Vida Benavides

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Vida Benavides is a principal in the Dewey Square Group's state, local and multicultural practice, developing third party outreach strategies inclusive of multicultural constituencies and consumers, as well as advising national, state and local leaders on political, policy, constituent outreach and public relations strategies.

An expert on electoral politics, Benavides' career includes providing strategic counsel to campaigns and policy initiatives on voter education and mobilization, political leadership and civic engagement. Benavides co-founded APIAVote, a national nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that encourages and promotes civic participation amongst Asian American and Pacific Islanders in the electoral and public policy processes. As Executive Director she oversaw the organization's 2008 unprecedented national field, public education, and communications program that helped to increase the visibility and capacity of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community's participation in the electoral process.

Prior to APIAVote, Benavides spent 13 years as a political and public affairs consultant, developing political, policy, fundraising, public relations, and communication strategies focused on developing diverse and alternative outreach approach to multicultural communities. As a consultant, Vida served as a top advisor to the Kerry-Edwards and Gore-Lieberman campaigns. And as a pro-bono Campaign Adviser/Strategist, she designed the coalition infrastructure and developed grassroots and grasstop strategies for the National Alliance for Filipino Veterans Equity (NAFVE), the coalition that pursued passage of Filipino WWII Veterans Benefit Enhancement legislation. President Obama signed the bill as part of the Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009.

Benavides served as the Director of Public Liaison of the Department of Public Liaison, Voter Education, & Training for Democratic National Committee under Chairman David Wilhelm. She helped develop base vote outreach strategies, utilized an aggressive use of specialty media, monitored and recruited minority & women candidates, facilitated training programs, and implemented a surrogate speakers program for the Party and the administration. Vida also served as political aide of the Clinton/Gore Presidential Transition Team and '92 Clinton/Gore Campaign.

Benavides served as a board member of Asian Law Caucus of San Francisco, APIAVote of Washington, and for the Presidential Nomination,Timing and Scheduling Commission for the Democratic Party. She dedicates her time to fostering emerging talent through leadership development activities. Over the past decade she has trained and mentored public servants and campaign operatives and continues to promote leadership among youth, women, and minority communities. She has also worked with community leaders and public officials to establish civic and electoral engagement entities such as America's Opportunity Fund, National Alliance for Filipino Veterans Equity, Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies.

Vida was an Asian Pacific American Women's Leadership Institute Fellow, US-German Marshall Fund Fellow, and is listed as one of 100 Influential Filipina American Women.

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