Meghan Czaikoski ~ Farmville, VA
Council of Presidents Chair, Longwood Young Democrats
presidents_chair@vayd.org
Meghan Czaikoski is a Criminal Justice major with a minor in Sociology at Longwood University in Farmville, Va. Not until recently has Meghan become truly involved in politics. Due to a series of fortunate or unfortunate events (however one may look at it) Meghan inherited the Presidency of the Longwood Young Democrats her junior year of college. She volunteered to help out campaigns for Dave Marsden and Eileen Filler-Corn in Northern Va, and Shannon Valentine in Lynchburg. She was also nominated as the College Caucus Chair at the 2010 VAYD Convention in Alexandria. Meghan has held a leadership role since her freshman year of college being involved with numerous organizations. She is now the Treasurer of the Academic Criminal Justice Fraternity- Lambda Alpha Epsilon, and a member of the honors Sociology Fraternity- Alpha Kappa Delta. This summer she will be serving as a Common Good Summer Fellow for Tom Perriello.
Amanda Armstrong ~ Norfolk, VA
President, Old Dominion University Young Democrats
odudems@gmail.com
Amanda Armstrong, a Senior Political Science major at Old Dominion, began following politics as a result of the U.S. entrance into Afghanistan, and has since then been an ardent advocate for the environment and women's rights. She has held internships with the 2009 Democratic Coordinated Campaign, the District Congressional office of Hon. Glenn Nye, and the 2010 Virginia General Assembly. In summer 2010, Amanda drove from her Virginia home to Burlington, Vermont, where she took an internship with the Field Department of the people-powered PAC, Democracy for America. Amanda is also involved with ODU's Model UN Society, and the Phi Eta Sigma and Golden Key honor societies.
Katie Deabler ~ Williamsburg, VA
President, William and Mary Young Democrats
southeast_region@vayd.org
Katie Deabler grew up in Stafford, VA and spent much of her adolescence trying to persuade her friends and neighbors to vote for Democrats. She has volunteered for every campaign she could since Senator Jim Webb's successful campaign in 2006, including a stint as an intern for the Virginia Democratic Party's Coordinated Campaign in 2008. For the past two years, Katie has been a student at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA, where she is studying Government and History has been an active member of the William and Mary Young Democrats. This past year, she was Treasurer of the W&M Young Democrats, and she was recently elected President for the 2010-2011 academic year. Katie is pleased to have been elected Chair of the Hampton Roads region for VAYD.
Brittany Morrison ~ Blacksburg, VA
President, New River Valley Young Democrats
Brittany was born in New Jersey but grew up in Lexington, Virginia. Her democratic tendencies first emerged in elementary school when she voted for Bill Clinton in the mock elections. Brittany graduated from Virginia Tech in 2007 with a B.S. in Sociology, Crime and Deviance concentration, and Psychology minor. While in college, she served as a Senator for the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, a member of VTU, PR Chair for the Sociology Club, Treasurer of YDVT, and a volunteer/intern for a Crisis Hotline. Brittany volunteered on many campaigns during college, but her most memorable experience was interning for David Cox for Delegate where she chaired the College Student Outreach Committee. Brittany previously served as the VAYD Southwest Region Chair and VP Finance and is now in her second term as National Committeewoman. She manages a volunteer Crisis Hotline for a living and serves as the President of the New River Valley Young Democrats.
Jamie Lockhart~ Arlington, VA
President, Arlington Young Democrats
president@arlingtonyoungdems.org
Jamie is a proud life-long Virginian, born and raised in the conservative town of Midlothian and now a resident of the very blue Arlington. A magna cum laude graduate of James Madison University and the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership’s College Leader’s Program, Jamie is passionate about engaging young people in the political process. She caught the campaign bug in 2005 when she interned for Tim Kaine’s gubernatorial campaign, and since then, Jamie has volunteered for numerous campaigns at all levels and served on the executive board of the Virginia Young Democrats. Most recently, Jamie spent two and a half years working as Director of E-Communications and Legislative Assistant for U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO). When not following legislation or knocking on doors, Jamie enjoys group fitness classes, vegetarian cooking, cheering on her favorite sports teams, new media and tutoring with Horton’s Kids. She hopes to see you out there in the field!
