Co-President
Class of 2027 | From Seattle, WA
Ilani Nurick is a former Boatswain's Mate in the U.S. Coast Guard, serving in Cape Charles, Virginia. Before enlisting, Ilani served as a Legislative Advisor to Washington State Representative John Lovick, conducting policy and legislative research. He also has experience working in political campaigns, having worked on Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign and for the Washington House Democratic Campaign Committee. Ilani holds a B.A. in History from the University of Washington and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin.
Co-President
Class of 2027 | From Atlanta, GA
Elizabeth graduated from Princeton University and worked as a government consultant in Washington, D.C., supporting several of USAID's anticorruption, global health, and economic development projects. She also has experience volunteering with campaigns and interning on the Hill. Elizabeth spent the summer of 2025 as a legal fellow with the Office of the New York Attorney General and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. Elizabeth is excited to continue supporting Democrats in competitive races, strengthening the Democratic brand among law students, and opening doors for students to pursue public service.
Vice President, Policy and Programming
Class of 2027 | From Bethesda, MA
Tiger Bjornlund has worked for Democratic candidates on federal, state, and local campaigns. He has conducted academic and policy research on campaign finance, state campaigns, and environmental protection. Tiger spent his 1L summer interning with the Office of Consumer Protection at the Attorney General for D.C. Tiger is excited to continue exploring how Democrats can create and communicate a cohesive plan to improve Americans’ lives.
Vice President, Policy and Programming
Class of 2027 | From Cedar City, Utah
Mitchell Zufelt is a 2L from Cedar City, Utah. Having grown up amidst the Beehive State's red rocks and even redder politics, he is a firm believer that red-state-Democrats are some of the toughest out there. Prior to law school, Mitchell studied economics and math at Southern Utah University and spent two years doing re-entry work on the west side of Chicago.
Vice President, Finance
Class of 2027 | New York, NY
Jonah is a recent graduate of Middlebury College in Vermont. While in college, he worked in Taiwan and D.C. for Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party, and was a fellow at the Global Taiwan Institute in D.C. This past summer, he interned at the federal district court for the District of D.C.. Jonah is excited to explore how the Democratic Party can refashion its identity and reconnect with its base.
Vice President, Elections
Class of 2027, Winter Park, Florida
Uma Menon graduated from Princeton University in 2024, where she studied Public and International Affairs. She was a Voter Protection Fellow for the Florida Democratic Party during the 2024 election cycle and has previously interned in the U.S. Department of State and the International Trade Administration. Her writing has appeared in many publications, including The Washington Post, The Progressive, and Rewire News.
Vice President, Communications and Outreach
Class of 2027 | Tampa, Florida
Kindall Hayes is an international affairs professional who previously worked at the U.S. Department of State, USAID, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and on Capitol Hill. Before she joined the State Department’s Foreign Service, she was a political appointee in the Obama Administration. Kindall is excited to contribute to the mission of Yale Law Dems and looks forward to learning from the next generation of leaders.
Vice President, Local Partnerships
Class of 2027 | Danbury, Connecticut
Alexandra is a graduate of Wesleyan University. She is the former Political Director of College Democrats of Connecticut and has worked on various local and federal campaigns. She previously spent a year in Brussels, Belgium, as a Fulbright Fellow and most recently completed a clerkship on the Court of Justice of the European Union. Alexandra is eager to support YLS Dems in their efforts to support local organizing and connect further with the Connecticut community.
Board Member
Class of 2026 | Bay Area, CA
Catherine (“Catey”) Vera is a recent graduate from the University of California, Berkeley, where she received a degree in cognitive science and minors in data science and human rights and was awarded the University Medal. She completed a fellowship with the United Nations’ Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, where she used open-source techniques to assist with war crimes investigations. Catey is now a third-year at Yale Law, where she is Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Journal of International Law and has completed internships with the European Court of Human Rights, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, and Covington & Burling LLP. Catey is eager to contribute to the club’s efforts to defend democratic values and to reflect the spectrum of voices within the Democratic Party.
