MYD Officer Application

Name:
Leslie Herman
Position Running For: Secretary
E-Mail: lrherman@me.com
Occupation: Program Coordinator at CAI (caiglobal.org)
Twitter: @lr_herman
MYD

events attended in 2014:

General Meetings
Womens Committee Meetings
Engendering Progress
Young Gets It Done
NYYR v. MYD Kickball Game
Food Chains Film Screening
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.
My vision is to improve the public image and external communications for
MYD in 2015. I have previous experience with this as the Communications
Director for the Young Democrats of Atlanta, where I sent out a detailed
newsletter to over 900 people on a weekly basis. I would also like to improve
our other online presence through a strategic redesign of our website to
make it more streamlined and easier for those new to the organization to
find their niche. I would also like to work with other Officers and Members to
increase our earned media.
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 am a great fit for the role of secretary because I am levelheaded, organized,
task-oriented and passionate about Democratic politics. Having served for
two years on the Executive Board of YDAtl, I am familiar with how another
successful Young Democrats groups operated, especially in a tough political
environment. I have campaign experience, both as a volunteer and as a
staffer, which has given me an inside look at what success and failure in

politics looks like. I have also worked at non-profit advocacy organizations

where I was able to learn the art of lobbying and how best to work with
elected officials to move policy forward. These experiences, combined with
my background in event planning, will make me a valuable member of the
Officer team for 2015.
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).
I waited to apply for this position until after I had given the time commitment
a lot of thought and believe I can make time for this role. I already work hard
to balance my volunteer efforts with my job and personal life as I have been
a volunteer with my sorority for the past 8 years and I serve as a chapter
advisor, Government Relations committee chair and National Council
Meeting chair. I am committed to setting aside time each week to attend to
the duties of this role in order to do it as well as I do my job and my other
volunteer work.
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. Access and utilization of healthcare
2. Affordable housing
3. Increased minimum wage
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 see the biggest challenge to engaging young voters is getting them to
understand how what policymakers are working on, especially at the city and
state levels, really affect their daily lives. This includes issues of housing,
taxes, transportation and healthcare. I believe reaching out to college
students in their junior and senior years will translate into these young
people becoming young voters when they come to understand how their
success in the real world is directly impacted by the people we elect to City
Hall and to Albany as well as the people who get elected to Washington in
midterm elections.

6) (Optional) Is there anything else you think MYDs membership and

leadership should know about you before reviewing your application?
Im excited about the opportunity to become more involved in this
organization. Thank you for your consideration.