My Executive Board
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Click! on any photo to read about that member of the Board. |
Wahid Mahmood
Chairman
Wahid Mahmood, D.E.C. Chair, was born in 1961 in Bangladesh and arrived in Palm Beach County in the summer of 1980 with a dream of attending school and becoming an entrepreneur. After college, Wahid entered the world of business and discovered his passion for locating businesses with potential and turning them into successful and profitable ventures. Within several years, he started several not-for profit organizations that assisted the Asian-American community in obtaining a piece of the American dream. Applying the values learned in his own family, all of these organizations stressed the importance of family, education, civic duty, hard work and active participation in the political process.
During Senator Kerry's 2004 Presidential campaign, Wahid worked closely with the South Florida Asian-American, Haitian-American and Hispanic communities and the Florida Democratic Party. His meetings with community leaders and members furthered the goal of reaching out and addressing the concerns of these communities. On December 2, 2004, Wahid was elected Chair of the Democratic Executive Committee of Palm Beach County, and he was re-elected to this position on December 7, 2006. Wahid will continue the work of rebuilding the Palm Beach County Democratic Party making it stronger, more effective and unified.
Wahid & his wife Patricia, are the proud parents of two teenaged sons, Austin and Brenden. Wahid states, "We must elect a Democrat to the White House in 2008; a Democrat as President is essential to guide our great Nation toward a brighter future for all Americans". He looks forward to working with each and every member of the Palm Beach County Democratic Party, candidates, elected officials, donors, and members of the community to educate voters, get out the vote, and elect Democrats to public office.
Terrie Heinrich Rizzo
Vice Chair
Elected as PBC's new Vice Chair in 2006, Terrie Heinrich Rizzo moved to Boca Raton in 2002 with her husband, Mike, an I.T. executive with Tyco, Inc. Prior to coming to Florida, Terrie & Mike lived in Baltimore, the San Francisco Bay area, and Brussels, Belgium.
Raised as a military brat, Terrie is a graduate of Penn State and Johns Hopkins Universities, and has over 30 years of experience in the field of health and fitness education. She is a specialist in adult exercise, ergonomics, and back injury prevention, and is the author of several books and numerous academic and consumer articles. Terrie was the Assistant Director of University Relations at UMBC, the founder and executive director of Aerobic Danse de Belgique as one of the first fitness programs in Europe, and the Director of Health & Fitness Education Programs at Stanford University's Health Improvement Program. Since "retiring" to Florida, she consults on ergonomics and fitness programming, and writes health/fitness articles for national women's and health publications.
Terrie has been active in various civic organizations and with the Penn State Alumni Association, where she has served two terms on the PSAA Executive Board. She also speaks French and was president of the Womens' International Study Group while living in Brussels. Terrie joined the DEC after working on the 2004 Election and has served as precinct captain of 4092 (Boca Bay Colony) and as co-chair of the DEC Public Relations and VOICE Committees. Terrie is especially committed to the importance of communications and grassroots outreach and involvement (and she vows to make PBC Dems the healthiest bunch of Democrats in the country! LOL!!)
Steve Nichol
Treasurer
Re-elected in 2006 as DEC Treasurer, Steve Nichol has been a resident of Palm Beach County since 1979 and has been active in local politics since leaving the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in 1998, where he was a staff writer and political columnist. He became a political consultant at Patriot Games and later worked for 5 years as the communications director for Clerk of the Circuit Court Dorothy H. Wilken.
In 2002, Steve represented the party in the District 4 County Commission race. In 2003, he was appointed to the DEC and in 2004 was elected precinct captain for his community in Boca Del Mar. In December 2004 he was elected treasurer of the DEC.
Besides an exceptionally active role in raising three children, two now in college, Steve has worked diligently for the Jewish community and Israel through synagogues, youth sports leagues, charitable groups, the DEC and the Jewish Community Relations Council of South Palm Beach County. Steve is also serving a second term on the Palm Beach County Sports Commission, an appointee of District 5 Palm Beach County Commissioner Burt Aaronson. He now works in the Public Affairs Department of PBC School District.
Matthew McWatters
Secretary
Matthew McWatters was elected as the DEC's Secretary in 2006. A Florida native, Matt is a 22-year old college student currently going to Palm Beach Community College. He is majoring in Political Science, and is the current Vice-Chair of the Palm Beach County Young Democrats.
In addition to his full-time role as a student, Matt's hobbies include politics, reading, and stargazing. In addition to his responsibilities as Recording Secretary, Matt's main goals are to increase youth outreach through the party and bring more young people into the organization.
Katherine C. Kelly
State Committeewoman
Katherine C. Kelly is the Democratic State Committeewoman for Palm Beach County. A Florida State Committeewoman since 1985, she has served as a delegate to five Democratic National Conventions and sits on the national board of Americans for Democratic Action, as well as the board of the NAACP.
Originally from South Orange, New Jersey, Katherine graduated from Wellesley College and started her career as an electronics manufacturer. She is a founding member of the Society of Women Engineers and a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (and also is a founding member of the International Women's Fishing Association!) She moved into party politics when she moved to Florida and married Edward Kelly, who before his death in 1993, was chair of the Democratic Party in PBC.
