The Democratic National Committee has tapped Seema Nanda to serve as its new CEO and handle day-to-day operations, the committee announced last week. As midterm elections continue and the 2020 election draws closer, hiring the management-oriented Nanda is a move away from more explicitly political executives who have led the troubled party in the past.
“I’m beyond excited that Seema is bringing her talent and brilliance to the DNC,” DNC Chair Tom Perez said in a statement. “She is a seasoned manager who has a proven track record of success.”
“People are hurting all across our country. I believe that Democrats are offering the positive solutions so desperately-needed right now – solutions forged by the strength of our diversity, the rigor of our ideas and the decency of our values,” Nanda said in a statement. “I am grateful to chairman [Tom] Perez and Mary Beth for selecting me, and I look forward to joining my new DNC colleagues in the fight for our nation’s values and future.”
Nanda previously worked as Perez’s chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Labor. She replaces interim CEO Mary Beth Cahill, who took the helm of the DNC in February after replacing Jess O’Connell, a seasoned operative who left after less than a year on the job.
Nanda also worked on the DNC transition team for Perez, which “took a fresh look” at the committee’s operations after the 2016 election, according to a DNC statement. She has a background in labor and employment law, and has worked in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.
“As we head toward a crucial election, I’m one hundred percent certain that Seema’s leadership will help the DNC capitalize on the unprecedented grassroots energy and enthusiasm surging throughout the country,” Perez said in a statement
According to an article in Glamour, Nanda is stepping in as the Democrats try to build on primary successes that have given women of color a chance at making history in November.
