Appointed members serving from 2026-2027
Fred Nisen
Fred Nisen is the Managing Attorney for Disability Rights California’s (DRC) Voting Rights Practice Group. DRC is California’s federally mandated protection and advocacy system. Mr. Nisen has been working for DRC for over 25 years. He has advocated for the voting rights of people with disabilities for more than 15 years and has been in a leadership role with DRC’s voting advocacy for a little over a decade. Under his leadership, DRC operates a busy Voting Hotline for voters with disabilities, participates in legislative advocacy, trains voters with disabilities and election worker trainers, and improves voting accessibility primarily by working with county elections officials and the Secretary of State’s office.
Aaron Nevarez
Aaron Nevarez has worked for the County of Los Angeles for 22 years. For the last 11, he has been with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk where he currently serves as an Assistant Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. In his capacity managing the Department’s Election Operations and Logistics Bureau, he is responsible for overseeing the in-person voting operations in Los Angeles County, the largest and most diverse local election jurisdiction in the United States with over 5.8 million voters. During Statewide elections he oversees the operations of over 420 Drop Boxes, almost 650 Vote Centers, and approximately 10,000 Election Workers. He also currently serves as a Co-Chair for the California Association of Clerks and Election Official’s Voters with Specific Needs Committee. Prior to his current role, he served as the Department’s Project Director during the County’s implementation of the Voting Solutions for All People (VSAP) Initiative and its transition to the California Voter’s Choice Act.
Armando Salud-Ambriz
Armando Salud-Ambriz is a dynamic and accomplished leader in election administration and civic engagement. As the Clerk-Recorder/Registrar of Voters for Nevada County, he has a proven track record of successfully managing all aspects of election administration while advancing transparency, accessibility, and public trust in the democratic process.
Armando is a Certified Elections/Registration Administrator, a California Registered Election Official, and a Credentialed California County Senior Executive. His commitment to excellence extends beyond his work in Nevada County. He earned his Master of Public Administration from the University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law and currently serves as the youngest County Clerk-Recorder/Registrar of Voters in the State of California. He was also the youngest person ever elected to the Yolo County Board of Education.
Armando has been a member of the Election Center since 2018 and previously served on the steering committee for the National Voter Registration Day organization. He is also a founding board member of the Greater Sacramento Chapter of the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA). Since its inception, he has served on the State’s Language Accessibility Advisory Committee and was most recently reappointed as Co-Chair. Armando will also serve his first term on the State’s Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee.
Most recently, Armando was recognized as one of the Sacramento region’s top Latino Change Makers by the Sacramento Bee.
Mike Nguyen
Mike Nguyen is from the San Francisco Bay Area and is proudly serving his second term on the Committee, with a mission to help the voters of California stay informed and express their voices in democracy. He has previously served on the Committee's Petitions/Signature Verification Working Group.
He is currently a first-generation undergraduate student at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to his appointment to the Committee, Mr. Nguyen served in local office as Commissioner, representing nearly half a million youth in the County of Santa Clara. He also serves on the County Registrar of Voters' Language Accessibility and Voting Accessibility Advisory Committees, known as the LAAC and VAAC. As a leader, he has focused on advancing public welfare through educational advocacy, civic engagement, and food security.
Rebecca Donabed
My name is Rebecca Donabed. I am the Community Organizer and the ADA coordinator at Resources for Independence Central Valley (RICV) in Visalia. The counties that we serve are Kings, Tulare, Fresno, Madera, and Merced. We are a consumer based, consumer run organization.
As the community organizer, I’m on a lot of committees and advisory boards such as Social Service Transportation Advisory Committee (SSTAC) and Tulare County Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee (VAAC) and the Statewide Self Advocacy Network (SSAN). I have also been a member of the State Council on Developmental Disabilities (SCDD). I also do group and individual advocacy training, train other businesses on disability etiquette, and leadership training. I help with voter workshops, and training poll workers on voters with disabilities
Roxana Castro
Roxana Castro serves as a Community Program Specialist at the Orange County Registrar of Voters, where she plays a pivotal role in ensuring accessible and inclusive elections. Her responsibilities encompass overseeing various aspects of in-person voting, including Vote Center recruitment, Vote Center accessibility program, and community outreach, with a specific focus on connecting with the disability community. This is Roxana’s second term in the California's Secretary of State’s Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee.
Veronica Langworthy
I am a lifelong Californian. Born in the Bay area, grew up in Silicon Valley, attended University in Central California and now living in Southern California and registered to vote in Riverside County.
I love reading, researching, and helping others. I’ve reviewed many reports, documents, and election related data from government sources, the SOS website, and our county during recent years.
I have a Master of Arts in Special Education
I have Relevant recent experience helping people with disabilities ranging in age from young adults to senior citizens.
I have experience public speaking before various government boards and councils.
I support civil rights and equal access for all eligible citizens to vote.
I am honored to be appointed to the Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee and will serve to the best of my abilities.
Emily Gorodetskiy
Emily Gorodetskiy is a youth civic innovator and nonprofit leader committed to expanding voter education and strengthening democratic participation, especially among young people and those with barriers to the process. She is the creator of VR’ing Democracy, an internationally recognized virtual reality civic education initiative that helps first-time voters understand the voting process and democratic systems through immersive learning. Her work focuses on making civic participation more accessible to individuals navigating the electoral system for the first time.
Emily also serves as CEO of the Youth Entrepreneurship Association (YEA), a national nonprofit advancing entrepreneurial education and youth leadership. She is also a member of the Harvard Graduate School of Education MCC Youth Advisory Board and the United Nations Association of San Francisco Youth Committee. Through her civic work, Emily has represented youth perspectives as a UN delegate at CSW70 and was recognized as an Innovation World 20 Under 20 Honoree.
Emily is excited about the opportunity to contribute to the VAAC and support the California Secretary of State’s efforts to expand voter accessibility across her home state.
Veronica Elsea
Mary Helen Gallegos
