Saif Shamim
President
Thomas Jackson
Vice President
Ezra Pine
Treasurer
Milan Van Dam
Communications Director
Carlos Hernandez Tavares
Political Advocacy Director
Saif grew up in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and attended Montgomery County Public Schools from elementary to high school. He graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a bachelor’s in Government and Politics, and a minor in International Development and Conflict Management. Since college, Saif has volunteered and worked in a variety of political roles in Maryland, including on a congressional campaign, in the Maryland General Assembly, and with volunteer organizations. Saif has served as the Treasurer of MCYD, as Vice President, and now as President. He has led numerous initiatives and events for the club including planning and executive the annual Paint the County Blue Fundraiser. Currently, he works as an Executive Aide in the Montgomery County government.
Thomas grew up in Mississippi and has been active in advocacy and Democratic political work since 2015. He currently serves as the Membership Director for the Montgomery County Young Democrats and as the LGBTQ+ Caucus Chair for the Young Democrats of Maryland. He has experience working on local, Congressional, and statewide campaigns, including the 2024 Maryland coordinated campaign, and before moving to his current home in Bethesda, he was the Treasurer for the Frederick County Democratic Central Committee. He works on the annual YDM legislative and policy agenda for advocacy to the General Assembly, and he plans to leverage his advocacy, leadership, and coalition building experience as the next Vice President of MCYD.
Ezra is an experienced researcher, writer, and communicator with exceptional critical thinking, leadership, and public speaking skills. A lifelong Montgomery County resident, he has more than five years of political campaign and local government experience in the Washington metropolitan area, working for organizations such as Progressive Maryland, Working Families Party, New Virginia Majority, and the Montgomery County Government, where he served as a legislative aide for two years. He was recognized in 2025 as a Young Democrats of Maryland “36 Under 36” nominee, which represents 36 young Democrats all across Maryland who work tirelessly to improve their communities. He lis passionate about ushering in a new era of progressive young Democrats through his role on the MCYD Board.
Milan van Dam is a youth democratic organizer located in Rockville, Maryland, and currently serves as the Programs Director of MCYD, in which he has helped organize monthly events since being elected last year. Outside of MCYD, Milan has served in a variety of roles on State Senate, State Delegate, and County Council campaigns, and is working to elect more young Democrats in the upcoming midterms. Milan also serves as the National Vice Chairman of HSDA, where he has worked to establish over 100 new local chapters and 13 state chapters across the country, previously serving as Chair of the Maryland High School Democrats. As the Communications Director, Milan is focused on broadening the reach of MCYD and expanding the impact of the organization. He believes that it is more crucial than ever to mobilize young Democrats.
Carlos is a first generation Marylander who was born in Venezuela and emigrated to Montgomery County when he was a year old. He has several years of policy, electoral, and activist experience with a particular focus on labor, housing, and democracy protection. As the Political Advocacy Director with MCYD, his main goal is to engage with our growing young Latino community in the County to help engage this group with the electoral process. He also hopes to bring youth engagement to the current housing debate within Montgomery County, especially given that many young Marylanders (including himself) increasingly worry about housing affordability in the County that we all love and want to make a home for ourselves in. His experience migrating from Venezuela shapes my values and conviction that Montgomery County and our nation as a whole can and should be a place where all are welcome and given the opportunity to succeed.