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MU
RIEL BOWSER
MAYOR
February 2, 2026
The Honorable Phil Mendelson
Chairman
Council of the District of Columbia
John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 504
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Chairman Mendelson:
In accordance with section 2 of the Confirmation Act of 1978, effective March 3, 1979 (D.C. Law 2-
142; D.C. Official Code § 1-523.01), and pursuant to section 102 of the Commission on Poverty
Establishment Amendment Act of 2020, effective March 16, 2021 (D.C. Law 23-184; D.C. Official
Code § 3-641.02), I am pleased to nominate the following individual:
Mr. Cesar Toledo
New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20003
(Ward 6)
for appointment as an at-large representative member of the Commission on Poverty, filling a vacant
seat formerly held by Corinne Cannon, for the remainder of an unexpired term to end November 18,
2028.
Enclosed, you will find biographical information detailing the experience of the above-m entioned
nominee, together with a proposed resolution to assist the Council during the confirmation process.
I would appreciate the Council’s earliest consideration of this nomination for confirmation. Please
do not hesitate to contact me, or Steven Walker, Director, Mayor’s Office of Talent and
Appointments, should the Council require additional information.
Sincerely,
Muriel B owser
Mayor
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2£!~
at the request of the Mayor
A PROPOSED RESOLUTION
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
To confirm the appointment of Cesar Toledo to the Commission on Poverty.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
resolution may be cited as the "Commission on Poverty Cesar Toledo Confirmation Resolution
of 2026".
Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia confirms the appointment of:
Cesar Toledo
New Jersey A venue, SE
Washington, DC 20003
(Ward 6)
as an at-large representative member of the Commission on Poverty, established by section 102
of the Commission on Poverty Establishment Amendment Act of 2020, effective March 16, 2021
(D.C. Law 23-184; D.C. Official Code§ 3-641.02), filling a vacant seat formerly held by
Corinne Cannon, for the remainder of an unexpired term to end November 18, 2028.
Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia shall transmit a copy of this resolution,
upon its adoption, to the nominee and to the Office of the Mayor.
Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.
Page 1
C
esar Toledo
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Wanda Alston Foundation, Executive Director (April 2025 – Present)
§ Drive the strategic vision and growth of a $1.45m non-profit, overseeing the Board of Directors, 15 staff
members, and consultants.
§ Design and scale housing and mental health programs for at-risk and homeless LGBTQ+ young people in DC,
ens
uring accessibility and measurable outcomes.
§ Secure diverse funding streams through grassroots donors, grants, and partnerships while serving as the
Foundation’s chief executive.
§ Elevate the Foundation’s profile by forging key alliances, strengthening governance, launching campaigns, and
securing earned media.
Harris
for President, National Deputy LGBTQ+ Engagement Director (Aug 2024 – Nov 2024)
§ Led the most successful LGBTQ+ voter mobilization initiative in Democratic presidential campaign history,
dr
iving record-breaking turnout among the constituency.
§ Designed and implemented a national distributed organizing program that completed over 20,000 volunteer shifts,
engaged 2M+ voters, and created 35 state-based coalitions.
§ Built a national network of over 35,000 members – a 330% increase from the 2020 Biden-Harris campaign.
§ Organized an LGBTQ+ week of action, generating 50 earned media mentions, a digital reach of over 4m people,
four key campaign principal events, and 300 events and engagements, including a Broadway performance.
§ Provided strategic support as essential late help to the Arizona Political Team, leading 25 early vote events.
Democrats for Education Reform D.C., Deputy Director (Apr 2023 – Aug 2024)
§ Managed the day-to-day work streams for the political, communications, and organizing teams.
§ Supervised all facets of the political programs, including C4 partner collaboration, IE spending, polling, political
landscape memos, and candidate training.
§ Oversaw $2M in spending for all affiliated C3 and C4 organizations, in addition to preparing comprehensive
budgets,
donor memos, and grant reporting materials.
