Meet our leadership team
Darcy Draeger
Chair
Darcy Draeger is a regulatory analyst with two decades of experience in strategic planning and risk management. She spent the majority of her career at UBS AG as a Senior Regulatory Analyst for Global Equity Research. She was co-creator of the firm’s global disclosure database, and led its regulatory analysis and implementation team. She is currently a consultant for NextGen Strategic Advisors. In 2019, Draeger was a Democratic nominee for State Assembly in the 25th legislative district, and ran again in 2020’s special election; that year, she received 58,446 votes, the most votes ever cast for a Democrat running for State Assembly in New Jersey history. Draeger is currently the Secretary for the Morris County Democratic Committee and a district chair for the Chester Township Democratic Committee. She served as Morris County Chair for the Malinowski for Congress steering committee from 2018-2022, and is a proud alum of the Emerge NJ class of 2018.
Mike DeLamater
Vice Chair
Mike DeLamater of Morristown brings deep knowledge of running campaigns, starting when he coordinated campaigns for local candidates in his hometown of Paramus and then ran for a seat on the Paramus Council in 2013. He worked in the office of Assembly members Connie Wagner, Tim Eustace, and Joe Lagana in District 38. Mike then served as a Deputy Chief of Staff for Governor Murphy, and during the COVID pandemic, he partnered with and supported local, county and federal officials. He was the Political Director for Murphy’s re-election campaign and now runs a Morristown-based consulting business.
Margaret Capodanno
Secretary
Margaret Capodanno is the municipal chair of the Mountain Lakes Democrats, has served on several MCDC committees, including the Party Building Committee, co-chair of the Voter Outreach Committee, and the Regional Chair of the Legislative District 26 Municipal Chairs group. Margaret was a Progressive Turnout Project Fellow in 2021, has served as a campaign manager, and field organizer for both local and state level races.
Paul DeNoon
Treasurer
Paul DeNoon is a member of the Morris Township Democratic Committee. Currently he is a Senior Advisor to the Columbia Climate School, which he joined after a 35-year career as an analyst, portfolio manager, and leader in corporate responsibility in the asset management industry. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment.
Matt Clarkin
operations chair
Matt Clarkin is the municipal chair of the Parsippany Democrats and currently works as a government affairs consultant. He is a previous Executive Director of the Morris County Democratic Committee, helping pick up 21 local seats for Democrats from 2015-2017. A member of the LGBTQ community, he has also served as a Commissioner of the Morris County Board of Elections and Chief of Staff to the Mayor of Parsippany.
Meghan Lynch
Finance Co-chair
Meghan Lynch is the municipal chair of the Randolph Township Democratic Committee and current chair of the Morris County Democratic Women’s Caucus. She has worked as a campaign manager, strategist, and finance director for many campaigns including the 2018 commissioner race, which raised $300,000. Meghan is an HR and finance professional for a local municipality.
Ben Weisman
Finance Co-chair
Ben Weisman is the Director of Development at Playwrights Horizons in New York City, a film and theater producer, and a Town Council Member in Boonton, NJ. He flipped a GOP-held seat in 2022 and was re-elected in 2024, both by double-digit margins. Ben was a lead producer of Ovid and the Art of Love starring Corbin Bleu and John Savage, and a co-producer of the national Broadway tour of Peter and the Starcatcher, the Off-Broadway play Stalking the Bogeyman, and the upcoming musicals Austen’s Pride and Houdini Among the Spirits. He also has a television project currently in development. In addition to his work in the arts and nonprofit sectors, Ben brings over 15 years of experience in campaign fundraising and has served as campaign manager for multiple local and state races. He previously chaired fundraising efforts for The Marfan Foundation and the United Way of Northern New Jersey. He holds an MBA from Boston University with a concentration in public and nonprofit management and a BA in theater arts and political science from Drew University.
Jason Navarino
Parliamentarian
Amalia Duarte
Grassroots chair
Amalia Duarte served two terms as Chair of the Morris County Democratic Committee,
becoming the first woman and person of Hispanic descent elected to the position in May. She is now the Grassroots Chair.
In her first run for public office, Amalia won an upset election in 2017 in overwhelmingly
Republican Mendham Township. She was the first Democrat ever to win a seat on the
Township Committee, and she was re-elected with comfortable margins in 2020 and
She currently also serves on the township’s Planning Board and the Morris
County Community Development Revenue Sharing Committee. She is the founder and
longtime Chair of the Mendhams Stigma-Free Task Force; and serves as liaison to the
Environmental Commission, First Aid Squad, Mendham TV, Old Police Reuse Working
Group; Ad Hoc Marketing Committee, and Surrounding Town Outreach.
She is a Board member of Head Start of Morris County; the Schiff Nature Preserve; The
Sharing Project, and is a Past President of the Rotary Club of the Mendhams.
Professionally, Amalia earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from New York University, with
a double major in journalism and political science. She worked in newspapers and
magazines before a career in corporate communications at Citigroup, Lucent, and
Avaya. She moved into the nonprofit world and has been the Public Affairs Director for
15 years at ECLC of New Jersey, which provides education, career opportunities and
adult programs to individuals with special needs. She is a member of the Public Affairs
Committee for ASAH, a statewide organization for schools/agencies serving individuals
with special needs.
Cara Parmigiani
innovation chair
Cara Parmigiani of Morris Plains is the founder of the Morris County Democratic LGBTQA+ Caucus. She earned her law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law and is admitted to the Bars of the States of New Jersey and New York. As a general practitioner/litigator in her own firm, she solves a wide variety of problems every day to assist adults and children through our legal system. In particular, she has provided pro bono legal assistance for women in arranged marriages, as well as represented vulnerable populations of patients in psychiatric facilities. She co-founded Morris County Pride, a continuing organization that promotes visibility and acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community. She is also an exhibiting graphic artist and writer. Cara ran for Morris County Commissioner in 2019 and for Morris Plains Council in 2020.