MYD Officer Application

To be voted on at the January MYD General Meeting

Submitted applications (not including contact information) will be
available on gomyd.com for the membership to view no later than one
week prior to the election.
Applicants must be a 2015 dues paying member
Please submit to president@gomyd.com no later than two weeks prior to the
January MYD General Meeting

Name:
Allison Kopf
Position Running For: President
E-Mail:
allison.kopf@gmail.com
Occupation: BrightFarms (www.brightfarms.com)
Twitter: @allisonkopf
MYD events attended in 2014:
General Meetings
Executive Board Meetings
Committee Meetings (Environmental, Econ, Education)
Engendering Progress
YGID
Internship Event
NYSYD State Convention Delegate
NYYR v. MYD Kickball Game
Food Chains Film Screening
Appropriations Committee Meetings
Working America Forum
NY Next Presser
Holiday Party
Please answer the following questions.
1) What is your vision for the Manhattan Young Democrats for 2015? Give some
concrete examples of initiatives you would like to undertake before the end of the
year.

With no major elections this year, we have the unique opportunity to focus on issues that
affect us as young Democrats in New York. I am focused on 7 critical paths to engage our
membership through the venues of social, issue based, and political involvement.
Social
1. Continue holding world-class events for our members.

2. Encourage member participation through transparent processes. Id like to include

budget information on our website and allow members to take a role in how we
allocate annual funds.
3. Increase our social media and digital presence. This could include expanding to live
streams of events for remote attenders, hosting live Q&A sessions on twitter with
influencers around the country, and creating meaningful digital content for and from
our members.
Issues
1. Coordinate and funnel issue committees into one legislative committee. This will
provide an avenue for a larger group to research, discuss, debate, and create
legislation.
2. This group will in turn focus on hosting educational events, panels, graphic
campaigns, etc., about the issues that matter to us, that inspire debate and action for
our membership as a whole.
Political
1. We will have elections for County Committee in 2015, which means we will be
focused on running the Open Seat Project this year. I will appoint a Director to
organize and maintain relationships with clubs and help our members get elected.
2. In 2014, we created a PAC to help us elect Democrats. This year, our organization
will coordinate with the PAC on issues that are important to us. Well have the
opportunity to not only create grassroots support for issues as outlined above, but
engage with the political process and turn ideas into passed legislation.
2) Why do you think youre a good fit? Please list relevant experiences you would
draw from and strengths you could bring to the position you are running for.

I have been actively involved with the Manhattan Young Democrats since 2011. I have
served as the Environmental Issues Committee Chair and this year, as the Vice President. I
love startups. I currently work for a venture-backed startup and understand how to organize
from a grassroots perspective. I intend to manage the organization like a startup. We will
set a vision for the year and empower members to take leadership over projects.
3) Serving on the executive board of MYD is a significant time commitment. How
committed will you be as a member -- how would you be able to fit your leadership
responsibilities within your current schedule? Please list your commitments outside
of your employment (i.e. leadership positions in other clubs).

Having been actively involved with the MYD since 2011 and having served on the Executive
Board as both an issue committee chair and an officer, I am familiar with the time
commitment necessary to be a leader within this organization.
I also serve on the Board of Directors for the Young Professionals in Energy and the New
York State Young Democrats.
4) What 3 (three) issues would you consider most important to New York?
Specifically to young New Yorkers, in 2015, I believe three important issues are:

1. Affordable Housing.
2. Job Security.
3. Criminal Justice Reform.
5) What do you see as the biggest challenge to engaging young voters? In broad
terms, how can we make changes to correct it?

I think young voters have a frayed belief in the system as a whole. There is a tremendous
lack of trust in our politicians, with scandals dominating press over good legislating. MYD is
a phenomenal organization in that it is a direct link between young voters and the system.
We have the unique opportunity to quell the distrust by both being transparent about the
existing system and building a better system that voters believe in. MYD is already making
a difference in changing the system, such as getting young democrats to run for office via
the Open Seat Project and having its membership draft policy reflecting the issues we, as
young voters, most care about.
6) (Optional) Is there anything else you think MYDs membership and leadership
should know about you before reviewing you application?

I would be honored to serve as your President this year. Thank you for consideration.