The 2023 DA Switzerland Zürich Chapter Annual General Meeting will take place in person on Sunday, March 12th!

We will be electing our leaders for 2023-25; they will guide us through our social, educational, and political events leading up to the 2024 Election.

Are you interested in attending? Please RSVP on the event page here.

Want to cast a ballot but not able to attend? Request a proxy form by emailing [email protected].

Tentative Agenda | Subject to Change

• Welcome
• Roll call
• Approval of the Minutes from the 2022 AGM
• "Year in Review" report
• Short descriptions of positions
• Thanks to outgoing officers
• Candidate elections
• Welcome to new officers
• Announcements/Upcoming events
• Adjourn
• Optional: DACH Zürich lunch

New Zürich Leadership to be Elected at AGM on March 12th

The DACH Zürich Nominations and Elections Committee is pleased to announce that the election of the 2023-25 Chapter Leadership will take place during the AGM on Sunday, March 12th, at the ETH AI Center in Oerlikon. The offices to be elected are:

1. Chair
2. Vice Chair
3. Secretary
4. Treasurer

We thank all those who came forward to present themselves as candidates. See their names and statements below, as well as offices still seeking candidates.

Voting Method

Meeting attendees who are DACH Zürich members as of Friday, March 10th, may vote. Ballots will be distributed to attendees at the meeting.

If you cannot participate in person, it is possible to vote by proxy. Request a proxy form from [email protected], identify a member you know who will attend, send a copy of your completed and signed proxy form to us by March 10th, and give the form to the designated member before the AGM. Any voter at the meeting may hold at most two proxies.

Voting by advance ballot will not be available.

Election Process

At the meeting, the offices will be elected one by one, in the order shown above. For offices with zero nominees, nominations for office may be made from the floor as write-in candidates. Floor nominees may be listed candidates who did not win their announced race and wish to run in another. All candidates will be given two minutes to address the members.

List of Candidates

Office: Chair

• Self-nomination: Apolonio Huerta
  • Candidate Statement:
    As an American living-abroad, I know full and well how politically, culturally, and socially disconnected one can feel while away from the U.S. It was an initial need for a feeling of community that first led me to DACH. I began participating in DACH events in fall 2021, in the middle of finishing my doctorate degree program and while still in the midst of the COVID pandemic. Admittedly, it was maybe not the best time to try out something new. However, I began to participate in DACH events more actively in spring of 2022 through the Youth Caucus. Since then, I have participated in several “Get out the Vote” campaigns, postcard sending parties and have assisted in scheduling or finding venues for Zürich DACH events. I found a great sense of service in being able to participate in these activities and in helping in the organization in whatever way possible. I strongly believe that increased voter engagement is vital for the functional our democracy. Having said this, I am not a senior member of the Zürich DACH team, but I am committed to its mission and hope to continue advancing the work of Kudah, and those that have come before me, as Chair of the DACH Zürich chapter. Some issues that are at the core of my political spirit are the strengthening of minority, reproductive, and LGBTQAI+ rights, addressing homelessness across the U.S., and in particular in my home state of California, and improving the educational system so that all American students have equal access to a high-quality education.
  • Bio:
    I am originally from San Diego, California and am currently registered to vote in California’s 48th congressional district. I received my B.Sc. in Biological Sciences from UC Riverside prior to leaving the U.S. for Germany in 2014. In Germany, I completed my M.Sc. and continued to Zürich in 2017 where I received my Ph.D. in Molecular Biology the Spring of 2021. After completing my Ph.D. I worked at a VC firm in Zürich as an investment associate and fellow looking at life science and digital health opportunities. Currently, I work at a U.S. based nonprofit agricultural research accelerator as their business development manager.
    
    Aside from my academic background, I am first-generation Mexican American and therefore can speak Spanish alongside conversational German. Some hobbies of mine include, going on river runs in Zürich, hiking the Swiss Alps, Karaoke, casual drinks with friends and traveling across Europe. Lastly, I am a resident of Zürich's 4th District where I live together with my husband.

Office: Vice Chair

• Self-nomination: Joe Amato
  • Candidate Statement:
    I have been active with DACH since the summer of 2019 and in 2020 became part of the Executive Committee as a member-at-large for which I served a 2-year term.  I have also participated on the Engagement team, Youth Caucus (although I am not so young), and have taken part in various Zurich chapter functions.  I have worked on many GOTV events, some that I organized and others that I assisted, some resulting in many registrations and others, not so many. I am very pleased to be able to do something as an American living in Switzerland to thwart the expansion of extremist MAGA fringe Republicans into local and national governmental positions.  I would like to become the Vice-chair of the DACH Zurich Chapter.
  • Bio:
    I was born and raised in Queens, New York City although I now vote out of Larimer County in northern Colorado. After graduating from Queens College with a BS and MS in Biology, I left the US in the early 1980s to work in international schools in Caracas, Bangkok, Tokyo, and Zurich.  I worked at Zurich International School from 2000 until 2020 as a Biology and Geography teacher and as an IB coordinator.  While in Japan, I earned an MA in Asian Studies.
    
    Since retiring at 65, I have been involved in a number of volunteer activities; leading an English language conversation group at a community center in Zurich, helping out in English classes at a local Sekundarschule, and proofreading for a Zurich museum. I also went back to work (a little) this year and teach an IB TOK class at a bilingual school in Wollerau.

Office: Secretary

• None

Office: Treasurer

• None

We encourage all DACH Zürich members to attend the election meeting on Sunday, March 12th, and to consider standing for one of the unfilled positions:

• Secretary
• Treasurer