I am thrilled to endorse Martha for International Chair of the DPCA. I’ve worked in GOTV for many years in the UK and have only come to know Martha as my global involvement has grown in recent years. Leading a global team has brought a very different perspective for me to understand the needs we have of our leaders and the challenges that the DPCA faces to deliver on our mission. Martha has the skills to do this, in spades. I have been increasingly impressed by Martha’s reasoned, thoughtful and measured approach to listening to others and really understanding our volunteers and the organization and how best to connect the two for maximum efficacy. Of equal importance is Martha’s understanding of volunteer inclusion and appreciation. Her extensive experience not just in issues and advocacy, but in recruiting, motivating and inspiring volunteers is critical in steering an organization like the DPCA. Proven experience, transparency, vision and empathy are the qualities that I feel will make her an incredibly effective chair. Knitting together hard-won experience and knowledge with openness to new ideas, experiences and opportunities is the recipe for success as DA strives to deliver the all-important margin of victory in key races across the USA. Martha’s quiet confidence and ability to really listen to organizers “on the ground” is stellar. She builds teams by embracing the best in all of us, and is not afraid to delegate to those who do our work. I look forward to working with Martha to deliver votes in the 2024 General Election cycle. 

I endorse Martha McDevitt-Pugh for Chair of Democrats Abroad.

I have known Martha for over ten years. During that time, we have worked together on multiple LGBTQ+ initiatives. On each of these, Martha has impressed me with the strength of her leadership qualities: impact-driven, outcome-focused, connected, insightful, ambitious, and inclusive. One further quality stands out perhaps above all the rest: she is deeply inspiring. In my case, that has pushed me to fight harder for Democratic priorities than I otherwise would have.

When I was compelled to emigrate from US in 2012 as a consequence of the Defense of Marriage Act, it was Martha who reached out, from out of the blue, to rapidly educate me on the policy landscape, connect me to an international community of activists, and passionately encourage me to actively leverage the media to raise awareness and shape public opinion. Importantly, she didn’t just “send me off,” but rather collaborated with me over a series of months, offering her insight and guidance in a journey that ultimately saw me leading a delegation of lobbyists on Capitol Hill.

Martha similarly shepherded my efforts late last year to secure the votes needed in the Senate for passage of the Respect for Marriage Act. I had a unique opportunity to persuade my organization to lobby a handful GOP Senators, but needed Martha’s guidance on how to achieve maximum impact. Martha not only strategized with me on an overall approach, but also armed me with vital talking points and intelligence around which Senators were most likely to be receptive. This enabled me to secure my organization’s commitment to engage in a series of one-on-one dialogues with GOP Senators about the criticality for business of marriage equality, in the lead up to the historic vote in which we passed the Respect for Marriage Act late last year.

Time and again, Martha has empowered those around her to achieve strategic wins for the Democratic Party by giving them the tools they need to succeed and filling them with a belief and vision in the better future we can deliver when we work smart and work together. I can think of no better person to serve as Chair for Democrats Abroad.

I am very pleased to support Martha McDevitt-Pugh in her campaign to become Democrats Abroad international chairperson.  Martha is well known to and respected by leaders across the organisation for her deep knowledge of our mission, operations and challenges.  She has extensive and valued experience in both the commercial world and in volunteer advocacy organisations.  She is strong, smart and committed to advancing our goals in a way that respects, develops and empowers others.  She exudes kindness, good humour and compassion.  And we can trust her to make a thorough study of our issues, consider all views and perspectives and exercise good judgement with confidence and composure.

Democrats Abroad is lucky to have a leader like Martha prepared to take on this critically important position at a time when we need our organisation operating at peak competency.  Across my 20 years volunteering for DA at the global, regional, national and local level I have seen few as qualified to serve.  I am delighted to endorse Martha's candidacy for international chairperson of Democrats Abroad.

I'm not sure if it was the first time we met, but the first time we really talked was during the Global Convention in Puerto Vallarta in 2012, swimming in the ocean. Martha and I have been friends ever since. When I was Chair of DA Germany, Martha came to many different events around the country and was instrumental in getting Pete Buttigieg to speak at the Berlin AGM in 2017. She marched with us in the Munich Pride Parade in 2013 and spoke to the Munich Chapter about marriage equality and Love Exiles. And she's been to several Germany AGMs!

Martha has clearly demonstrated her commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, and I know she will make it a priority to include younger and more progressive voices in our decision-making bodies. But she also values the experience and knowledge of those leaders who've been around a while, those who really know DA.

