Contact:
Yael Sheinfeld
[email protected]
847-242-1382
With just under 50 days until the November general election, the Democratic Party of Illinois (DPI) today announced recent senior additions to the team:
- Ben Hardin is now DPI interim executive director. He was previously executive director for the coordinated campaign, Organize Illinois 2022, and was chief of staff to Congresswoman Marie Newman in Washington, D.C.
- Kiera S. Ellis is spokesperson and senior advisor to DPI Chair Lisa Hernandez. Prior to founding Resist Strategies, she led public affairs for real estate developer Related Midwest and served in communications roles for U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
- Yael Sheinfeld will lead party communications as DPI interim communications director. She was previously Illinois spokesperson for the Democratic Governors Association.
- Shannon Rice is DPI interim finance director. She was previously a consultant with The Kauffman Group and has served in finance roles for senate and presidential campaigns.
- Chris McDonald will lead in the planning and execution of a comprehensive statewide voter contact program as interim organizing director for Organize Illinois 2022. He was previously deputy director for FieldWorks and is an Obama campaign alum.
- Nick Ramos will work to ensure that Democrats across the state make their voices heard in November as interim GOTV director for Organize Illinois 2022. He was previously director of Illinois government affairs for the Shedd Aquarium and was a field organizer with the Illinois Democratic coordinated campaign in 2016. Nick is also a Senator Duckworth alum.
Chair Hernandez will establish a search committee in the coming weeks with members of the Party’s State Central Committee to conduct a search for a permanent executive director and other senior roles.
This announcement comes after the launch of a new ad campaign last week featuring DPI’s first-ever Spanish-language ads and targeting Black and downstate voters in over 230 zip codes.
DPI is investing in its people, its infrastructure, and its mission to mobilize voters and unify Democrats in the home stretch leading up to the November election.
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