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Meet Our Executive Board
President - Emma Fetzer (She/Her)
Emma Fetzer is the President of YDU and is the founder and chair of the Utah County Young Democrats. She was previously the Secretary and Vice President of YDU. She is an activist, leader, and student who believes in the power of young people. As a high school student, Emma became passionate about helping people. She worked to register voters in her community and redefined feminism in her school through starting the Utah Chapter of Girl Up. She knows that when young people use their voices, they have the power to change their communities for the better. Emma is currently living in Provo and attending Brigham Young University as a Political Science major with a double minor in Communications and Civic Engagement.
Vice President - Ben Peck (He/Him)
Ben has lived in Salt Lake County his entire life, working on campaigns in five election cycles, an enumerator for the U.S. Census Bureau, a Bus Driver for UTA, and ultimately serving as the Executive Director of the Salt Lake County Democratic Party. As Executive Director he oversaw the County Party’s extensive coordinated campaign in 2022 which consisted of hiring four additional staff, knocking on 20,000+ doors, calling over 70,000 people, and sending out over 600,000 texts. He hopes to utilize his passion for local politics and his experience to supercharge YDU’s communications and build the infrastructure needed empower young people all over Utah.
Secretary - Beau Jenson (He/Him)
Beau Jenson is a born and raised Utahn. He grew up in the tiny farm town of Amalga, in Cache Valley, where he learned the importance of hard work and helping your neighbors. He is currently a Senior wrapping up his Political Science degree at Utah State University, and looking forward to graduate at the end of this semester. Beau has had the opportunity to intern for legislators at the national and state level, for Representative Moore (a Republican!) and State Senator Kathleen Riebe (a Democrat!). In D.C. and Salt Lake, Beau gained an in-depth knowledge of what the legislative process looks like, and wants to work in enacting progressive policy. Beau came out as gay in 2021, and is interested in fighting for LGBTQ+ and minorities rights. He's also interested in education and institutional policy. Next, he wants to get involved in campaigning for Democrats in the 2024 election cycle in and out of Utah, and then go back to D.C. to help achieve progressive policy goals. Currently Beau serves in a number of positions at Utah State, as Policy and Outreach Director for USUSA's Government Relations Council, as Vice President of the Queer Student Alliance, and as a Student Advisor for the Institute of Government and Politics. He is a USU Merrill Scholar, and works as a Peer Advisor for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and as a Communications and Outreach Assistant for the Office of Undergraduate Research.
Treasurer - Zachary Silva (He/Him)
Zachary Silva is serving as the Treasurer of YDU. Born in Salt Lake City, Zach has lived almost his entire life in Lehi, Utah. He has long had a passion for both local politics and international relations, having worked as a policy writer for the 2022 Ann Schreck for Utah House 53 Campaign and having served as a research assistant at the Latvian Institute of International Affairs in Riga, Latvia. Zach also has a passion for foreign languages and is studying both French and Russian. He loves reading, skiing, and snowboarding, and is a huge fan of the Utah Jazz and Ferrari F1 team! He hopes that while serving on the YDU Executive Board, he can make a positive impact in his community and help make his home state a better place to live!
Communications Director - Sandrine Mimche (She/Her)
Sandrine is serving as the high school cause chair of YDU. As the daughter of immigrants and an immigrant herself, from Cameroon located in west/central Africa, she values the power in criticizing the government in power. She currently goes to Brighton and founded her own club called “Bengals for Change”. At Brighton, Sandrine has worked hard not only to teach her peers about issues in the world currently but also to try her best to learn more about politics and social issues. Sandrine originally became interested in politics when learning about history in elementary school, and her fascination for history tied with her passion for government and law created a woman who is commonly defined by her peers, and other adults, as an activist and leader who will create big changes in the world today. Sandrine plans to further her education in politics by majoring in sociology and/or political science when graduating from high school in 2023 and going to law school after obtaining her bachelor’s degree.
