first of three roles of increasing import he held with the group over four-plus years. He ran the election campaigns of Gainesville state Rep. Yvonne Hinson, Iowa state Sen. Nate Boulton, former St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman and former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine. After working one year as Tampa state Rep. Dianne Hart’s first legislative aide and serving as a director for the Florida Democrats, he accepted a job offer in December 2020 to be The Chief of Staff to state Senator Shevrin Jones. In a state with a growing voter imbalance favoring the GOP, which controls 70% of the Legislature, it’s been nothing but uphill battles for Davis and the Democratic politicians for whom he’s worked. That won’t change with the new job. But if the odds not being in his favor bothers Davis, a self-professed “advocate for the underdog,” he’s not letting on.
Executive Director
Executive Director
Daria Dawson is the Executive Director of America Votes. Her 15-year career includes positions in the labor movement and issue/electoral campaigns. She is a graduate of the greatest HBCU in the world, Florida A&M University and cheers shamelessly for the NY Yankees.
State Director
State Director
LaNiesha has worked primarily with communities of color to build political power. Prior to working for Nevada’s Governor, LaNiesha was the Deputy State Director for NV For Our Future, Deputy Field Director for Hillary for America and Youth Vote Coordinator for Obama for America.
12/18/2023
December 18, 2023 CONTACT: press@americavotes.org WASHINGTON – America Votes today announced Daria Dawson as the organization’s new Executive Director. Dawson has served as America Votes’ National Political Director and Deputy Executive Director since 2020, leading the organization’s work to grow and mobilize their coalition of more than 400 partners across the country. “As we… Read more »
11/08/2023
WASHINGTON – The America Votes Executive Team today issued the following statement on the results of the 2023 elections: “The 2023 election results showed once again that when the stakes are clear, Americans will show up to protect our civil rights and freedoms. This election demonstrated yet again that when we organize and do the… Read more »
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RT @DariaCharlei: “Why should your life be only about you?” Sending much ❤️❤️ and strength to @AmericaVotes Founding President Cecile Ric…