The nomination period for the DA France Brittany Chapter elections is now closed. Members of the Brittany Chapter will receive a ballot by email, and electronic voting will end on March 14 at midnight.
The Election Board is pleased to announce the candidates!
Candidates for Chair
Greg Sadlek, candidate for Chair of Democrats Abroad Brittany
Hi! I’m Greg Sadlek, and I’m running for Chair of the Brittany Chapter of Democrats Abroad. I have been an active member of DA since 2020, when I moved to France. A recently retired professor of English language and literature, I served at a private American college and two public urban universities. I would bring to this position advanced communication and organizational skills. I would also bring significant leadership experience, having served as department chairperson (6 years), a chapter president of a campus faculty union (1 year), a faculty senate president (2 years), and a dean of a large and complex college of arts, humanities, and social sciences (14 years). It is more important than ever for Americans living abroad to be involved in our civic life and help ensure that the Democratic Party continues to guide our government toward a more just and inclusive American democracy as well as a robust, green, economy. DA’s efforts are critical to that process. Working with chapter members, I will continue to improve the vitality of the chapter by expanding opportunities to support Democrats living in Brittany and, most importantly, by encouraging a larger percentage of our fellow American citizens to vote.
Candidates for Vice Chair
Aimee Johansen, candidate for Vice Chair of Democrats Abroad Brittany
Having served as the Brittany chapter's vice chair since 2021, I would like to run for this position again. I became involved in Democrats Abroad in the months leading up to the 2020 elections, mostly participating in phonebanking, sending postcards, and sharing information on social media, but I also had the opportunity to represent Democrats Abroad France during election night TV coverage. I contributed to the 2022 midterm Get Out The Vote effort in the same ways, and also served as part of the team fielding voter questions that came in through Vote From Abroad and the phonebanking efforts.
As vice chair, I organized our first in-person event, a brunch at a member's home in Brest. I hope to organize more such events in the future with the chapter chair, and also work with the sub-chapters to offer more in-person events throughout our chapter, which is geographically very spread out. My experience in the past two national elections helped me understand the various strategies employed by Democrats Abroad to Get Out The Vote. I would like to work with the chapter chair to bring more members into more active participation, and help get members involved in GOTV efforts, even if they don’t have a lot of time to commit, with low-commitment activities like postcarding.
Candidates for Communications Officer
Philippe Argouarch, candidate for Democrats Abroad Brittany Communications Officer
Although born in France in 1949, I am a US citizen living in Brittany since 2007. I did most of my professional career in the US, in California (more than 20 years). Today I am retired, but I still have activities in the regional press. I created the web media Agence Bretagne Presse and last January I launched the first Breton web media entirely in English: Brittany News http://news.bzh. In the US, I worked as an engineer at Stanford linear accelerator center (SLAC), and then as a software engineer for starts-ups and for the Wells Fargo Bank. Living in France I am always astonished by anti-American French statements in the press or in conversations. I try to rectify things when reading fake news on social networks and often point out that France and the USA are allied since the famous battle of Yorktown. Last January, I co-organized a seminar in Rennes about Colonel Armand, the Breton marquis Armand Tuffin de la Rouërie, hero of the independence war and friend of George Washington.
I still vote in the US, and always as a Democrat. Joe Biden’s firm stand on the Ukraine aggression by Russia makes me very proud to be a Democrat and a firm advocate for democracy everywhere. OK I am 74 but Joe Biden is 80 and doing a good job!
Candidates for GOTV Coordinator
Tanya G. De Menou Chacon, candidate for Democrats Abroad Brittany GOTV Coordinator
My first experience as a political volunteer was about 18 years ago when I helped register voters in central Kansas. I volunteered in the campaign for Hon. Delia Garcia, who became the state representative in Wichita, KS for the democratic party. She currently works for the U.S. Department of Labor as a Lead Diversity Equity & Inclusion Officer. This volunteer experience was eye-opening, because I was helping the minority Hispanic community get involved and informing them of their local representatives. From then, I realized we make a difference by engaging with people in-person and motivating them to become part of a political movement. A little about me, I am originally from Dodge City, KS, where I graduated from high school and went to community college. After, I moved to Austin, TX, where I resided for nine years, and living there I got my degree in Surgical Technology and then went back to school again to get my bachelors degree at Saint Edward's University. I studied abroad for a semester in Angers, and while I lived there, I met my loving husband. Three years ago I decided to be with my French husband and moved to Nantes. Currently I work as a part-time English teacher for Diderot: a nutrition and environmental school. However, I am still seeking a job as a medical salesperson within an American medical device company. Overall, living as a democrat abroad, I want to be proud of my country of origin and I believe it's still important to be involved in U.S. politics.
Looking forward to becoming a part of the Brittany chapter.
Candidates for Member-at-Large
Francoise Rolland, candidate for Democrats Abroad Brittany Member-at-Large
As a lifelong US democratic voter now retired in my native Finistère, I am interested in serving the DA’s Brittany chapter as a member-at-large.
I hold dual citizenship both in the US and France. Born and raised in France, I have worked in the US for over thirty years as a French language and literature faculty member in both high schools and colleges. I also worked as a program coordinator for a nonprofit organization in the area of public arts education. Over the course of my career, I have organized a number of educational events, including an undergraduate study group in Paris and made several presentations at national and international conferences. I also have served on the Governing Board of a French Alliance chapter in the US. My interest in serving the DA’s Brittany chapter is quite simple. I am committed to doing my part to protect the democratic process that can afford all of us the promise of a better country. I thank you for your consideration.
Alan Compagnon, candidate for Democrats Abroad Brittany Member-at-Large
I am running for the position of Member at Large. I have most recently served as chair of the Brittany chapter and prior to that I served as vice-chair. Under my leadership, the chapter has grown and now includes 3 sub-chapters (Lannion, Rennes and Angers). There is much work to be done to solidify the Brittany chapter. I would like to remain a member of the chapter leadership to offer whatever assistance I can. Thank you for your support.
All members of the DAF Brittany Chapter may vote in the leadership elections. The elections will be decided by a plurality of votes (the candidate who gets the most votes in the election wins). DAF does not accept proxy votes. The ballot includes a space for write-in candidates for all positions.
New members are welcome to join and vote. To join: www.democratsabroad.org/join. You must be a US citizen 18 years of age or older by Nov. 7, 2023. New members may join up until the day before the election.
Questions? Please contact the DA France Brittany Chapter Election Board at:
Thank you for voting!
DAF Brittany Chapter Election Board