Meet Shasti

Shasti Conrad (she/her) is Chair of the Washington State Democrats and a Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee, where she works to strengthen Democratic organizing and build a more effective, inclusive party nationwide.

Elected in 2023, she is the first woman of color and youngest person to serve as Chair of the Washington State Democrats, as well as the first South Asian woman to lead a state party, Democratic or Republican, in the country, and the first AAPI Chair in the contiguous 48 states. Elected in 2025 to the DNC, Shasti is the only Asian officer at the DNC and the only officer who lives in the West.

Adopted from Calcutta by a single mother and raised in rural Oregon, Shasti brings a unique perspective to her work in American politics. In her first term as Chair, she led Washington Democrats to historic victories, including winning every statewide office and every Congressional incumbent seat, while expanding Democratic majorities in the state legislature. Washington was the only state in the country to move further blue in the 2024 elections.

Building power before the party

Before becoming Chair, Shasti founded and led a progressive political consultancy focused on building power for communities too often left out of political decision-making. She launched a statewide PAC to support a historic number of Black women running for the Washington State Legislature, with six of eight candidates winning their races. She also established a donor-advised fund through the Seattle Foundation to support BIPOC women-led organizations and strengthen the leadership pipeline.

Politics, government, philanthropy, and social impact

Shasti’s career has spanned politics, government, philanthropy, and social impact. She has advised organizations including Amnesty International and Girl Scouts of the USA and led strategic planning work for major institutions. She has worked alongside three Nobel Peace Prize laureates, Malala Yousafzai, President Barack Obama, and Kailash Satyarthi, on efforts to advance social change. Earlier in her career, she served as Chair of the King County Democrats from 2018 to 2022, worked on four presidential campaigns, and served in the Obama White House’s Office of Public Engagement and for his Senior Advisor.

Speaking and commentary

A sought-after speaker and commentator, Shasti speaks nationally on women of color in politics, immigrant and AAPI experiences, progressivism, social justice, diversity and inclusion in American democracy, and the growing political power of Millennials and Gen Z. She has been featured or invited to speak by Dartmouth College, Seattle University, USA Today, Vanity Fair, KING 5 Seattle, The Seattle Times, and others.

Shasti holds a BA from Seattle University and a Master of Public Affairs from Princeton University.

In brief

• Chair, Washington State Democrats, elected 2023
• Vice Chair, Democratic National Committee, elected 2025
• Chair, King County Democrats, 2018 to 2022
• BA, Seattle University
• Master of Public Affairs, Princeton University