DDC Leadership
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee of the Dover Democratic Committee meets virtually on the first Tuesday of each month at 7:00pm. All Dover Democrats are invited to attend. Please email [email protected] for Zoom meeting details.
Nance Vawter, Co-Chair
Chair, Programs & Events Committee
Nancy joined the Dover Democrats when she moved from Portsmouth in 2018. Since then, she became secretary and then co-chair in 2022. Nancy has a diverse and accomplished background in marketing, fundraising, and video production, managing multi-million dollar budgets and creating strategic marketing plans for numerous companies and nonprofits. Nancy owns a video production company, Atlantic Media Productions, and brings her skills as a producer to her work for the Dover Democrats. She also heads up our Programs & Events Committee while handles year-round programming and special events!
Jodi Langellotti, Co-Chair
Chair, Communications Committee
Jodi has a diverse background ranging from public school teacher to corporate trainer, mental health advocate & educator, to marketing & communications executive. Throughout Jodi’s professional and volunteer career, she has been fortunate to gain experience managing omnichannel marketing and communications, performing community outreach in both the non-profit and for-profit sectors, creating multimedia content, and building and nurturing meaningful relationships across organizations that foster collaboration, growth, and action.
Jodi became involved with the Dover Dems in 2021 no longer wishing to be an “undeclared” after the events of January 6. She was elected co-chair in March of 2025. Jodi chairs the Dover Dems Communications Committee, the Strafford County Dems Communications Committee and shares her passion for mental health education and advocacy by volunteering with multiple organizations.
Bret Carmichael, Secretary
Member, Finance & Fundraising Committee
Bret joined the Dover Democrats in 2025. He lives in Ward 4 with his wife and daughter. He has a career background in information technology. Bret owns a branding and web development agency, LEAP WORKS. He volunteers with several committees and a nonprofit organization that serves veterans.
Candace Williams, Treasurer
Chair, Finance & Fundraising Committee
Candace joined the Executive Committee in March 2021, shortly after moving to Dover. Candace works in public policy with a focus on higher education and workforce development. In college and early in her career, she had great experiences interning with the Massachusetts Democratic Party, working as a finance assistant on two congressional campaigns and serving as a legislative aide to State Senator Mike Barrett. Candace brings this background, and an acumen for data and project management, to her current role as treasurer. She lives in Ward 1 with her husband and their dog, Henri. In her free time, you can catch her at Bending Bodhi Yoga, Breakaway Cafe, or Sonny’s.
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At-Large Delegates
At-large delegates represent the Dover Democratic Committee as voting members at the New Hampshire Democratic Party state convention. They attend DDC and Executive Committee meetings and help organize our efforts through DDC committees and action groups.
Mark Fisher, At-Large Delegate
Chair, Partnerships & Government Engagement Committee
Born in Michigan and now 16 years in New Hampshire, Mark's journey to political involvement started in 2016. Prior to moving to Dover in 2021, he spent several years as part of the Chichester Pembroke Dems doing a range of activities to support local and state candidates.
Mark spent his working career in healthcare, working for a range of research-based pharmaceutical companies on population health strategies and integrated health systems. He has recently joined an organization that helps health systems care for patients by way of their own integrated specialty pharmacies.
Mark lives in Ward 3 with his wife Linda and their dog “sweet” Holly (“by golly”). Mark is an avid runner and participant in the Dover Race Series and the Mt. Washington Road Race. In their free time they enjoy travel and kayaking/SUP in the seacoast area. Mark chairs the Programs & Public Engagement Committee.
Jan Nedelka, At-Large Delegate
Chair, Candidate Recruitment & Campaign Committee
Jan is a 19-year resident of Dover and has served on a variety of committees and commissions, including the City Council Ethics, Energy, and McConnell Arena commissions, several master plan chapters, the Garrison Elementary JBC, and others. Currently serving on the Downtown TIF Advisory Board and the Heritage Commission, Jan is also the Strafford County Register of Probate.
Jan grew up on a dairy farm in rural northwest Connecticut before attending Rochester Institute of Technology and graduating with a B.S. in microelectronic engineering. Jan stayed in Rochester, New York, joining Eastman Kodak Company as an engineer specializing in plasma processing (the glowing ions in a vacuum kind of plasma, not the blood kind) and serving as an active member of IEEE and AVS. Later, he managed a small R&D facility responsible for prototyping and developing microelectromechanical systems with a focus on microfluidics and optics.
After moving to Dover, Jan and his wife started a family and he was a homemaker and serial volunteer, including fifteen years of volunteer tax preparation.
Nancy Ray, At-Large Delegate
Nancy Ray was born and raised in Vermont. She graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in Latin American History and Family Studies. Nancy went on to earn her Master of Social Work from Florida State University and then served in the United States Air Force until she retired at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Nancy is a lifelong Democrat and she is "Ready to Rumble."
