Kimberly Ellis is a candidate for the California Democratic Party chair. Previously she was the former executive director of Emerge California - a role she held from 2010 to 2017. Under her leadership, Emerge California greatly expanded its reach, effectiveness, and visibility. Prior to joining Emerge California, Kimberly worked at the national headquarters, Emerge America, as the National Affiliate Director. In this capacity, Kimberly was responsible for launching new state programs and working with existing affiliates to increase and strengthen program quality, sustainability and growth. During her tenure at Emerge America, Kimberly developed and implemented systems to increase organizational infrastructure at both the national and state levels. She also worked to strengthen and standardize the Emerge program and curriculum to preserve brand quality, effectiveness, and consistency across the national network. A 2007 Emerge California graduate, Kimberly has personal, firsthand experience with the Emerge program and is passionate about the organizationðs mission of inspiring and empowering women to step into political power. The majority of Kimberly's background and experience is in operations management and organizational infrastructure development and implementation. She has worked in private industry, state government, and the non-profit sector. Appointed by the Mayor in 2009, Kimberly has also served as a Commissioner for the Community Development Commission in the City of Richmond. Kimberly has two children, one husband, a dog, a turtle and three goldfish, and holds a B.A. in English from Jacksonville University and a J.D. from the John F. Kennedy School of Law.
