What is CCYPD?

The purpose of the Clark County Young Professional Democrats (CCYPD) is to educate young professionals about the Democratic Party, its ideals and candidates.  We serve as a mechanism in Clark County, Nevada for young people to actively participate in their government.

We strive to be an organization where democratic individuals can voice their opinions without retribution from others.  We are also an organization that grooms future candidates to run for office.  Our members are the future of the Democratic Party and we need to get involved NOW!

CCYPD Officers:

• President, Bonnie Jacobs.  Email Bonnie at: bjacobs at ccypd dot org.

  • Bonnie grew up in Las Vegas and attended Clark High School.  She moved to Arizona in the middle of her senior year, and during her 5 years there learned what life was like when the Republicans ran the govenrment.  She received her Associate of Arts degree from Yavapai College in Prescott, Arizona, before briefly returning to Nevada, then moving on to other adventures in Florida.  She was living in Florida during the 2000 Presidential Election debacle and is very aware that every vote counts.

    She has been very active in politics since returning from Florida, working on the first democratic campaign in Nevada Congressional District 3, volunteering for the Nevada State Democratic Party during the past Presidential election, and being actively involved in the UNLV Young Democrats, even serving as its Vice President in 2003.

    In addition to founding the Clark County Young Professional Democrats, she currently serves as a Clark-at-Large member of the Nevada State Democratic Party Executive Board, serves on the Budget Committee for the Young Democrats of America, is working to complete her Bachelors degree in Business with a minor in Sociology through Northern Arizona University’s internet distance learning program and works full time as a paralegal.

• Vice-President, Heather Brown.  Email Heather at: hbrown at ccypd dot org.

  • Bio coming soon!

• Secretary/Treasurer, Gregory Asplund.   Email Gret at: gasplund at ccypd dot org.

  • Greg relocated to Las Vegas from his native Minnesota in August 2006. As a kindergarten teacher in the Clark County School District, Greg's primary political concerns are issues pertaining to education.
    
    Greg is an alumnus of Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he was active in student government. During college, Greg served as a campaign volunteer for several prominent South Dakota Democrats, namely Senators Tom Daschle and Tim Johnson and U.S. Representative Stephanie Herseth.
    
    Aside from teaching and politics, Greg is interested in music. He marched three summers with the Colts Drum Corps from Dubuque, Iowa. Greg has also worked as a marching band instructor.
    

• Membership Director, Lance Huang.  Email Lance at: lhuang at ccypd dot org.

  • Lance grew up in the south suburbs of Chicago (a Democrat strong hold) and even voted for Jesse Jackson Jr. and Barack Obama when he lived there.  He graduated from Purdue University with a Bachalors in Economics; so as a result he is a social liberal and economic conservative.   He moved to Las Vegas in May of 2005 and now runs a slot machine part sales business.  
    
    His two favorite political topics included the American economy and religous based issues.  His activities in politics include door to door campaigning for candidates, phone banking and voter registration.

• Communications Director, A'shanti-Fayshel Gholar.  Email A'shanti at: afgholar at ccypd dot org.

  • A’shanti Fayshel Gholar got her start in Democratic politics conducting outreach to voters when she was fifteen.  The native Nevadan has devoted the majority of her adult life to the promotion of Democratic candidates and ideals. In 2004, A'shanti was elected the first African American and first female President of the Young Democrats of Nevada in the organization’s sixty-year history and that same year A’shanti was honored to be chosen as one of two young people from Nevada to serve as a page to the Nevada Delegation at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston. 

    In 2005, A’shanti was elected National Vice President of the College Democrats of America (CDA). In 2006, she was appointed Co-Chair of the Democratic National Committee's Youth Council and continues to utilize this platform to promote the interests of young Democratic activists in the national party.   A’shanti previously served Nevada’s National Committeewoman, as the first Board Secretary of the Jewish Caucus, and as Vice Chair of the Chapter Building Committee.

    At home in fabulous Las Vegas, A’shanti serves as the Secretary of the Nevada State Democratic Party and is proud to be the youngest person elected to a State Party position.  She is the 1^st Vice President of the Clark County Women's Democratic Club and a member of the Clark County Democratic Party.  As a leader in the African American community, she lends her voice to the Board of the Democratic Party African American Council and the NAACP. A’shanti works for Nevada Congresswoman Shelley Berkley.

CCYPD Committees:

• Activities Committee, Matthew Dempsey, chair.  Email Matthew at mdempsey at ccypd dot org.

  •  Matthew's interest in everything politics began during the 2000 election.  Attending college in Texas at the time, Bush's win of the state was a foregone conclusion but it was that election that solidified his interest in the Democratic Party.  In 2020, Matthew was hevily involved in a Texas State House of Representatives race, being elevated to a Volunteer Captain.

    
         Starting in 2003, Matthew began interning for Congressman Max Sandlin of the 1st Congressional District of Texas and re-chartered the Stephen F. Austin State University Young Democrats.  During his tenure as president, the SFA YDs grew froma membership from a membership of around five to over 75 members (and all this in staunchly consrvative East Texas) and became a respected group both on campus and in the community.
         Following graduation from college, Matthew worked briefly as a political fundraiser and then moved back to East Texas to serve as Field Director for the Robin Moore for Texas House Campaign and as the Nacogdoches County Volunteer Coordinator for the Re-Elect Max Sandlin campaign.  Matthew has also held several popsitions within the Texas Young Democrats.  Initially, he served as the Regional Director for the area, later the Regional Director's Chairman, and finally served as Executive Vice President of the Texas Young Democrats.
         Having recently moved back to Nevada, Matthew is glad to live in a "purple" state and is currently working on his Master's in Political Science at UNLV.  Besides politics, Matthew plays the flute, loves to read, and party it up Vegas style.