Martha will welcome fresh, new ideas. But she will also retain - or revive - those projects, teams and processes that have worked well for us over the years. 

Democrats Abroad's volunteers are an embarrassment of riches, and I am sure many talented and competent people will consider running for a position on the Global Excom. For her recognition of the importance and caliber of DA's volunteers, and for her positive vision for the future, I am happy to endorse my friend Martha for Global Chair. 

It is my great honor to endorse Martha McDevitt-Pugh for International Chair of Democrats Abroad.  

Throughout the decade that I have been active and for many years before I joined, Martha has been a constant presence within Democrats Abroad.  She has served at all levels of this organization and understands what it means to be one of many volunteers who make and keep Democrats Abroad successful.  As such, she knows the true value of our volunteers, whether they dedicate a few hours a month or as many hours as a full-time job.  

Democrats Abroad has a lot of work ahead of us to motivate and mobilize voters across the world as we head into 2024.  And to do that, Democrats Abroad must have an empowered, energized, and enthusiastic band of volunteers, from local individuals doing face-to-face work to strong and cohesive regional and global teams.  With her deep understanding of Democrats Abroad and her real-world experience leading teams, there are few better than Martha who can bring this organization together and prepare us for 2024 and beyond.

Martha will lead Democrats Abroad with wisdom, with inclusion, and with determination.  Please join me in supporting Martha for International Chair of Democrats Abroad.

Kat Allikian

2018-2021 Regional Vice-Chair, Asia-Pacific

2015-2018 Deputy Regional Vice-Chair, Asia-Pacific

2013-2017 Chair, Democrats Abroad New Zealand

I'm very impressed by Martha's willingness to speak with members and listen to their concerns. I think she will make an excellent global chair. It seems to me that she is exactly the kind of person we need at the helm of Democrats Abroad. 

Martha will make an exceptional International Chair. Her years of organizational experience will benefit Democrats Abroad enormously. She has my hearty endorsement and my vote!

As a student working on monitoring climate variables in the biosphere, I know that every barrel of oil we keep in the ground will protect lives. In much the same way, every voter we reach and support will protect LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights and make our society fairer, democracy stronger, and climate safer.

 Martha’s experience with voter protection and dedication to get-out-the-vote efforts show that she approaches every election with the urgency and effort the policy stakes—and threat to democracy—demand. She will bring that same commitment as Chair, when she pursues the growth and attends to the health of Democrats Abroad with hard work, thoughtfulness, and transparent, accountable leadership.

 Crucially, Martha prioritizes listening to volunteers because she knows it strengthens the organization. As a student with a lot of experience getting students engaged in the political process—from fossil fuel divestment organizing and voter mobilization in the US, to GPP voting centers and events and primary, general, and odd-year voter help in France—I know that reaching students requires sustained in-person outreach with the necessary materials. I know that Martha's extensive volunteer experience and careful attention to volunteer input will lead our organization to invest in what works when it comes to turning out younger voters.

 Transparency is not just a best practice to Martha, it is essential to running a strong organization capable of making change. Transparency means our strategies and policies—at the global and country committee and chapter levels—benefit from the richness of all our experiences. I am confident that under Martha's leadership, volunteers can expect support, skill share, collaboration, and guidance from global, not last-minute changes in strategy and confusion. This means predictable leadership with a clear plan so we can table at each campus, market, or English-language bookstore one more time, get through our phone banking campaigns sooner, and follow up with voters faster—not scramble to launch last-minute efforts that could have been prepared long in advance. 

Finally, I trust Martha to represent our progressive values and enormous potential to the DNC. At the DNC, Martha works to make change and build a stronger party, not make a name and build a stronger brand. She stands up for needed reforms when we aren’t acting in alignment with our values and for the resources we need to show up in force. 

I can't think of a better person to lead our organization at this moment. 

Max Dunitz First Vice Chair, Democrats Abroad France 

Political Engagement Officer,  Democrats Abroad France Youth Caucus 

I have known Martha since we went to Hampshire College together and studied abroad in the countries where we now live. At Hampshire, we learned how to make a proposal and follow our passion until we realized our goal. She has been putting those skills into practice ever since. She has shown great initiative, chairing the board of the international organization Love Exiles until international same sex couples were recognized in the US for immigration purposes. Martha has worked hard over the years to build relationships in the US and abroad to create an international community in which Americans living abroad feel connected and listened to. She sets an example that demonstrates that hard work pays off. She has done the less glamorous and tedious work, like Voter Protection, to ensure everyone's vote is counted. She has demonstrated a committment to process and transparency, as well as great leadership skills to bring out the best in others and motivate them with a positive message to inspire people to get involved to make our democracy stronger. 

