Name: Salli Swartz
Gender: Female
Residence: France
Office: International Counsel
Member since: Don’t remember…
Biography
Salli Anne Swartz is a Member of the Pennsylvania and Paris Bars, with specializations in the Law of International Relations and Commercial Law, is admitted to practice before the French Courts, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the U.S. Court of International Trade and the U.S. Supreme Court. She is the past Chair of the International Section of the American Bar Association and a member of “Femmes Business Angels”, Arbitral Women, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Advisory Board of the ABA Center for Human Rights, the Council of the International Legal Assistance Consortium and the ABA delegate to the United Nations Economic and Social Council. She has served as Counsel for four years to Democrats Abroad France, is currently DAF Vice Chair and is the Co-chair of the Democrats Abroad Global Women’s Caucus. She was a Hillary Clinton delegate to the Democrats Convention in July 2016.
Links to MYC video.
Describe your volunteer work with DA and cite your greatest DA accomplishment.
I have acted as Counsel for DAF for 4 years and in that capacity advised DAF on a number of legal issues pertaining to the attribution of voting rights, quorums, disputes with suppliers, disputes amongst leadership and other "delicate" issues. I would consider my two greatest DA accomplishments are getting elected to be a Hillary delegate and my role as Co Chair of the Global Women's Caucus. In the latter position and with my Co Chair, we have built up the membership of the caucus and have expanded its footprint on social media and created tools to assist the creation of new women's caucuses throughout the world. This not only increases membership in DA but it also promotes the good programs and educational materials which incite new people to join.
Why are you running for this office?
I have known and admired the former two International Counsels and they have inspired me to run for the office. I believe that I would be a reliable, responsive, diplomatic and good humored member of the Executive Committee and would add my legal and business expertise as needed to the legal issues facing DA and more generally to moving DA to the next level. I also want to make sure we take back Congress at midterms and want to lend my skills to that task at the highest level of DA.
How will your skill sets and experience contribute to DA’s success?
Having practiced international law for close to 40 years, having been very active in DAF for many years and having worked at the highest level of leadership within the American Bar Association's structure, I believe my legal , communication and associative skills would bring the Executive Committee and more generally DA a reliable, intelligent, responsive volunteer who has the time to give to DA and who likes working with like minded people. I know how to get people excited to join an organisation and I through the "birth" of my NGO I know how to organize groups and plan events
If elected what are the three top issues within DA you will work to affect and how?
Growth of youth and minority membership by being more nimble on social media and by using the emergency response team to help make our voice heard on issues as they arise. Mentoring of student/youth and minority potential leaders by establishing a mentoring program through our three regions. Getting an executive director and funding for DA. Obtaining funds for social media communications for GOTV, communication of what we are doing on cutting edge issues Ok I cheated and put in 4 top issues. Sorry.
What three planks/issues are you most passionate about to include in the DA 2020 Platform and why?
Women's health issues (abortion, birth control and maternity leave) because they are at risk; Citizen and nationality transmission rights for expatriate Americans because they are at risk; FATCA and Residence Based Taxation because as a group we are discriminated against by
What can Democrats Abroad do to increase its profile among voters globally and better work to elect Democrats?
Raise funding to increase our presence on social media and use social media for our statements on breaking issues and GOTV. Assure our presence when Democrats meet and make presentations of who we are and why we are an important group to which they should pay attention: "We can help you win your elections" Use data mining to reach out to Americans abroad via social media to inform them why we are relevant to their concerns and how we can help get their concerns expressed in Congress.
How can DA work best with the Democratic Party and the Democratic National Committee to represent the issues of Americans living abroad? What can be enhanced or improved in this relationship?
An electronic newsletter or some sort of electronic update that would go to the Democratic Party leadership once a month to educate them on the issues we face as Americans abroad, including what we are doing as DA and how we can work with them to progress solutions A sustained conversation with the Democratic leadership through scheduled, regular Webex or video conferences with the Democratic Party leadership. Giving the DNC and leadership a platform to speak and background information on our respective countries when they travel abroad in order to help them reach out to our membership and assist them in how they can be responsive to our membership's needs.
What will you do to grow DA and ensure greater overall participation by Chapter Members?
Create liaisons with schools to reach out to students and to youth groups to encourage growth of youth membership. Create a mentoring program for student/youth and minorities to help those who want to get involved .... Mentoring could be on a regional level by training and encouragement at our regional meetings.. We need to find a way to give them a voice so they have some reason to become members and stay involved. We need to make DA relevant to potential members by making it a "go to" organisation which offers much information and activism and requires very little to be a member ("just one click"). Give members an opportunity to be visible. Most people love seeing themselves in Articles, quotes, in posted pictures etc.
