DC Vote Names Amy Vruno Executive Director, Bringing Movement-Building Leadership to the Fight for DC Self-Government
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media contact: Jeannette O’Connor, [email protected]
WASHINGTON, DC (March 10, 2026) — DC Vote today announced that Amy Vruno has been appointed Executive Director, bringing more than two decades of nationally recognized organizing, coalition-building, and executive leadership to the organization at a pivotal moment for the District’s right to self-government.
Vruno is a seasoned organizer and cross-sector power builder with deep local experience in the District, and a track record of leading complex, multi-issue campaigns that deliver concrete results for working people. She joins DC Vote as Congress continues to interfere in the District’s local governance and as the movement for full representation and self-determination for the District’s more than 700,000 residents enters its next phase.
“Amy Vruno is exactly the kind of leader DC Vote needs in this moment,” said Daniel Solomon, Board Chair, DC Vote. “She brings a rare combination of strategic discipline, movement-building experience, and deep commitment to the people of the District. At a time when Congress continues to threaten DC’s autonomy and democracy itself is under strain, Amy has the vision and the leadership to help us defend home rule and keep building toward statehood. The Board is thrilled to welcome her as Executive Director.”
Founded nearly 30 years ago, DC Vote is a national citizen engagement and advocacy organization dedicated to strengthening democracy and securing equality for all in the District of Columbia. As Executive Director, Vruno will focus on expanding DC Vote’s civic and political power to win full representation and self-determination—and to position the statehood movement for the next window of federal opportunity.
“At a time when the struggle over who has a full voice in our democracy is playing out across the country, DC remains the clearest example of outright disenfranchisement in the United States,” said Amy Vruno, Executive Director, DC Vote. “The District is home to extraordinary local grassroots leadership and national coalitions working to advance democracy and lift up the voices of working people across the country. I’m eager to work with local and national allies to defend home rule and the self-determination of the District’s 700,000 residents, while driving a relentless strategy to win DC statehood at the next possible window of opportunity.”
Vruno has spent her career leading complex, multi-issue campaigns that expand access to participation in civic and economic life. Her work has consistently bridged faith, labor, and community institutions, building durable civic infrastructure capable of moving both government and corporate decision-makers, and expanding who has a voice in the decisions that shape their lives. Across work in labor, climate, community and philanthropy, she has built on-the-ground capacity in nearly every state in the nation.
As a Program Officer with Invest in Our Future, she managed a $41+ million national grantmaking portfolio supporting community power-building and clean energy implementation. At Washington Interfaith Network, where she was Executive Director, and previously as a Supervising Organizer with the Metro Industrial Areas Foundation, she directed and developed large-scale organizing efforts across housing, climate, transit, utilities, family sustaining jobs, and economic justice. Under her leadership, coalitions secured more than $500 million annually in dedicated public transit funding across DC, Maryland, and Virginia without concessions that harmed frontline workers; advanced a pipeline of more than 3,000 affordable homes; helped move 1,700 residents from homelessness into permanent housing; and won passage of the Healthy Homes Act to electrify 30,000 low- and moderate-income homes.
Vruno also brings extensive executive and fundraising experience. Over more than 15 years, she has raised resources through dues, major donors, foundations, and contracts; built and supervised high-performing teams; and led organizational change through periods of growth and transition.
“For decades, the people of the District of Columbia have fought for the fundamental democratic right to govern ourselves and to have voting representation in Congress,” said Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. “Amy Vruno brings the experience, energy, and strategic leadership needed to advance that cause at a critical time for the District. I look forward to working with her as we continue the fight to achieve statehood and full equality for DC residents.”
“The fight for DC statehood is a major part of the fight for democracy and freedom in America today. The last several years have shown that there is no safety for the rights of 700,000 American citizens in Washington without statehood and full equality in our constitutional system,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin (MD-8). “Amy Vruno understands both the profound urgency of the democracy crisis in Washington and the profound opportunity for change in this moment of political organizing across America. Vruno is a seasoned organizer and coalition builder who knows how to mobilize democratic ideals to build grassroots political power and social change. I’m excited to work with her and DC Vote as we continue pushing to secure full representation and democracy for the too often besieged people of the District.”
Vruno holds a Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School and a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Minnesota, and is certified in leadership coaching through Georgetown University.
Read Amy’s full bio and download her headshot here.
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About DC Vote
DC Vote was founded in 1998 to develop and coordinate solution-oriented proposals that aim to achieve full democratic equality for residents of the District of Columbia. Under DC Vote’s umbrella, creative proposals are incubated and vetted to determine possibilities for consensus and advancement into the policy arena. Learn more at dcvote.org.