Our Founders & Board Members

  • Danielle Young-Kombo is a Democratic party stakeholder, a progressive community leader and principal consultant at D.K. Global Consulting, LLC. She made history when she ran for the Colorado House of Representatives becoming the first woman of color to win a Democratic primary election in House District 45 in 2018. She continued her work in Colorado politics by running for the U.S. Senate in 2019 and serving as the Women’s Vote Director for the Colorado Coordinated Campaign in 2020 for the Biden-Harris ticket. 

    Danielle's achievements include being elected and serving as the Chair of Diversity and Affirmative Action for Douglas County Democratic Party from 2018-2020, serving as an At-Large Member of the Executive Committee for the CO-MT-WY NAACP State Conference (2018-), joining the distinguished alumni of the women-led political candidate training program, Emerge Colorado (2019), being selected to attend the distinguished Congressional Black Caucus Institute for further training in American politics (2019), and developing and implementing voter outreach strategy to help Colorado attain record breaking voter turnout in the 2020 presidential election. 

    Danielle currently serves on the board of directors of Cobalt, a women-led organization that fights for women’s reproductive rights and is the chair of the development committee. She was selected into the prestigious Truman National Security Project as a political partner for the Colorado Chapter. Prior to her journey into politics, Danielle worked as a physician recruiter and primary care clinic leader in the healthcare industry, and attended Colorado State University to study Healthcare Administration. 

    When Danielle is not working in politics, she enjoys spending quality time with her family at home, watching NBA basketball and attending track and field competitions. She and her husband of 18 years are also the proud parents of four amazing sons.

  • Madeline has worked in all sides of Colorado politics, from inside the State Capitol, to outside of it on legislative campaigns to federal campaigns. Born and raised in Fort Collins, and a graduate of the University of Denver, she currently works as the Executive Director for the Democratic Senate Campaign Fund, overseeing the State Senate Democratic caucus.

    Why The Steady: Keeping a sustainable, consistent career in politics shouldn't have to be left up to good timing and good luck, and limited to those who can afford it. I'm proud to be a Founding Board member of The Steady in order to ensure a strong, functional bench of staffers in Colorado.

  • Since 2016, Tallon has worked on all levels of campaigns, from school board to federal races. She is most proud of helping elect the first woman District Attorney in Jefferson and Gilpin counties. Tallon is passionate for supporting working class, parents and first time candidates running for office. She currently lives in Colorado Springs and is a graduate of the University of Denver.

    Why The Steady? As campaign staffers, we need a sustainable way to help our democracy thrive. The Steady gives us the tools, the network and the consistency we need to continue doing the work we love and supporting our local leaders who bring the change we need most.

  • Val grew up in Louisville, Colorado, and is raising her family in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Val serves on Wheat Ridge City Council and opened her business, Upstream Consulting in 2020. Before Upstream, she was Campaign Coordinator and Director of Operations for John Hickenlooper’s US Senate and US Presidential campaigns. Prior she worked in the Colorado Governor’s Office in various roles, including Director of Scheduling and Advance and Community Engagement Director for flood and fire resiliency and recovery.

    In the Hickenlooper Administration, Val held senior-level communications roles in various Colorado State Agencies, including the Department of Revenue, Department of Local Affairs, and Department of Human Services. She began her career in Washington, DC, for then-Congressman Mark Udall and US Senator Evan Bayh. She also was surrogate scheduler in Colorado on President Obama’s 2008 Campaign for Change.

    Why the Steady? Val founded "The Steady" after years of talented staff leaving the campaigns because the unsteadiness of work made the environment traumatic and unsustainable. Often staffers feel undervalued, overworked and choose to make this work a hobby instead of their profession. The Steady provides consistency and support for existing campaign staff while also inviting new community-focused leaders into the profession of campaigning.

  • Elizabet Garcia Hernandez was born and raised in Greeley, Colorado to Mexican parents she spent her childhood moving around town as work appeared for her parents ranging from farm-work to construction. Elizabet graduated from the University of Denver with degrees in International Studies, Spanish, and a minor in Business Administration.

    She has had the opportunity to create partnerships with Colorado Peoples Alliance, The Denver Foundation, CLLARO, and in 2020 she was the Coordinated Latino Outreach Organizer for the Democratic Party. Most recently Elizabet opened up her own consulting business Verbo LLC. She is excited to continue to flourish the partnerships she has created and of course continue to make new ones along the way.

  • Alycia is a small business owner in Aurora, Colorado dedicated to helping other small business owners thrive. She is the proud mother of 4.