Rachel Sutz Pienta,
Candidate for 2nd Vice President
My name is Rachel Sutz Pienta and I am running for 2nd
Vice President in the upcoming Democratic Women’s Club of Florida, Inc.
election.
My history with the
Democratic Women’s Club of Florida, Inc.
I attended my first Democratic Women’s Club event in 2006
when I was invited to celebrate Mildred Hall’s recognition as a Golden Democrat
by the Capital City Democratic Women’s Club. In late 2009, I was asked to
become more involved in the leadership of the organization and served as
co-chair of the 2010 Golden Democrat Luncheon. That same year, I also took
steps to found the Wakulla Democratic Women’s Club. We were chartered in July
2010 and I served as the first president of the club.
In the years since, I helped to revive the dormant Tally
Days event. In 2011, I was asked to
serve as the DWCF Communications Chair. In this role, I was able to break new
ground and raise the visibility of the organization across the state.
During the 2012 electoral cycle, I represented DWCF at
numerous events across the state. I spoke on radio shows and at rallies. My
press releases generated positive earned media for DWCF across the state.
In 2013, I coordinated our second annual Tally Days media
event. Our President Janet Goen was able to stand alongside Florida Democratic
Party Chair Allison Tant and legislative leaders during a press conference that
garnered television, print, and radio coverage. Working closely with FDP
staff, I was able to craft aligned messages for both President Goen and
Chairwoman Tant and consequently maximized positive exposure for DWCF
throughout the state.
My work on behalf of DWCF has led to our increased
visibility with FDP, with the DCCC, and with
members of the media across the state.
Over the last two years, I have also worked closely with the
CCE. This year, I have been working closely
with a CCE transition team to position DWCF
to hit the ground running under the new laws governing political committees and
electoral fundraising.
Why am I running for
2nd Vice President?
Membership is the life blood of our organization. Every
county in Florida should have a
chartered Democratic Women’s Club. The women’s caucus in the Florida Democratic
Party should be the largest caucus in the party. DWCF has the potential to be
the largest and most powerful political organization for women.
In my professional life, I worked as a Women’s Studies
professor from 1999 to 2012. I have also published and presented on issues of
concern to women since the mid 1990s. The following titles represent samples of
my professional work:
Author.
(May 2013). “Florida”. Chapter in Sociology of Education, Jame Ainsworth, Editor. Sage: Thousand Oaks, CA.
Author.
(August 2013). Taking Sides: Women’s
Studies.
McGraw Hill.
Author.
(2012). “Power
and Conflict over Women’s Reproductive Health”. Medical Sociology Reader. Cognella Press.
Co-Author. (2012). “Women on the Margins: The Politics of
Gender in the Language and Context of Science Textbooks”. Hickman and Porfilio,
Editors. The New Politics
of the Textbook:
Problematizing the Portrayal of Marginalized Groups in Textbooks. Sense
Publishers.
Author.
(2011). Chapters on “Million Mom
March” and “The Mothers’ Movement Online”, Ed., Andrea O’Reilly, You Say You
Want a Revolution: The Motherhood Movement of the 21st Century, 2011,
Demeter Press.
I share this sample of my professional work with you to
illustrate that working for the advancement of women is part of my daily life.
My passion for bringing women together began in my
collegiate years at the University of
Florida. I became a member of Phi
Sigma Sigma sorority and would later serve as the Vice President of
Housing.
As an adult, my belief that women working together can
achieve powerful goals led me to serve as an officer in my local chapter of the
American Association of University Women.
I also was one of 100 women who came together to found the Oasis
Center for Women and Girls in Tallahassee.
My experience in bringing women together to work on big ideas and achieve audacious goals will be put to use helping the Democratic Women's Club of Florida, Inc. to become not only the premiere organization working to elect Democratic women in Florida but will also position our organization to be a key part of Democratic infrastructure across the state.
My work as a
committed Democrat and community activist
I
was re-elected to serve as chair and state committee woman in 2012 by the
members of the Wakulla Democratic Executive Committee. This will be mysecond term serving the
Wakulla Democratic Party in a dual capacity. I am also the former president and
founding member of the Wakulla Democratic Women’s Club.
I
first became involved in Democratic politics as a student at the University
of Florida. I was part of a team of
College Democrats who worked statewide to elect President Bill Clinton.
Following the 1992 election, I worked as a district intern for then-Democratic
state senator Kirkpatrick and then worked on campaigns to elect Congresswoman
Karen Thurman and Governor Lawton Chiles.
Later,
I went to Washington to intern in
Karen Thurman’s Congressional office. When I moved to Tallahassee
for graduate school, I was awarded a paid legislative internship to work as a
legislative policy analyst for the Florida House of Representatives on
Education K-12. After my internship year, I continued to work on public policy
and political campaigns.
In
2011, I helped to found a new caucus in the Florida Democratic Party - the
Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida and I currently serve on the caucus
Board of Directors (
http://www.progressivedemcaucusfl.org/).
In 2012, I was selected to chair and host the
Florida Democratic Party’s Small County Coalition Conference in Wakulla
County. I currently serve as the
Secretary for the Small County Coalition.
Over
the past three years, I have also served on two statewide Democratic Party
committees – serving on the team of authors who wrote the Florida Democratic
Party’s state platform and serving on the team that developed an endorsement
and slating procedure for statewide candidates. I currently serve on the FDP
Campaign Committee.
I
also served on the North Florida Finance committee for the Obama Campaign under
the leadership of Allison Tant Richard.
I
tweet as @wakullawriter and have been recognized as one of the "Top
Political Tweeters" in Florida
by Peter Schorsch of the SaintPetersBlog.
In
2011, I was honored by the Tallahassee Democrat as one of "25 Women You
Need to Know". In 2012, the Tallahassee Network of Young Professionals
honored me as a "Golden A.C.E." in Higher Education for my
"authentic community engagement".
My record of working
with women to benefit women
Member,
Board of
Directors, PACE Center for Girls Tallahassee, 2011 - Current
Steering
Committee Member, League of Women Voters of Florida, 2011- 2013
Founding
Member, Oasis Center for Women Girls, Tallahassee, Florida, 2010 – current.
Victim Advocate, Refuge House, Tallahassee, Florida 1999- 2005.
