Matt LeMieux
DAG DPCA Voting Representative Candidate
Gender: (M)
For the past five years, I have been an active member of DA Germany at both the local and national level. Locally, my involvement began when I co-founded the Münster precinct, which at its inception was part of the NRW chapter. The precinct eventually was elevated to a chapter, and I was selected by our new local group to be its first chair. This has led to my increased involvement at the national DAG level, primarily as a member of the DAG Executive Committee and an active organizer of local DAG phonebanking campaigns. During this past election cycle, I also became indirectly active at the international level when I was asked to join the VoteFromAbroad Voter Help Desk. This allowed me to interact with and assist hundreds of Americans worldwide with their ballot requests. I am not sure whether these experiences make me somehow uniquely qualified to represent DAG at the international level, but I am sure that they will allow me to cast informed votes that are in the best interest of all DAG levels and Democrats Abroad in general.
DAG Chapter Development Coordinator Candidate
Five years ago, I helped establish the Münster precinct, which a few years later blossomed into the Münster/Osnabrück chapter. I have served as both a precinct captain and chapter chair, and in these roles I helped cultivate a core group of committed volunteers. In running for this position, my main objective is to organize a support structure our local leaders can use to successfully meet the challenges and demands that come with being active in a volunteer organization. To quickly integrate our new leaders into our ever growing DA family, I will establish a mentoring program where they are paired with an experienced leader in a similarly sized chapter or precinct. In addition to facilitating communication between chapters and precincts, I will actively identify effective chapter/precinct level practices and successful event ideas, and then repackage these into something that can be easily implemented in other chapters/precincts. To this end, I will create a clearinghouse of ready to go event/meeting ideas, as well as best practices. Finally, as the Chapter Development person I will take it upon myself to pinpoint and, with help of our ExecComm team, fulfill leadership training needs. My experience of being a new leader at both the precinct and chapter level has given me ample time to consider ideas about what local leaders need to assist them with their already challenging and often demanding tasks. I now would enjoy having the opportunity to put some of those ideas into practice.
Micayla Smith
DAG Chapter Development Coordinator Candidate and DAG DPCA Voting Representative Candidate
Gender: (F)
Hello everyone! My name is Micayla (She/ Her). Born in 1996 & raised in Tacoma, Washington, I have been calling Berlin home since 2017. For the last few years, I have been active with local organizations supporting migrant families in Berlin and a grassroots project providing procedural/ legal advice/ counselling to migrants experiencing police harassment. I care deeply about migratory issues, socio-economic inequalities, gender politics and the climate crisis. These issues are timely and deeply interconnected. This spring, I will graduate with an MA in Political Economy of European Integration. Studying the European multi-level governance, vast accomplishments of the welfare state in Europe, I have gained new outlooks on good governance and efficient polities. The regional politics I am involved in have led me to think internationally and run for DPCA Voting Rep. As a DPCA Voting Rep, I would activate our national board on said social issues, be a voice for other young people and bring about a future the common folx want & need. The U.S. is experiencing social, political and ideological transitions right now. DAG is a suitable space for those abroad to discuss, mobilize and collaborate on issues affecting us all. My newness to the Democrats Abroad Germany is an opportunity to contribute fresh eyes and innovative ideas to a team of Visionaries. Together we can harness democratic progressivism with passion for a sustainable and equitable future. If you would like to follow up for a chat or have any questions, please contact me at [email protected] Thanks for your consideration & I look forward to serving as a DAG DPCA Voting Representative!