Tony Retrosi, At-Large Delegate
Member, Communications Committee
Tony Retrosi is a long time resident of Dover where he and his amazing wife Stephanie raised two children together. Tony is the Owner of Atlantic Gymnastics Training Centers with locations in Dover and Portsmouth as well as a gymnastics consulting business, Gym Momentum, where he has worked with World Champions and Olympic athletes from the USA, Switzerland, and Italy.
Tony is currently on Dover City Council (ward 3) where he serves on the Rec Advisory Committee, The McConnell Center Advisory Committee, and the Heritage Committee.
Robbie Warach, At-Large Delegate
Chair, Operations & Technology Committee
Robbie first joined the Dover Democrats as treasurer in January of 2021, helping the organization to achieve record fundraising results. He served as our co-chair for two years, 2023–25. He most enjoys his involvement in the work of the Candidate Recruitment and Campaign Committee, recruiting and training new candidates. Robbie also serves as City Councilor for Ward 2 in Dover, and as the Strafford County Town Chair Rep to the State Democratic Committee.
Outside of politics, Robbie serves on the board of directors for Community Action Partnership of Strafford County, as well as the board of Temple Israel Portsmouth. He lives in Ward 2 with his husband Jeff and their two small dogs. He loves to travel, enjoys anything outdoors including hiking and running, and loves to sing.
Shawn Lee, At-Large Delegate
Member, Operations and Technology Committee
Shawn joined the Dover Dems in 2023. New to New Hampshire, Shawn and his wife Kim moved to Dover in 2023 after growing up and raising their children in the south (Alabama, Virginia, and Tennessee). With the kids grown, they headed off to experience a new old part of the country and are loving life in New England.
Shawn has worked in IT since 1987, first as a software developer, creating custom solutions for the education, communications, and healthcare sectors, then as management, and finally Director of IT, handling infrastructure, processes, and development teams. As he nears retirement, Shawn is looking forward to helping elect leaders that will protect all of our futures.
Carter Judkins, At-Large Delegate
Member, Program & Events Committee
Carter has spent her career in New Hampshire public schools working as a school counselor, a teacher, and a volunteer. She has worked in Peterborough, Rochester, and Wolfeboro schools. Her own experience as a parent led her to a passion for parent education, first as a student, and then offering that same guidance and support as a teacher, leading parenting classes in the Monadnock area for several years. More recently, she has had extensive training in restorative justice. She now works part-time coaching school staff in the state of Maine, helping schools develop restorative practices in their buildings.
Carter lived abroad for over 3 years, holds two master’s degrees, and loves to be active outside. She has hiked the 4,000-foot peaks in NH, is a regular lap swimmer, goes to yoga regularly, and always has a couple of books on her table. She is a beginner pickleball player with high aspirations to improve.
Jeff Warach, At-Large Delegate
Member, Partnerships & Government Engagement Committee
Jeff spent his childhood in Florida before relocating to the Northeast as a teenager. He's currently a resident of Dover where he lives with his husband Robbie and their two small dogs. Jeff works as a sales professional in the telecommunications industry and currently sits on the DDC Executive Committee where he serves as one of our Ward 2 officers.
Jeff is a member of the board of directors at Community Action Partnership of Strafford County (CAPSC), an organization helping those in need with food, rent, and utilities assistance, among other services. Jeff was elected, and is currently serving a two year term, as Supervisor of the Checklist for Ward 2, ensuring folks can register to vote on Election Day at the polls. In his spare time, Jeff enjoys being outdoors, running, kayaking, swimming, and hiking with his husband and dogs.
Andy Holtz, Secretary
Member, Finance & Fundraising Committee
Andy is a fundraising and growth strategist with experience spanning a wide range of sectors, including government sector environmental protection, private sector health care and financial services consulting, and private sector information systems and business process management. He specializes in fundraising for education, cultural enrichment, racial justice, environmental sustainability, and community development causes. Lifelong Democrat and mid-term resident of Dover Ward One, Andy brings his project management background and administrative skillset to his service as Dover Democrats’ secretary.
PJ Whitney, At-Large Delegate
Member, Partnerships & Government Engagement Committee
PJ has come and gone from Dover over the years (two degrees from UNH) but settled here for good in 1999. Since then, she was very busy raising a daughter and working full time as a clinical nurse specialist until retiring in 2020. Although she has followed politics her whole life and volunteered for several campaigns, the 2016 presidential election and the 2017 Women’s March in DC were defining moments in her life. PJ joined the Dover Dems, became the Ward 4 chairperson, and is now serving her second term on the Dover Democrats executive committee.
PJ is passionate about voting rights (member of NH League of Women Voters), gun violence prevention, and public education. She also volunteers for the Department of Defense as a military outreach coordinator, using her 14 years of experience in the US Air Force and Air National Guard as an inflight navigator. She also helps to maintain Dover’s Veterans Memorial Park as part of the Dover Doers, and she participates in in Don’t Trash Dover every month.