Board Member
Class of 2028 | Canton, MA
Arielle Galinsky is pursuing a JD/MPP at the Harvard Kennedy School and Yale Law School. She is passionate about moving the needle on all things aging – particularly long-term care reform. Arielle has worked in on a number of Democratic and offices, including the 2024 Harris-Walz Communications Team, as well as in the offices of Senator Ed Markey, Congresswoman Katherine Clark, The Senate Committee on Aging (Sen. Casey), and The House Committee on Ways & Means (Rep Neal). Arielle hopes to use her time in the club to consider ways to reshape messaging of the Democratic party to invoke excitement among voters.
Board Member
Class of 2028 | Denver, CO
Charlie Wallace is a researcher and policy analyst who worked as a History and Foreign Policy Research Associate at the Council on Foreign Relations. He is a graduate of Columbia University and the Schwarzman Scholars program at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. Charlie has also worked in the offices of Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet, where he focused on domestic policy and constituent engagement in his home state of Colorado. Charlie hopes to help strengthen the American democracy and build momentum for the Democratic Party in upcoming elections.
Board Member
Class of 2028 | Seattle, WA
Grady Yuthok Short is a former research associate at the Brennan Center for Justice, where his work focused on campaign finance reform and other pro-democracy efforts. While there, he served as a shop steward for Brennan Center United, NOLSW, UAW 2320. He has interned for the City of Seattle and the office of Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal. Grady believes that a strong Democratic Party is needed to expand democracy in America.
Board Member
Class of 2028 | Longmont, CO
Kegan Strawn earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science at the University of Southern California, where he worked on machine learning, autonomous robotics, and safety verification. Kegan aims to champion democracy and engage in discussions on empowering innovation, ensuring that emerging technologies benefit everyone.
Board Member
Class of 2028 | Westchester, NY
Melanie ("Mel") Geller worked at the Brennan Center for Justice on its Liberty & National Security team. During the 2020 presidential election, she interned with the Center for Presidential Transition at the Partnership for Public Service. She also interned at the district office of former Congresswoman Nita Lowey. Mel is excited to explore the future vision and priorities of the Democratic Party.
Board Member
Class of 2028 |New York, NY
Nicholas Monaco is a former Senior Associate at WestExec Advisors, a Washington D.C. strategic advisory and geopolitical risk firm. He previously volunteered on the 2020 Biden-Harris presidential transition team.
Board Member
Class of 2028 | Jacksonville, FL
Rodney is a recent graduate of Florida State University. While in college, he worked on the Harris–Walz presidential campaign as a Political and Coalitions Intern, a Voter Protection Coordinator with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and a Voter Protection Fellow with the Mississippi Democratic Party. He interned in the offices of Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, former Congressman Al Lawson, and in the White House Office of Presidential Correspondence during the Biden Administration. Rodney is excited to continue advancing voting rights and strengthening democratic participation through his work with Yale Law Dems.
Board Member
Class of 2028 | Chicago, IL
Rose Jacobs is a former political finance and campaign professional. She served most recently as the Mid-Atlantic, Abroad, and PAC Deputy Finance Director at the Democratic National Committee and Biden/Harris-Walz 2024 campaign. Rose is looking forward to facilitating cross-cutting conversations with her classmates about the future of the Democratic Party and American politics.
Board Member
Class of 2028 | Helena, MO
Taylor is a former data and analytics campaign professional. He most recently served as the Data and Analytics Director for the New Hampshire Democratic Coordinated Campaign and has previously worked for the New Hampshire and Montana Democratic Parties. Taylor is a graduate of Montana State University and the Schwarzman Scholars program at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. Taylor is looking forward to supporting democratic campaigns and voting rights causes.
Board Member
Class of 2028 | Redford Township, MI
William Mitchell is a retired Marine Corps Colonel with 27 years of active-duty service that included five combat deployments as a naval aviator and Forward Air Controller. He is an accomplished F/A-18 and F-35C fighter pilot, a graduate of the U.S. Navy’s prestigious TOPGUN weapons school, and led Marines as the commanding officer of a Squadron and Marine Aircraft Group. William is devoted to supporting and defending the Constitution of the United States and upholding our shared democratic values. William is eager to continue his public service, bringing the values he holds as a veteran to the mission of ensuring our nation and our democracy thrives for future generations.
