Ryan K. Brown (he/they), President

Ryan K. Brown is a local government enthusiast, organizer, political consultant, and dedicated history nerd. He currently serves as the Chief of Staff to Sacramento City Councilmember Caity Maple, representing the city’s 5th District. He has been a member of SCYD for seven years and in 2020, served as SCYD’s Communications Director. In 2022, he launched Golden State Public Affairs, a consulting firm dedicated to electing young, progressive, and diverse Democrats at the local level throughout the greater Sacramento region. That same year, he was honored by SCYD as the Organizer of the Year at the annual winter gathering, having contributed to the election of nearly 20 local Democratic leaders.

Originally from the Bay Area, Ryan transferred to Sacramento State in 2015 following a brief stint at De Anza College, ultimately earning his B.A. in Economics and a B.A. in Public Relations. While at Sacramento State, Ryan was a member of the College Democrats and was later elected as the Vice President of Legislative Affairs for the California State Student Association, organizing students statewide and presiding over the most legislatively successful year in the organization’s history to date.

Ryan has been a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary since 2014, serving as Vice Flotilla Commander (CA 4-1) and regional Public Affairs Officer. Throughout his time in Sacramento, he has served the community in a number of ways, including: Chairing the Cordova Recreation & Parks District PMRID Measure J Oversight Committee, serving as a board member to the Rosemont Community Association, serving on the SMART Steering Committee, graduating from and serving as a board member for New Leaders Council Sacramento, and more.

In his spare time, Ryan practices woodworking – interior carpentry, carving, and furniture building. He also loves to spend time in Sacramento’s natural beauty, reading, listening to true-crime podcasts, and exploring America’s National Park System. Ryan proudly identifies as both queer and bisexual.

Noah Marty (he/him), Vice President of Membership

Noah Marty is a California policy enthusiast currently employed as a senior legislative aide for California State Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel. Since arriving in Sacramento from the Bay Area, Noah has fallen in love with California politics and policy and has held leadership roles in many different Democratic and non-partisan organizations. 

In 2017 Noah began attending Sacramento State University, where he found his home both with the College Democrats, and Associated Students Inc., our student government. Noah was elected VP of Outreach for the College Democrats and served in that capacity until he was elected Vice President of University Affairs for the student body in a tough contested five-candidate election. As the COVID-19 Pandemic began, Noah decided that he wanted to be the one to lead the student body through that challenging time and was eventually elected student body president where he represented the student voice in meetings with the administration and community organizations. Noah graduated in May of 2021 with a double major in Political Science and International Relations.

Noah was accepted into the Jesse M. Unruh Assembly Fellowship Program and was placed in the office of Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel. Noah’s policy interests include privacy and technology, higher education, environmental protection and conservation, and public safety. During his tenure as a fellow, Noah was elected as the representative of his cohort to the Capital Fellows Alumni Association and joined the SCYD Executive Board as VP of Membership. Upon conclusion of his fellowship Noah was beyond excited to accept a position with Assemblymember Gabriel’s office as a legislative aide for the 2023-24 legislative session and beyond.

Outside of politics, Noah is an aspiring astrophotographer and always on the lookout for nights with clear skies to photograph the stars. For the better part of a year, he has enjoyed attempting to identify the best happy hour in the region with his friends. Although he is a Bay Area kid, Noah has made his home here in Sacramento and hopes to stay.

Maiya De La Rosa (she/her), Vice President of Political Affairs

Maiya De La Rosa is a Senior Analyst of Strategic Initiatives for Physicians for a Healthy California. She is responsible for developing funding opportunities to further PHC’s mission including project management, research, materials development, and providing overall operational support for projects.

Most recently, Maiya was an organizer for Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, where she collaborated with stakeholders, local elected, city officials, and community partners in her region to expand and protect access to quality, affordable health care and continue the fight for reproductive justice. Her work included developing a “first of its kind” local sound ordinance in the State of California that would prevent the use of amplified sounds within one hundred feet of health centers to stop harassment of patients trying to seek care in the city of Sacramento.

Prior to this, she was a staff writer at the Capitol Morning Report, where she provided concise, concrete information about events relevant to California politics, collaborated with legislative staff to keep up with any changes to Members’ offices, and summarized state reports and candidate and committee filings.

