Meet Rachelle Dugan
1st Vice Chair
“Hi all! My name is Rachelle Dugan and I am honored to be serving as the 1st Vice Chair for NC11. As 1st Vice Chair, it is my job to support the Chair and to work with all other officers to coordinate district-wide organizing efforts.
I am a member of the Henderson County Democratic Party, the Women Democrats of Henderson County, and I serve as the Vice President for the Young Democrats of Henderson County. In my spare time, I volunteer for various campaigns, non profits, and other organizations. I am passionate about using my voice to advocate for Equality, Equity, Women’s Rights, Voter Protections, increased funding for social programs, and Criminal Justice reform. Professionally, I work for a non profit organization that serves folks that are experiencing homelessness in Western North Carolina.”
Outside of academics, I have spent my time organizing with the Young Democrats of North Carolina. I am the former Executive Vice President and Western Regional Director for the Young Democrats of NC (YDNC) and current President of Buncombe Young Democrats. I have seen the inside operations and day to day functions of a grassroots led political organization, and I know first hand the amount of work and skill required for success. While working with the Young Democrats, I have had the opportunity to organize college campuses; put together fundraisers for local charities, candidates, and organizations; manage social media accounts; take executive board minutes; plan and execute voter registration efforts; staff tabling shifts, recruit volunteers, and other administrative duties. Additionally, I have been a major fundraiser for the Young Democrats of North Carolina, helping to raise over $40,000 since being involved.
This past election cycle I worked on the North Carolina Coordinated Campaign as a Regional Organizing Director, where I oversaw a team of seven to turn out a historic number of voters in 14 Western North Carolina counties. I recruited volunteers, executed canvasses and phone banks for candidates, and helped to facilitate the most doors knocked in the state of North Carolina in Western NC during 2022.
All of this leads to me where I am today. Helping the people of Western North Carolina to live a better, more healthy, and equitable life is my life’s mission. I believe I can take all of the skills I’ve learned from working on campaigns and organizing the Young Dems to help us all prepare for 2024 and beyond. I want to help usher in a new era of rural, youth empowerment in Western NC, and that starts with organizing and investing in all of NC-11.