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Our Leadership
Every member in our party's leadership donates their personal time, energy, and resources to the growth and progress of "The People's Party".
None of these members nor the executive director receive a salary to do the people's work.
The work they've done for many years is truly a labour of love. All for the love of our people, and our beautiful Marianas.
Ana "Annie" Terlaje Pickelsimer
Chairwoman
Ana “Annie” Terlaje Pickelsimer served as a member of the Democratic Party of the Northern Mariana Island’s Central Executive Committee for many years before stepping into her new role as Chair of The People’s Party. Elected in May 2025, Chair Annie is the second woman to lead the DPNMI as chair.
Chair Annie has hit the ground running, organizing the party, conferring with officers and other CEC members, meeting with elected officials and prospective candidates, and working with the Association of State Democratic Committees, the Democratic National Committee, and the US Territories Alliance within the DNC. She aims to serve, and her primary goal is to build up the party she loves and believes in.
She was married for forty-five years, and in the last seven years of her marriage, served her husband as his primary caregiver. +Joseph Frank Pickelsimer III passed away on September 29, 2022, a former police captain and a retired Xerox service technician. Chair Annie honors his legacy by serving as Chair of the DPNMI and commits to working with the party to build a safe, healthy, beautiful, sustainable, and truly inclusive Northern Marianas.
Chair Annie can be contacted at (670) 287–1446 or emailed at anniep7839@gmail.com.
Stephen Woodruff
Vice Chair
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Vacant
Secretary
Emelia "Meling" Chargualaf
Treasurer
Emelia “Meling” Chargualaf has been a Democrat for over thirty years, first joining the party when Froilan Tenorio was elected Governor in 1993. At that time, Meling joined the Women’s Committee of the Democratic Party of the Northern Mariana Islands and has been involved in various capacities over the last thirty plus years. In 2016, she joined a team of delegates from the NMI in Philadelphia who, along with a majority of delegates from other states and territories, nominated Hillary Clinton to run for President.
Meling has been a member of the Central Executive Committee for well over a decade and has, in the past, led the party as Acting Chair and has served as the party’s treasurer. In the most recent party reorganization, Meling was elected to serve as Treasurer. She looks forward to stepping into this role and supporting the party as she has always done.
Jonathan Pangelinan Cabrera
Executive Director
Jonathan Pangelinan Cabrera is the Executive Director of the DPNMI. In previous years, he served as Party Secretary and Chair.
A former teacher of writing and literature at Saipan Southern High School, Marianas High School, and the Northern Marianas College, he is currently based in New Haven, Connecticut, where he is a PhD student at Yale University in the Religious Studies and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program.
Mike White
DNC National Committeeman
Michael White serves as the party’s National Committeeman. For the first time in DNC history, a committeeman from the territories was elected to two DNC councils, the Seniors and Climate Councils. White was also elected to an at-large position within the DNC’s Western Caucus.
Leila Fleming Clark Staffler
DNC National Committeewoman
Leila Fleming Clark Staffler is a lifelong public servant, educator, and community leader from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). She currently serves as the CNMI Secretary of Labor, where she advocates for workforce development, economic equity, and labor protections.
A former legislator and high school principal, Leila brings over two decades of experience in education and public policy. She is a proud Pacific Century Fellow and soon to be Executive Leadership Development Program alum. She is an active volunteer, serving on the State Workforce Development Board, the Statewide Rehabilitation Council, and the Developmental Disabilities Council. Leila is also a cultural preservationist and filmmaker committed to uplifting indigenous voices and stories from across the Marianas.
Call
670-234-5028
670-484-DEMS (3367)