Chair Roberto Alves came to Danbury, CT when he was 5 years old with his Brazilian and Portuguese parents, who worked tirelessly to support their family and instilled in him the value of hard work and community service.
A graduate of Danbury Public Schools, Roberto’s early activism included the Danbury Police Cadets. He later served on the City Council and was a member of many community organizations including the PTO, and local nonprofits, as a member and Chair of the Danbury Democrats, and as CT Dems Treasurer from 2022 – 2024.
In 2019 Roberto was overwhelmingly elected at-large to the Danbury City Council, building a broad and diverse coalition focused on honesty, transparency, and accountability — demanding more from local government and its representatives. In 2023 after 12 years in the business sector, Roberto’s leadership, pragmatism, and strategic vision flipped 22 years of local Republican majorities on the City Council, and boards and commissions, and was elected Mayor of the City of Danbury.
As Mayor, Roberto leads by example and demonstrates a commitment to transparent, effective communication and strategic planning, ensuring residents are informed and engaged in decision-making. Alves’ leadership focuses on pragmatic, responsible solutions, coalition-building, and thoughtful strategic action. His work has been instrumental in organizing and mobilizing Democrats, volunteers, and activists, fostering a unified and effective Democratic presence in the toughest districts. Roberto was elected CT Dems Chair in 2025 and is a proud husband and father of two.
Vice Chair Vanita Bhalla migrated from India as a child. One of her grandfathers was the mayor of the town in which she was born, and her other grandfather owned a hotel and restaurant. This blending of politics, service and hospitality describe Vanita very well. Vanita represents the 32nd District on the Democratic State Central Committee, and served as co-chair of the party’s AANHPI Caucus. She is Vice Chair of the Woodbury Democratic Town Committee, where she has helped lead multiple campaigns and volunteers for many more. After graduating from UConn with a BS in Biochemistry and an MBA, Vanita worked in sales and marketing at Procter and Gamble, Tambrands, and Gillette. Subsequently, Vanita made a career switch to recruiting, and later started her own business as a Career Coach. Vanita lives in Woodbury with her wife.
Vice Chair Jimmy Tickey
is a trusted political voice, providing guidance to local, state, and federal campaigns. Blending political strategy with public service, Jimmy Tickey is the Vice Chair of the Connecticut Democratic Party where he leads candidate and grassroots trainings. A volunteer, campaign manager, and elected official, Jimmy understands firsthand where politics meets policy: organizing.
First elected to local office at the age of 24 in the City of Shelton, where his electoral support broke records, Jimmy continues to be deeply involved in the Naugatuck Valley community, across the State of Connecticut, and through his service on the Democratic National Committee.
Jimmy is the author of the book, Organizing to Win: The Art & Science of Running for Office — a how-to book about entering the political arena. He appears regularly on Connecticut television on behalf of the Democratic Party.
Secretary Audrey Blondin has been a member of the Democratic State Central Committee since 2002, representing the 18 towns of the Northwest Corner, and is also currently the longest serving woman member of the Committee. She was one of the Committee’s first women attorneys and has served as a delegate to four Democratic National Conventions. She became involved in politics in 1979 on the Torrington mayor’s race, and served on the Democratic Town Committee there before moving to Litchfield in 1986, where she became local chairman and was elected to the Board of Selectmen, serving for ten years. She currently resides in Goshen where she serves as a member of the Board of Assessment Appeals. She and her daughter have Litchfield County’s only mother-daughter law firm and practice primarily real estate, business, bankruptcy, probate, elder and estate planning law, as well as assisting her husband and son-in-law in Blondin Shea Eyecare. She also holds a Masters in Public Health degree from the University of Connecticut and is currently an Adjunct Professor at the University of New Haven teaching Law & Public Health.