About Us

Who we are, and what we do

The College Democrats at Penn State aim to further the platforms of Democrats up and down the ballot, while expressing and representing the interests of college students. We do volunteer work, outreach, and voter registration, while leaving time for fun, with social events, trips, and activities.

Our Executive Board

President

Baybars Charkas (He/Him)

Fourth Year, majoring in Political Science & French

Serves as the chief executive officer of the PSU College Democrats and is responsible for the actions of the organization. Serves as a liaison to other democratic organizations in the community and sits on the Centre Country Democratic Committee Executive Board. Also responsible for running the weekly meetings.

Executive Vice President

Amber Gordon (She/Her)

Fourth Year, majoring in Political Science & Education Public Policy

Serves as President if the President is unable to perform their duties. Responsible for all external matters relating to the College Democrats. Also responsible for a major programming event in the Spring each year, in addition to collecting and tracking club dues and working with the fundraising chair.

Administrative Vice President

Madeline Shanafelt (She/Her)

Second Year, majoring in Political Science, Education, and Public Policy

Serves as the President if the President and the Executive Vice President are unable to do their duties. Responsible for all internal matters relating to the College Democrats in addition to planning the yearly Washington D.C. trip.

Treasurer

Hailey Crawford (She/Her)

Fourth Year, majoring in Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences

Responsible for keeping track of all College Democrats accounts and expenditures. The treasurer oversees all budgets, collects and tracks club dues, and manages the College Democrats merchandise.

Secretary

Keegan Jolly (She/Her)

Second Year

Responsible for maintaining all agendas, minutes, and motions for all College Democrats meetings. Also responsible for sharing meeting notifications via ListServ and tracking member attendance.

Chief of Staff, Event Planner

Tim Klaum (He/Him)

Fourth Year, majoring in Digital & Print Journalism

The Chief of Staff is the liaison between the steering committees and the Executive Board. Will assist the Board with various tasks and is responsible for organizing leadership bonding events.

Event Planners are responsible for the organization and scheduling of all club events through the university.

Our Steering Committee

Meet the dedicated members of PSU College Dems who strive to promote political awareness and civic engagement on campus.

The Steering Committee is created and appointed, at will, by the President to aid in club leadership and organization.

Social Media Chair

Abby Creech

(She/Her)

The social media chair is responsible for the curation and posting of all PSU Dems social media accounts.

Alumni Outreach Chair

Justin Magnus (He/Him)

The Alumni Outreach chair is responsible for the management of the PSU Dems LinkedIn. They are also responsible for sharing relevant internship and career opportunities with club-members.

First Year Co-Chair

Jude York

(He/Him)

The First Year Chairs are responsible for representing the first years in the club, and all of their interests, to leadership

Civic Engagement Chair

Calvin Fullerton (He/Him)

The PSU Votes relation chair is responsible for maintaining contact with the PSU Votes committee.

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Chair

Zoe Riggleman (She/Her)

The Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Chair is responsible for maintaining a safe space within the club for all members, and finding and providing anti-bias training for leadership.

First Year Co-Chair

Sophia Rodriguez

(She/Her)

The First Year Chairs are responsible for representing the first years in the club, and all of their interests, to leadership

Tabling Chair

James Wachtman (He/Him)

The Tabling Chair is responsible for organizing all PSU Dems tabling endeavors.

Fundraising Chair

Will Draper

(He/Him)

The Fundraising Chair is responsible for organizing fundraising endeavors for the club.

Feline Outreach Chair

Barack Obama-Riggleman (He/They)

The Feline Outreach Chair is responsible for the curation of relations and communication between PSU Dems and local cats of all kinds.

Steering Vacanies

None

We currently don't have vacancy, but please reach out if you're interested in joining the club!

Join the team!

Want to join the team? Contact us via this link for more information on how to get involved with Penn State College Democrats.

Steering Applications!