National Committee Representative -
Angela Charles (She/Her)
Angela is a Utah transplant originally from Southern Florida, a self-proclaimed Jimmy Carter enthusiast, and the daughter of two Haitian immigrants. She discovered her passion for politics by watching her mom become a U.S citizen during the 2008 presidential primary. Angela is currently attending Snow College, where she hopes to transfer to Weber State and earn a Civic Advocacy degree. In addition to serving as a National Committee Representative for YDU, she is also the Chair for the Salt Lake County Black Dems, the First Vice-Chair for the Young Democrats of America's Black Caucus, and the South West Region director for the Young Democrats of America.Angela lives in Salt Lake County with her cute and always hungry dog Soku. She enjoys reading books about politics, race, and housing and singing off-key to Hall & Oates and many other pop songs of her youth in her spare time. She also enjoys contemplating life's biggest questions like "Why did the universe make me a South Florida native root for the Los Angeles Clippers or "What's a harder struggle being a Black Democrat in Salt Lake or a Miami Dolphins fan since birth?" She never has and will never miss an opportunity to tell people why James Earl Carter, Jr. is one of the most under-appreciated presidents modern history presents.
National Committee Representative -
Jack Davis (He/Him)
Jack is one of YDU’s two National Committee Representatives and is an active member of the Utah County Democratic Party, where he serves as parliamentarian and member of the executive team. A political nerd at heart, Jack has spent most of his life fascinated by the public policy process. Beginning with his first high school job in a city council office, Jack has had the opportunity to intern and work in numerous local, state, and federal government positions. He currently works as an economic development specialist assisting Utah communities recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Jack graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in economics and holds a certificate in public policy analysis from the London School of Economics & Political Science. He lives in Vineyard with his always adorable dog, Ivy, and enjoys camping, hiking, and skiing in Utah’s stunning outdoors.
Professionals Caucus Chair -
Matthew Davis (He/Him)
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Born and raised in Utah, Matt is a passionate believer in the power of positive advocacy. As a student, he took part in organizing the March for our Lives march in Salt Lake City after experiencing gun violence as a student employee at the University of Utah. Following graduation, Matt interned with the United States House of Representatives for Arizona’s 5th congressional district.
Matt currently works as a software developer for the defense industry. He has worked with Utah Tech Leads to discuss the state of the industry with state lawmakers and advocate for affordable housing, inclusivity and diversity in our workforce and state, action on the Great Salt Lake, and against the privatization of our education system.
In addition to his role with the Young Democrats of Utah, Matt serves as the Acting Chair for House District 30 for the Salt Lake County Democratic Party, 1st Vice Chair for the Salt Lake County Progressive Caucus and Secretary for the Utah State Progressive Caucus. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in International Relations and a Minor in History from Southern Utah University where he played bass in the Thunderbird Jazz Ensemble. He currently resides in West Valley City with his cat, Ozymandias.
Highschool Caucus Chair -
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Events Director - Mason Hughes (He/They)
Engagement Director - Xander Johnson (He/Him)
​Xander was born and raised in Davis County and is a recent graduate from the University of Utah. A creative at heart, he has sought to use that skill to create positive change in his communities. He previously worked at an agency where he helped 13 Democratic campaigns across the country—ranging from congressional races, ballot initiatives, city commissioners, and more—win. He believes in young people’s potential to make Utah a more inclusive and welcoming place to live​​
Parliamentarian - Ethan Bassett (He/Him)
Raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, Ethan Bassett moved to Utah in the fall of 2019 to pursue a political science degree from Utah Valley University. After serving as a delegate to the 2021 Young Democrats of America Convention, he reestablished the College Democrats of Utah Valley University where he served as the organization's founding President. Ethan was an intern in the Utah State Senate during the 2021 General Session and an Oxford Research Assistant for the Quill Project studying state constitutionalism. He has an Associate of Arts from the College of Southern Nevada as well as an Associates of Science and Bachelors of Political Science with a minor in Constitutional Studies from Utah Valley University. He lives with his wife in Provo, Utah.