§ Led all external communications and issue-based advocacy campaigns, securing 80+ media placements.
LGBTQ Victory Fund, Political Director (Aug 2018 – July 2020; Oct 2021 – Mar 2023)
§ Managed the political department’s major initiatives and cross-department communication, including the
successful national candidate endorsement process and donor communications.
§ Cultivated relationships with 100+ national and state-based progressive organizations, coordinating info-sharing,
fac
ilitating endorsements, and maximizing financial impact.
§ Delivered measurable results in the 2022 election cycle, including a $3.45M financial impact, a 71% candidate win
rate, 100+ earned media mentions, and over 800 hours of strategic candidate support.
§ Trained over 100 candidates and advised over 70 on voter contact programs, fundraising, earned media strategy,
an
d navigating anti-LGBTQ attacks.
BerlinRosen, Associate Account Executive, Issue Advocacy (Apr 2021 – Oct 2021)
§ Executed public relations strategies for five national organizations to advance social change narratives and thought
le
adership strategies.
§ Cultivated strong relationships with reporters and drafted press materials, talking points, and opinion pieces.
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Kipp Mueller for California State Senate, Campaign Manager (July 2020 – Nov 2020)
§ Directed all aspects of the campaign, raising over $900,000 for a first-time candidate in a toss-up race.
§ Managed a team of field, compliance, communications, and digital consultants while coordinating the candidate's
schedule, speeches, and political strategy.
Peace Corps Ug
anda, Literacy Specialist (Nov 2016 – May 2018)
§ Served as a primary school teacher at a government school in a village and spearheaded multiple grants.
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Arts, Global Studies, University of California, Riverside, Class of 2013
LANGUAGES
Native fluent in Spanish.
E
xecutive Office of the Mayor – Mayor’s Office of Talent and Appointments
John A. Wilson Building | 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 600 | Washington, DC 20004
C
esar Toledo
M
r. Cesar Toledo is the Executive Director of the Wanda Alston
Foundation, which provides housing and support services for DC’s
homeless LGBTQ+ youth. A first -gen queer Latino, Mr. Toledo brings
over a decade of experience at the intersection of politics and policy,
advancing equity and social justice.
Nationally, Mr. Toledo served as Deputy National LGBTQ+ Engagement
Director for the Harris for President campaign, leading the most
successful LGBTQ+ mobilization program in presidential campaign
history. He also served as the Political Director for the LGBTQ+ Victory
Fund, where he helped elect hundreds of out LGBTQ+ candidates across
the country.
Mr. Toledo also previously championed education reform in the District, served in the Peace
Corps, and led issue-based campaigns for organizations that advance social impact, democracy,
and immigration reform. He began his political career canvassing for l ocal candidates in SoCal
and interning for then-Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom.
A Ward 6 resident, Mr. Toledo earned his Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies from the University
of California, Riverside.
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Executive Office of Mayor Muriel Bowser
Office of the General Counsel to the Mayor
______________________________________________________________________________
The John A. Wilson Building • 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW • Suite 300 • Washington, D.C. 20004 • Office (202) 724-7681
To: Tomas Talamante, Steve Walker
From: Betsy Cavendish
Date: January 13, 2026
Subject: Legal sufficiency review of Resolution s nominating David Schultz, Isaac Harris,
YaVonne Boyd, Lamar Richards, Cesar Toledo , Elijah Moses, Khadijah
Williams, Marla Dean, Debra Kilpatrick Byrd, Patricia Stamper, and Nechama
Masliansky as members of the Commission on Poverty
This is to Certify that this office has reviewed the above -referenced resolution s and
found them to be legally unobjectionable. If you have any questions in this regard, please do not
hesitate to call Erika Satterlee, Deputy General Counsel, Executive Office of the Mayor, at 202-
724-1303, or me at 202-724-7681.
______________________________
Elizabeth A. (Betsy) Cavendish