President: Amanda Knapp

Raised in a politically active family, Amanda learned the importance of community involvement at an early age. Amanda Knapp serves as the Coordinator for the FIU Maurice A. Ferré Institute for Civic Leadership. She is a Ph.D. candidate in Public Affairs, focusing her research on Human Trafficking Policy. Amanda received her Bachelor's in Political Science, Master's in International Intercultural Education, and a Graduate Certificate in Latin American and Caribbean Studies. Amanda also serves on the Miami Beach Human Rights Committee. When Amanda is not working or studying, she dedicates most of her time to community and civic involvement.

Contact: (845) 264-1923
Email: [email protected]

Vice President of Administration and Strategy: Linda Kolko

Originally from New York City, Linda Kolko retired in 2011 after forty years of federal service, 33 years of which were managing international development assistance programs in Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa. She worked at the Inter-American Foundation (IAF) for the past 20 years, serving as its interim President twice. Linda held a variety of positions at the Peace Corps, including Peace Corps Volunteer in Belize, Deputy Director of the Peace Corps in Belize and Jamaica, Deputy Director of the Africa Region. Linda bought a nine-unit Art Deco apartment building in Miami Beach in 1989 and became a Florida resident in 2020. Linda has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics Education from the University of Vermont. Linda was the Takoma Park Maryland Neighborhood Team Leader for the 2012 Obama campaign. She was President of the Women’s Democratic Club of Montgomery County, Maryland and received the Democratic Volunteer of the Year Award in 2017 from the Montgomery County, MD Democratic Central Committee. Linda has volunteered for various Democratic candidates in local, state, and national elections. She serves on the City of Miami Beach Transportation, Parking & Bicycle-Pedestrian Facilities Committee and volunteers for various organizations.

Email: [email protected]

Vice President of Membership and Precinct Captains: Vacant

Secretary: Janet Silverman

Janet became politically active in 2008 volunteering on the Obama campaign. Like many Americans, she was truly inspired by President Obama and after a long, successful and all encompassing career in finance, she finally had some time to nurture this passion. Janet supports the values and beliefs of the Democratic Party and she is committed to electing Democrats at all levels of government. Shortly after moving to Miami Beach in 2015, she discovered the Miami Beach Democratic Club and has been actively volunteering since. She especially enjoys meeting and working with our members on our joint goal to elect Democrats.

Email: [email protected] 

Treasurer: Roger Goldblatt

Roger Goldblatt has a long history of running federal and local campaigns, advocating for many underserved populations, making government accessible to citizens and working at the White House for three presidents. As the Outreach Director for several federal agencies, he has set up town halls in hundreds of cities across the nation, moderated panels on a large array of topics and ran workshops on topical national issues.

Email: [email protected]

Parlimetarian: Severine Cukierman

Born to a Dominican mother and French father, Severine is a first generation American and Miami Beach native. She has always identified with progressive, Democratic values and wishes to leave the world a better, more positive place than how she found it. Severine believes the best way to achieve this is to think globally and act locally, which is why she chose to get involved with the Miami Beach Democratic Club – to affect change where it matters most – in her own backyard. Severine has an MBA from Mount Saint Mary’s University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Boston University. She is putting her business background and analytical acumen to use as Chair of the Data committee within the club, in addition to being Parliamentarian. Severine looks forward to working diligently and passionately to get progressive leaders who represent the interests of the majority of constituents elected to office.

Email: [email protected]

Director 1: Kevin C. Harris

Kevin was born and raised in South Florida, to a blue-collar family of lifelong Democrats. He has always been interested in the political realm, casting his first vote in the 2004 Presidential Preference Primary, and has not missed any election since. A product of Miami-Dade Public Schools, Kevin is a graduate of North Miami Beach Senior High (2004) and earned a degree in Business Administration from FIU in 2008. His guiding principles are selflessness and service. After the untimely death of his older sister in 2011, Kevin dedicated his life to public service. He has proudly served the Miami-Dade Police Department as a dispatcher since July 2012. After caring for ailing relatives as an adult, Kevin is a relentless advocate for universal healthcare. His ultimate goal is to serve in Congress (was a candidate in the 2022 election cycle) and is ready to work to elect good Democrats at every level of government.

Email: [email protected]

Director 2: Cristina Waters

Cristina has been a member of the Miami Beach Dems for several years but became more actively involved in the last primary and election cycle. Initially, she participated in the Outreach Committee as a member, but soon took on the role of Chair. She was responsible for drafting  essaging and training and organizing volunteers for “Day of Action” events. The President and Cristina collaborated on identifying themes for various events, and she provided counsel for final event-specific decisions. In addition to serving as the Outreach chair, she served on the Communications and Data Committees. She is originally from upstate NY but lived in the DC area for fifteen years before moving to Miami Beach in 2015. She has worked with children and adults who have intellectual disabilities and mental health needs in the community for the last 25 years. While in DC, Cristina worked as a School Psychologist and Program Lead at a special education school. She currently works as a Behavior Consultant, responsible for conducting assessments, developing behavior programming, and training parents and staff. Cristina has a lot of experience working as part of a team on a shared goal and looks forward to continuing to work with our MBDC team to elect local and national Democratic candidates. As Outreach Chair and Board member, her primary goals for the future are to increase Club membership, voter registration, and community engagement among our members. She knows we have a lot of work to do, and she’s ready to learn, grow and win!

Email: [email protected]

Director 3: Bill Warren

Bill Warren is a native of Virginia but has lived his entire adult life in South Florida. Bill has been a resident and homeowner on Miami Beach for the past 25 years. Bill is also a business owner, as the founder and president of Benefits Design Resources on Lincoln Road. Bill is a lifetime Democrat. In 2016 Bill joined the Miami Dade LGBTA Democratic Caucus where he served as Treasurer. In 2018 Bill joined the Miami Beach Democratic Club and immediately became Program Committee Chair, which is a role he continues to service. Bill has been a loyal and reliable member of the Club. As Program Chair, Bill has been responsible for managing the Clubs participation in the Miami Beach Pride Parade, organized several lectures, organized campaign car caravans and arranged for guest speakers during regular membership meetings. Bill Warren holds a BA in Business Administration from Virginia State University, an MBA from University of Miami, a Certified Employee Benefits Specialist designation and a 218 Florida insurance license.

Email: [email protected]

Director 4: Tim Johnson

As a lifelong Democrat, Tim is appalled by what is happening to our country and our State by Republicans in general and the Republican Party of Florida in particular. He wants to make a difference at the local level by doing all he can to ensure that Democrats are elected up and down the ballot, both here in Miami Beach and in Miami Dade County. Democrats can not win state-wide without a very strong performance here in Miami Dade! He will actively work to get as many voters involved in order to make the changes that are necessary to achieve the goals of the Democratic party.

He has lived on Miami Beach for almost 20 years. Like many who have lived here for a long period of time, he has seen tremendous change on the Beach. It remains his home. He is committed to make the Beach a better place to live and work. Prior to moving to Miami Beach, Tim lived and worked in Palm Beach County, Maryland, New Jersey, Connecticut and New York. He was born in Buffalo, NY.

Tim’s professional background is in marketing, advertising and sales, with a focus on the Hospitality Industry. Tim has been an active member of the Miami Beach Democratic Club for many years and is anxious to see the MBDC live up to its potential. He has been involved in several political campaigns, both local and national and will continue to work to make a difference in our political climate.

Email: [email protected]