Endorsement from Gail Fagen
I am pleased to support Salli Swartz for International Counsel.
Salli, who has practiced law in Paris since 1979, is the quintessential American abroad. Her transnational career reflects concerns of Democrats Abroad that are especially pertinent in laying the groundwork for positions on issues regarding corruption and transparency, business and human rights, migration… She is also a noted speaker on these and other questions.
Salli is a longstanding member of DA France and is serving her second term as DAF Counsel. She was a delegate for Hilary Clinton at the 2016 Convention. She is presently co-chair of the DA Global Women’s Caucus. Together with Ann Hesse, she has guided an increase in participation and helped strengthen the Caucus’s communication tools. She’s a listener and consensus builder who knows how to take decisions.
Gail Ann Fagen
DA Italy Vice Chair
Endorsement from Maureen Harwood
Dear Leadership,
I am pleased to endorse Salli Swartz as Legal Counsel for Democrats Abroad. Sally has an impressive and rich CV covering 40 years of International Law practice, making her an ideal candidate to advise the Democratic Party overseas. Her pro bono work in Rule of Law is especially noteworthy, and clearly reflects the best of our shared Democratic values.
You may remember that Salli was appointed Co-Chair to the fledgling DA Global Women’s Caucus by Katie Solon, after Christine Mortitz resigned due to illness. Since then, Salli has established organizational procedures, recruited excellent leadership, significantly increased membership, and generated great enthusiasm for a Caucus that will assume a leading role in the burgeoning Resistance movement. She has the Canada Women’s Caucus up and running now.
As a practicing attorney, Salli has an excellent work ethic – she is reliable, prompt to respond, easy to get along with, and has Yankee common sense, which even the French admire!
I believe Salli will very ably take the place of our outgoing Counsel, Orlando Vidal, as he moves into his new role as DNC representative. I give her my full support, and hope you will as well.
Maureen Harwood
DA Canada –DA Vancouver Chapter Chair (former)
DPCA Voting Member
HR7038 Task Force Co-Chair
RBT Task Force
Endorsement from Tom Schmid
Dear DPCA Members,
I write to you to express my support for Salli Swartz’s candidacy for DPCA Counsel. I met Salli at a reception during the 2016 Global Meeting and Convention in Berlin. We shared a lot laughs over a few drinks, and I consider her a friend. While I have only known her for less than a year, Salli reached out to me before her visit to Tokyo last fall, and we had the opportunity to get together twice to shoot the breeze, talk about DA and the law.
Salli has tremendous international experience as a partner at Artus Wise in Paris and quite clearly has the competency to handle a wide variety of complex legal issues, as demonstrated by her broad legal practice and experience ranging from mergers and acquisitions to human rights. Having seen her in action at the American Bar Association International Law Section’s meeting in Tokyo, I can assure you that she is exceedingly well connected and well-liked by her peers.
Having chaired the International Law Section, she also possesses the leadership skills necessary to counsel a large international organization. Within DA, Salli has been a leader of the Women’s Caucus. In fact, just last month she joined our Asia-Pacific leadership call, and provided me with invaluable answers to questions I had about jump starting a Women’s Caucus in Japan, a task that has eluded my country committee for years.
There is no doubt that this letter is one of the most unusual I have ever written. Contrary to my intention when I nominated Salli for Counsel, I have since been nominated for Counsel as well and have gone through a very difficult process in which I decided to compete for the position. Yet at the same time, this was also one of the easiest letters I have ever written due to the high regard I have for Salli and her exemplary qualifications.
DPCA has had its share of personal conflicts and enmity in the past, and that is where we should leave them—in the past. With Donald Trump in the White House, we cannot afford to be divided. Within DPCA, it is important that we prioritize friendship, collegiality and respect for one another, recognizing that all of us who run for leadership positions do so because we believe in ourselves, our personal strengths, and ability to move our common agenda forward. As we saw with the DNC officer elections, our party is blessed with talent, as is DPCA, and we must be able to compete while remaining friends.
Thus, without reservation, I fully support Salli’s candidacy for DPCA Counsel, and I know we will be in excellent hands should she win.
Sincerely,
Tom Schmid
DPCA International Treasurer
Chair, Democrats Abroad Japan