Martha is exactly the kind of leader this org needs in advance of a presidential election. DA leaders and members will need to dig deep for energy and resiliency in the coming year, and Martha embodies those qualities. Even more important for the future leadership of DA, Martha’s commitment to transparency, diversity, and inclusivity will take this organization to the next level and let its full potential bloom. 

Her work experience, life experience, and DA experience give her the skills to tackle the tough issues in DA right away. Her honesty and thoughtfulness will bring members in. Members of all ages, backgrounds, and interest levels. She will make a place for volunteers who want what she and Steve want – an organization that works hard; supports, trains, and values its members; creates a plan for the future that sees DA expanding its outreach to ex-pat Americans all over the world. 

When I think about the Martha/Steve leadership team, I can feel the energy and focus they will bring to our work, and I am excited to endorse them. 

I would like to add my voice to the list of those supporting Martha and Steve for Chair and Vice-Chair. In my roles at DAUK for the past 3 election cycles (former Treasurer and Co-Chair of GOTV and current member of DAUK ExCom and DPCA voting rep), I have seen how challenging it is to lead this organization. DA needs leaders who want to understand the issues and help us work together on practical solutions for our growing organization. 

At my heart, I am a Voting Champion, an activist for the right to vote, and want to spend my energy getting Democrats elected.  Only Martha/Steve have the proven track record and management experience to draw out the best of all our volunteers and to lead us into the critical 2024 election season so we can do just that - get Democrats elected! 

DAUK ExCom

DAUK DPCA voting representative

DAUK Treasurer (2021-2023)

DAUK GOTV CoChair (2019-2021) 

I have now attended and/or listened to all the various candidate forums, both those approved by the NEC and those hosted by the candidates themselves.  I have listened carefully, I have asked questions both verbally and in written form, I have sought the views of others.  At the end of all this, there is in my view only one candidate who has both the breadth and depth of understanding and experience to chair this organization for the next two years, and I’m pleased to endorse enthusiastically and without reserve Martha McDevitt-Pugh.

Martha’s answers to the many questions in these various forums systematically demonstrated both a thoughtfully nuanced grasp of our mission as a political party and of the challenges facing us in the near future, and a thorough understanding of the complexities of our sometimes strange and always wonderful organization—an understanding acquired through many years of serving as a country chair and vice chair, as a caucus leader, as a member of task forces, and as a delegate to the Democratic National Committee, where she has cultivated important relationships over the last six years, relationships that will facilitate our task going forward. 

Her discussions of risk-assessment, of strategic planning and budgeting, of good governance, of volunteer engagement, and of policy implementation were informed by her many years of experience in the professional world, and demonstrate not only that she understands how to run a large organization but also that she knows what the managerial priorities are.  Her focus on and commitment to voter protection, her engagement with resolutions, and her enthusiasm for the global presidential primary underscore the fact that she knows what we are all about as a political organization.

Martha came to DA through her advocacy work on marriage equality, and she has never left her advocacy work behind, a fact that should not be underestimated.  Yes we get out the vote, but we also engage in a lot of advocacy work—whether it be about taxes or the ERA or voting rights in individual states—and her vision of how the DPCA can do this work also came through in her responses.  If, as per one of the resolutions, we do indeed want to expand our mission to include and strongly support advocacy at the state level, Martha has the experience and the bona fides to guide this to fruition, and she will do it not only by example but by rolling up her sleeves and digging in. 

Martha knows the challenges country committees face, because she’s led one—and as a country chair, ran a GPP.  Martha knows the challenges that trans-national or global units, such as caucuses, face, because she’s led one.   Martha knows how to do advocacy work, because she’s done it.   And I’ve been pleased to know Martha for nearly 15 years, during which I have often sought and benefitted from her sage advice and nuanced insight, and I know that she will bring these qualities to her role as chair to the benefit of us all.

Together with her running mate Steve Nardi as Vice Chair, whom I also heartily endorse, Martha will lead this organization through the next two years, through our global presidential primary, through the election of 2024, with wisdom, discernment, integrity, and perhaps most importantly, good cheer. She and Steve have, over the last two months, amply demonstrated that they merit our vote and that they are the best positioned and most qualified to help us smash records in 2024.

I urge you to vote for Martha at the upcoming AGM as the next International Chair of Democrats Abroad, and for Steve as the next Vice Chair.

Bob Vallier

DA France

Formerly DA Italy

Chair, LGBTQ Caucus