Emerge Virginia, Virginia’s premier organization that recruits and trains Democratic women to run for office, announced today that State Del. Danica Roem will serve as the organization’s next executive director. In this role, Roem will oversee the strategy and operations of Emerge Virginia: recruiting for and running Emerge Virginia’s candidate training program, supporting alumni running for office.

Roem, who represents a newly-districted area west of Fairfax County, will continue to serve in the state legislature and told the News-Press yesterday that she intends to run for re-election in 2023.

“I’m grateful to serve as Emerge Virginia’s next executive director and lead our efforts to recruit, train and elect Democratic women in Virginia,” said Roem in a statement. “As an Emerge alumna, I’ve seen firsthand how Emerge serves to empower communities across Virginia. Emerge has been essential at flipping seats held by decades-long Republican incumbents, providing a powerful sisterhood for us to lean on and grow with, and inspiring Democratic women to run. As more Democratic women step up, Emerge will help guide them every step of the way as we transform what elected offices look like in our commonwealth. I’m excited to lead this incredible organization and can’t wait to see what’s possible with even more powerful Democratic women leading the way.”

Before taking this role, Roem was closely involved with Emerge as an alum attending the 2017 Boot Camp and using what she learned to run and win in her first campaign. Following her 2017 election, Roem became the first out-and-seated transgender state legislator in American history, unseating 13-term incumbent Bob Marshall. Her win was critical to flipping the House of Delegates from red to blue in 2019 for the first time in two decades.