Maiya served as the caucus chair for the California Young Democrats (CYD) Latinx Caucus, being the youngest chair in history at 19. In the fall of 2018, she served as president of the Davis College Democrats (DCD), the same organizing year that DCD won the CYD chapter of the year. Maiya later went on to serve as the Vice President of membership for the California College Democrats for two terms, eventually being elected president of the California College Democrats. In that role, she arranged a digital organizing campaign program for the 2020 presidential election, allowing cross-state collaborations with other College Democrats in swing states.

Maiya received her master’s in public administration from the University of Southern California and her Bachelor of Arts in political science and Chicanx studies from the University of California, Davis. Outside of work, you can find Maiya trying new coffee shops in the area, showing off her dog Tiny to anyone who will pay attention, and organizing with her friends for the California Young Democrats, where she serves on the board as the North State Regional Director.

Arman Gevorgyan (he/him), Vice President of Fundraising

Arman Gevorgyan is a staff writer at the Capitol Morning Report. He has been a member of SCYD since 2016, most recently as the Vice President of Fundraising. His interests are in political finance and strategy, local and state government and grassroots organizing. 

Arman has called Sacramento “home” ever since immigrating to the States in April 2005. In order to learn English and meet education standards, he went to summer school and English-learner afterschool programs for 4 years straight. Having earned a B.A. in Philosophy concentrating in Ethics and Politics of Law, a B.A. in Political Science and a Minor in Cultural Anthropology from CSU Sacramento, Arman became the first college-graduate in his family. 

CSU Sacramento is also where he began his involvement with the Democratic Party serving as the College Democrats at Sac State’s Vice President of Finance for 2 years, Executive Vice President and as President. During his time on the Executive Board, he had helped raise over $15,000, achieve record high membership and campaign involvement, and was awarded the “Chapter of the Year”  award by the California Young Democrats. After graduating, he was elected as the Vice President of Finance for the California College Democrats, a statewide Democratic chapter providing aid and guidance to all college Democratic chapters in California. 

In his spare time, Arman likes to spend time outdoors with his girlfriend Alexandra and their two miniature poodle mix dogs, Geoh and Leonardo. Every summer they try to seek out a new hiking trail or campground to spend a weekend at. Recently Arman has developed a newfound love for escape rooms. Having done one every other week, his escape room portfolio has grown tremendously since beginning the hobby in early 2020. Arman also likes to listen and watch true crime, supernatural, documentaries and mystery shows. 

Erika Valle (she/her), Policy Director

Erika Valle was born and raised in South Sacramento. She attended Sacramento City College and later transferred to UC Davis where she earned her B.A. in political science. 

While at UC Davis, she discovered her passion for policy and civic engagement. As an ASUCD student senator, she had the opportunity to draft and coauthor several bills with her colleagues. Throughout her time at UC Davis, she stayed engaged in local politics through her position as the Women’s Caucus Chair of the Davis College Democrats and her work as an organizer with the Yolo County Democratic Party. 

She was later accepted into the Jesse M. Unruh Assembly Fellowship Program and was placed in the office of Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia. At the end of her fellowship she was hired on as a legislative aide. She works on transportation, health, higher education, human services, and air-quality related policy. She currently serves as the Communications Director for the Feminist Democrats of Sacramento. 

Erika is a fashion enthusiast that enjoys having spur-of-the-moment photo shoots anywhere and everywhere. In her free time, she enjoys going to museums, day trips, and non-men nights with her friends from her Assembly fellowship cohort. She enjoys listening to SZA, Drake, and Bad Bunny. 

Robert Cruz (he/him), Treasurer

Robert Cruz has served as Treasurer for the Sacramento County Young Democrats since 2021. Robert was born and raised in Sacramento, and is a graduate of Sacramento State University.

During his time at Sac State, Robert previously served as Treasuer for the College Democrats at Sac State from 2019-2021. 

Robert is currently a staffer in the California State Assembly.

Evan Cragin (he/him), Communications Director

Evan Cragin is a housing urbanist, transit enthusiast, and electoral nerd. He currently works as a Field Representative for Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry in her Davis office, being a consistent member in Yolo County politics. Since first moving to Davis, Evan became involved in local politics, including the College Democrats, several political campaigns, internships, and both — Democratic and nonpartisan — politics in Yolo and Sacramento Counties. 

Raised in Berkeley, Evan transferred from community college to be a proud UC Davis alum. Majoring in Political Science and a minor in human rights, Evan earned his B.A. in December 2021.

