Meet the staff.

We welcome Vercie Davis and Maria Pilar Lampert-Grassi to the staff at the M Street offices. In addition, we are pleased to reintroduce Chandrima Das, former administrative services coordinator and publication sales manager, in her new position as elections coordinator.

Vercie Davis, administrative and fiscal specialist, is the newest member of the LWVUS staff. She joined us in late November and works with the deputy executive director and the senior director of accounting and finance. Vercie has a BA in Psychology and is currently working on her MA degree in Public Policy with an emphasis on governance systems at George Mason University, Fairfax, VA. Vercie also has an interest in politics; last year she participated in a Women's Legislative Briefing in Maryland. Before coming to the League, she was an administrative specialist in the Underwriting Department at Coventry Healthcare. Vercie is passionate about assisting women from disadvantaged backgrounds, helping them with office etiquette and skill sets to survive in today's workforce. In her spare time, she loves to travel, read and cook.

Maria Pilar Lampert-Grassi, global democracy specialist, researches new projects and collaborates on writing proposals and reports in the international area. In this capacity, she is working on issues of women's leadership; government transparency and accountability; and elections and political processes in Mexico, Chile, Peru, Brazil, Spain, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Afghanistan. Maria Pilar is also working on the Safeguarding U.S. Democracy: Promoting an Independent Judiciary by Defending the U.S. Constitution project (see the Education Fund section). She has a BA in Psychology, Universidad de Valparaiso, Chile, and an MA in Women's Studies, Lancaster University, UK. Maria Pilar has worked as a social psychologist on gender and legal issues for more than 10 years. She is originally from Chile, where she worked on social issues related to prostitution, domestic violence, teenage pregnancy and abandoned children. Most recently, at the Instituto de la Mujer (Women's Institute) in Chile she participated in advocacy and public education efforts to increase the number of women in political positions.

Chandrima Das, elections coordinator, joined the League staff in late 2003. Beginning in November 2005, she has been providing election services for League members and the general public. She is assisting various Education Fund projects that provide information on voter outreach and civic engagement. Chandrima is eager to be taking on the challenges associated with her new position, and she hopes to contribute her passion for politics to her service to the League. She received her degree in Political Science from Syracuse University and has a keen interest in foreign policy and politics. In her spare time, Chandrima enjoys movies, reading a good book and trying new recipes.

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