Mary Ellen Early is a DNC Member emerita, having served on the Democratic National Committee for 32 years, from 1988 to 2020. She has attended every Democratic National Convention since 1984, and has been a delegate at each convention since 1992. During her time on the DNC, Mary Ellen was the founder and co-editor of the California DNC Press Democrat, a regular newsletter published for the California Democratic Party, to keep state delegates current on DNC activities.

In 2000, Mary Ellen served as convener for Vice President Al Gore’s nominating caucus in her congressional district. This caucus helped to select delegates to the 2000 Democratic National Convention. Since 2017, she has convened the biennial ADEM elections in her Assembly District, electing delegates to the California Democratic Party (CDP) State Central Committee.

An active member of the CDP Executive Board, Mary Ellen was an Assembly District Chair from 1986 to 1988, and a Regional Director from 1988 to 1981. She has served on the Party’s Legislation, Resolutions, and Organizational Development Committees. She is currently Chair of the Irish American Caucus, Parliamentarian of the Native American Caucus, and a member of various other caucuses.

Mary Ellen has been active in the Los Angeles County Democratic Party since 1985, and is currently Co-chair of the Community Outreach Committee, and a member of the Finance Committee. At the local level, Mary Ellen is President of Action Democrats of the San Fernando Valley (a chartered Democratic club), and has worked on numerous political campaigns.

A resident of Sherman Oaks since 1975, Mary Ellen received her BA from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), where she majored in Psychology, and has participated in the Governmental Affairs Advocacy Program, lobbying elected officials on issues of importance to the University of California in general, and UCLA specifically.

Mary Ellen served as a public member of the California Board of Psychology from 1995-2003, and currently serves as a public member of the California Respiratory Care Board.