Evan served as the executive director of the Davis College Democrats during the early stages of the COVID pandemic and the 2020 Election, overseeing internal communication, social media, and appropriate record-keeping; experience he now uses in his current role as Director of Communications for the Sacramento County Young Democrats. Evan was elected to the SCYD board in October 2022 to fill a vacancy that opened just prior to the Midterm Elections and was elected to a full term the following year.

Evan currently lives in Midtown with his boyfriend, and loves to learn and stay involved in politics through work, professional networking, and for his own enjoyment. He enjoys cooking, exercising, and bonding (or partying!) with his colleagues, friends, and family. Come out to a Trivia Night!

Aurora Schünemann (she/her), Community Affairs Director

Aurora Schünemann is an early-career policy professional with a background in campaign work. She is currently working in the office of Senator Lena Gonzalez through the Capital Fellows program. Passionate about environmental and housing policy, she plans to work in the Legislature for the next few years. 

Originally from Wisconsin, Aurora mostly grew up around the North Bay before following her love of politics by moving to the Sacramento area for college.

Aurora graduated with highest honors from UC Davis in 2022 with a degree in International Relations and minor in Environmental Policy Analysis. Through involvement with the Davis College Democrats, Aurora worked on several local elections in Yolo County as well as on statewide and national campaigns. She served as the President of the organization during the 2020-21 year. 

After moving to Sacramento this past summer, Aurora joined SCYD and actively participated in the busy election season. Aurora served as field director for a slate of local candidates in Rancho Cordova in 2022. She was recently honored as SCYD’s Member of the Year. 

Aurora enjoys taking public transit, walking, and biking around Sacramento, and is trying to determine the best trivia night in the area. 

Robin Rahil (she/her), Equity Director

Robin Rahil is a committed organizer who has spent her career working around the Sacramento region to uplift and elect diverse and progressive Democrats who look like the communities they represent.

Robin graduated from the University of California, Merced, with a BA in political science in 2020. Throughout her educational career, she focused on American Politics and Constitutional Law. As a student at UC Merced, she served as the Internal Vice President for the Democrats at UC Merced. As the Internal Vice President, Robin brought several guest speakers and conducted discourse discussions to increase awareness on campus about criminal justice reform and racial equity.

Since returning to Sacramento, Robin has taken on several leadership roles in campaigns and in the Democratic Party, including representing Assembly District 7 as an ADEM, where she fought for and passed several resolutions surrounding human rights issues, managing the successful campaign of SCUSD Trustee Jasjit Singh, completing the Emerge CA program (2019-2021), and serving as Field Director for Eric Guerra’s 2022 State Assembly campaign. Robin currently works as a field representative for the California Faculty Association.

In her free time, Robin enjoys reading, sipping on a good cup of coffee, or going for a run!

Christian Monsees (he/him), Parliamentarian

Christian Monsees was raised in Orange, California, and is a Political Science graduate of UC Davis. Christian joined the Democratic Party in 2015 after being inspired into politics by Elizabeth Warren, Hillary Clinton, and Rachel Maddow. Within weeks of transferring to Davis, Christian was elected Director of Finance of the Davis College Democrats, and went on to serve as their Executive Director and President. Christian now brings that love for organizing Young Democrats to SCYD.

Christian’s comfort with parliamentary procedure stems from his passion for explaining rules during board game nights and acting as the Dungeon Master during weekly games of Dungeons and Dragons. Christian’s other favorite activities include screaming at the television while watching RuPaul’s Drag Race with his boyfriend, spending time with his family, and leaving parties early.

Santiago M. Rodriguez (they/them), Field Director

Ruy Larado (he/him), Sacramento County Democratic Party Representative

Sabina Nussipov (she/her), Immediate Past President

Like many others, Sabina was spurred to action after the 2016 election. As an immigrant herself, she realized that she could no longer be silent as her community and everything she valued was threatened and attacked. Having never been involved in politics, she sought out guidance, training, and support and found all that and so much more within SCYD. She immediately joined every committee and before she knew it, she was running for a leadership role herself. Sabina is currently a Government Relations Manager for Intuit. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with her two adorable nephews, attempting artistic projects, and going on adventures outdoors!

Austin Busch-Estrada (he/him), President - College Democrats at Sacramento State

Aiden Ledbetter (he/him), President - Davis College Democrats

Maiya De La Rosa (she/her), Regional Director - California Young Democrats North State

Note: Maiya also serves as the SCYD Political Affairs VP