
Cinthia Illan-Vazquez
Co-Executive Director for Policy and Program
Cinthia (she/her/ella) joins the Bus from her role as Community Engagement Manager at the Center for Education Results where she led and supported various community engagement efforts and strategies. Her drive to bring access and equity to our political and civic process solidified when she was a Fellow and, later, the Fellowship Coordinator at the Bus. Previously, Cinthia served as legislative assistant to current Speaker of the Washington State House of Representatives Laurie Jinkins, and as a community organizer with the Washington Dream Coalition, an undocumented and youth-led advocacy organization. She believes in the importance of people-centered movements aimed at dismantling systems of oppression through policy. Cinthia is excited to leverage her skills to amplify the Bus’s mission. Away from the office, she enjoys outdoor activities that connect her to the indigenous lands we are occupying.
You can reach Cinthia by email at cinthia[at]washingtonbus[dot]org.

Liam Dale
Co-Executive Director for Operations and Development
Liam “LiLi” Dale (shey/they) is an organizer, educator, and political strategist from Topeka, Kansas. Prior to the Bus, they organized neighbors across Washington State’s 37th District to build power and win real, structural change as the Field Director for the Kirsten Harris-Talley Campaign for State Representative. The experience showed Liam what building broad, people-based power could achieve when we invest in youth leadership.
Liam brings over 10 years of organizing, fundraising, and organizational management experience to their role. Liam started organizing with a coalition of faith organizations resisting massive education budget cuts in Kansas City in 2011. After moving to Seattle in 2014, Liam joined Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and mobilized educators across Washington State to win fairer scheduling, liveable wages, and better benefits. In 2017, Liam left SEIU and earned a Master’s in Public Administration (MPA) at the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance. Nowadays, Liam spends their free time singing karaoke, exploring what it means to be a Taurus in the age of Aquarius, and dreaming/scheming up new worlds that exist beyond supremacy.
You can reach Liam by email at liam[at]washingtonbus[dot]org.

Danny Villars
Field Director
Danny (he/him/his) is a New Jersey native and Pomona College graduate who is thrilled to be joining the team at the Washington Bus. Danny comes to the Bus from the political consulting world, where he was an award-winning program manager and campaign consultant. He’s thrilled to pivot back to youth organizing and apply his political background to the Bus’ mission. Beyond work, you can find Danny hiking, befriending dogs, seeking out live music and exploring Seattle’s plethora of coffee shops.
You can reach Danny at danny[at]washingtonbus[dot]org.

Leila Reynolds
Communications and Outreach Coordinator
Leila (she/her/hers • pronounced Leela) grew up in Seattle on Coast Salish land and is excited to return to the Bus after interning here in 2014. She has experience working with young people in and out of schools on issues that matter to them, and building youth led programs focused on social justice and the arts. She recently returned to Seattle after completing her Masters in Comparative Social Change from Trinity College, Dublin. Her masters research focused on the domestic workers rights movement, and how labor and immigrant rights movements increasingly intersect.
You can reach Leila by email at leila[at] washingtonbus[dot]org.

Mo Pannier
High School Engagement and Leadership Development Coordinator
Mo (she/her) began her grassroots organizing journey in Denver with New Era Colorado, where she registered voters and developed a passion for civic engagement. She went on to become a campus organizing fellow with New Era’s sister organization, The Brazen Project, to further develop her organizing skills through an intersectional reproductive rights lens. She moved to Seattle in 2019 and is very excited to be joining the Bus so she can use her passion for intersectional youth activism to empower the young folx of Washington. Outside of work, Mo loves to play video games, make oddly specific playlists, and pet cats.
You can reach Mo by email at mo[at]washingtonbus[dot]org.

Aryon Shahidzadeh
Operations Manager

Vote Bot
Official Mascot
Vote Bot is a sophisticated democracy robot sent back in time to change the future for one lucky state. And that lucky winner just so happens to be our very own Evergreen State, Washington. They came to us to break down barriers to voting and take names. Vote Bot comes from a place where voter registration is automatic for all eligible voters, turnout for the most local of elections is always 100%, where there’s a voting drop box in every home, and a young person heading out to get civically involved on every street!
Vote Bot isn’t only the hero we have, but the one we deserve. Helping us engage young people in politics and building the next generation of young leaders in Washington is hard wired into Vote Bot, and with them on board the Bus we’ll keep winning year after year!