Katherine joined the DEC in 1975 and at various times has chaired the Membership, Campaigns & Nominations, Affirmative Action, and Legislative Committees. March 3, 2001 was proclaimed Katherine Kelly Day in the 23rd Congressional District, and on that day she was honored as the Susan B. Anthony Outstanding Feminist of the Year by the area NOW chapter.
Jay Weitz
State Committeeman
Jay Weitz holds the office of Democratic State Committeeman for Palm Beach County. As a member of the DEC's Executive Board, he is dedicated to the election of Democrats to all local, state and federal posts. He also has been President of the Democratic Club of Greater Boynton for the past 6 years.
A pharmacist by training, Jay has worked in retail as well as hospital pharmacies. He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean war and joined a large pharmaceutical company after discharge where he rose through the ranks to become the Eastern Regional Sales Manager before taking early retirement in 1992. After "snowbirding" for three years, he now resides in a country club community in Boynton Beach where he served as President of the Club and Vice President of his homeowners association. He has been active in Palm Beach County politics since 1993.
Evelyn T. Garcia
Recording Secretary
Evelyn T. Garcia, Recording Secretary, relocated to Florida from Simsbury, Connecticut with her husband Guy E. Garcia in 2005, residing first in Boynton Beach and currently in Lake Worth. As a long-time registered Democrat Evelyn supported and participated in the campaigns of several Connecticut Democrats, most notably in the election and re-elections of State of Connecticut Treasurer Denise L. Nappier, the first woman and the first African-American State Treasurer nationwide. Evelyn also served for 6 months as a Legislative Intern at the State of Connecticut Legislature. It was a great experience and she got to see the political process in action first hand!
Within a few months of moving to Palm Beach County Evelyn became an active member of and is currently a vice president on the board of The United Haitian American Democratic Club (UHADC). Over the past year and one-half Evelyn has increased the UHADC's membership and fundraising activities and helped coordinate UHADC's first holiday party in Dec. 2006 which was attended by about 150 Club members and friends.
Evelyn has a professional background in real estate and legal studies. She was the Real Estate Officer for the Hartford Redevelopment Agency and also worked as an Assistant Investment Analyst overseas. Evelyn holds a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Hartford, an Associate's Degree from the Hartford College for Women, a Paralegal Certificate approved by the American Bar Association and a Real Estate Salesperson license from the State of Florida. In her spare time Evelyn enjoys travelling with her husband Guy with whom she has visited well over a dozen countries. She also speaks French and is an avid tennis fan and amateur photographer.
Alan Olinsky
Sergeant-at-Arms
Alan Olinsky currently serves as Sergeant-at-Arms for the Palm Beach County Democratic Executive Committee, as well as Vice-President for the Palm Beach Mid-County Democratic Club, serving Democrats from the Royal Palm Beach, Wellington, Loxahatchee and Acreage areas.
Alan moved to Royal Palm Beach in 1999, after working at Chicago State University as Director of Off-Campus programs. Originally from Albany, NY, he was Democratic committeeman for 27 years, served as Gaming Inspector for the City of Albany and worked with Mario Cuomo's campaigns when he was Governor.
He and his wife Arlene (who is a contributing editor to the DEC newsletter) are both Precinct Captains for Royal Palm Beach Precinct 6084. They worked together on the Reno gubernatorial campaign. They have one grown daughter, Sheryl Lynn Borg, and two grandchildren, Nicholas Jacob and Nina Rae.
Mark Alan Siegel
Parliamentarian
Mark Alan Siegel was born in Manhattan in 1944. He attended public elementary and junior high school and graduated from the Bronx HS of Science, Columbia College, and Columbia Law School. Admitted to the bar in 1968, in 1971 he became a partner in Zissu Halper & Martin.
Mark has been politically active since the 1950s. During the 60s, he was an early anti-war leader, chairing the Moratorium in his community. He helped bring together progressive, reform Democrats and traditional anti-war groups like Women's Strike for Peace to send an anti-war delegation to the 1968 Democratic Convention. There he served as the coordinator for the ant-war plank in seven mid Atlantic states. After his return from military service, he chaired the Manhattan New Democratic Coalition and from 1970 - 1975 and served as First Vice-Chair of the Community Planning Board for Manhattan's Upper East Side in 1973-1974.
In 1974, Mark was elected to the New York State Assembly; he was re-elected seven times. While there he served as the chair of the Higher Education Committee, the Corporations, Commissions, & Authorities Committee, the Human Rights Subcommittee, and the Democratic Study Group. He was a leader of the Reform Block and was a recognized champion of Higher Education, Civil Liberties & Human Rights, Personal Privacy, Government Reform, Expanded Health Care, & Safe, Available Abortion Services.
In 1991, Mark retired and moved to Palm Beach County where he has raised all his three children. He built a law practice for small and medium businesses, and served ten years as an Officer, Trustee, and Budget Chair for his congregation and seven as an Officer and Executive Committee Member of the Jewish Education Commission. He has been a member of the Palm Beach County Democratic Executive Committee since the year he arrived. He has served as a Delegate, Committee Member, or Floor Leader for five national and innumerable state Democratic conventions. He now has the honor of serving as your Parliamentarian.
