Meet Vida

Vida is a community organizer and public servant with a long history of working to improve the lives of those in her communities and improving the systems we all live under. As an autistic queer nonbinary transgender Latina woman, her commitment to community and to working families is shaped by her lived experience.

Growing up on the Texas Gulf Coast, Vida was raised by parents and grandparents working hard to give her and her six siblings opportunities in life they always dreamed of. She saw firsthand the importance of social services and community support, and the devastating impacts that could come from a medical emergency, an unexpected bill, or even a single misfiled form. 

These experiences ignited a fire propelling her to fight for the rights of all communities, whether it be nondiscrimination protections, housing justice, access to education, worker's rights, or voting rights.

During her undergraduate and graduate studies, Vida worked in constituent services for various elected officials at the city, county, state, and federal levels, helping thousands of families, seniors, and low-income workers find and access the programs and services they need. 

Vida has also worked as Policy Counsel for the National Center for Transgender Equality, founder and Chair of her union, NCTE United, and Deputy Voter Protection Director for the Wisconsin Democrats.

Vida earned her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Sam Houston State University, and her Master of Public Policy and Juris Doctor from Loyola University Chicago. 

Vida currently serves as an appointed official for the District of Columbia, and is the highest ranking openly transgender official in the history of District government.