Two former state legislators, several Democratic Party officials, and a number of veteran activists and organizers make up the newly elected grassroots members of Colorado Working Families Party State Committee. The State Committee is balanced between grassroots representatives elected by the CO-WFP membership, which span every congressional district in the state, and representatives of affiliated organizations. 

The State Committee is the core leadership body of CO-WFP, and determines WFP’s endorsements in Colorado (including in fall 2021 elections and 2022 midterm elections), as well as CO-WFP’s overall direction, strategies, and goals. CO-WFP internal election results were finalized on September 3rd, and the first meeting of the new body will be this Saturday, September 18th. This was the first membership election of grassroots State Committee members in the chapter’s history, so marks a milestone for CO-WFP. All grassroots State Committee members were elected to two-year terms, through mid-2023.

“The Colorado Working Families Party is in good hands heading into crucial municipal elections this year and next year’s midterms,” said Wendy Howell, CO-WFP State Director. “Our State Committee is an incredible group of progressive leaders that come from all aspects of life. I can’t wait to get to work with them to continue electing champions willing to fight for a state that is more just and fair for everyone living in it.”

Among the state committee members is Howard Chou, current 1st Vice-Chair of the Colorado Democratic Party. “I believe in the work that we do and in the leadership we have at the Colorado Working Families Party,” Chou said. “I stand by our efforts to continue to push forth a powerful progressive agenda that will allow us to have equity in all aspects of every community.”

The Hon. Joe Salazar, civil rights & environmental justice attorney and former state legislator; the Hon. Jonathan Singer, social worker and former state legislator; the Rev. Dr. Timothy Tyler, pastor of Shorter Community African Methodist Episcopal Church; Elisabeth Epps, founder of the Colorado Freedom Fund; Corrine Rivera Fowler, Policy and Legal Advocacy Director at the national Ballot Initiative Strategy Center; Terry Tucker, elected DNC member; and Jodeen Olguín-Tayler, a nationally known racial & economic justice advocate, are just a few of the noteworthy leaders to serve on the grassroots side of the CO-WFP State Committee for 2021-23 terms. 

The full 2021-23 CO-WFP State Committee is made up of: 

Congressional District 1 – Regular

• Mona Cedillo*
• Elisabeth Epps*
• Michele Fry
• Emily Hiltz
• Skip Madsen
• Anna Noble*
• Rev. Dr. Timothy Tyler

Congressional District 1 – Alternate

• Michele Gomez*
• Melissa McCollister*
• Mike McCorkle
• Hailey McMoore*
• JulieAnn Mercer*
• Carmen Short*

Congressional District 2 – Regular

• Angelica Alexander*
• Geof Cahoon
• Lyn Gullette
• Raffi Mercuri
• Jodeen Olguín-Tayler*

Congressional District 3 – Regular

• Kiera Hatton Sera
• Ronda McCarroll*
• Laurie Roberts

Congressional District 4 – Regular

• Patricia Garcia-Nelson*
• Jeri Shepherd
• Hon. Jonathan Singer*

Congressional District 5 – Regular

• Corrine Rivera Fowler
• Kyla Sabado*
• Chandra Wilkins

Congressional District 6 – Regular

• Vita Brown*
• Suzie Brundage
• Howard Chou

Congressional District 7 – Regular

• Lisa Johnson*
• Kim Netherton
• Anna Perez*
• Hon. Joe Salazar
• Rachael Smallwood
• Terry Tucker
• Marie Venner*

Organizational

• CIRC Action Fund
• Colorado Rising
• CWA CO/WY State(s) Council*
• Denver Area Labor Federation
• Denver DSA
• SEIU Local 105
• UNE Action

*An asterisk indicates a grassroots or organizational member that is new to the State Committee in 2021.

About the Colorado Working Families Party

Since launching a state chapter in Colorado in 2017, WFP has played a key role in winning paid family leave and a ban on predatory payday lending, has helped to flip the majority of the CU Board of Regents, and has worked to successfully elect dozens of bold progressives to state & local offices across the Centennial State.