Meet Rachel Dyer
President, Dyer Strategies
Rachel Dyer is a campaign fundraising professional with over 6 years of experience raising funds in battleground states. She has worked to raise over $64 million dollars towards Democratic races and flipped the Virginia State Senate from red to blue in 2019. Most recently, Dyer served as Finance Director with Hala Ayala’s history making campaign for Lt. Governor. There, Dyer created a robust finance program that raised over $6 million dollars — the most out of any Lt. Governor’s race in Virginia’s history. Due to her strategic planning, the campaign out-raised their opponent 3:1 and secured 12,000 more votes than the top of the ticket.
As the Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus Finance Director, Dyer raised over $20.2 million dollars. There she managed 23 staff members and executed more than 200 fundraising events for 19 Senate Democratic Caucus members and seven targeted races. In that role, she worked closely and regularly with a range of Virginia state government leaders, including representatives of the governor’s office, statewide partners, and numerous local officials.
Prior to that, she was part of a team that raised more than $33 million to successfully elect Virginia Governor Ralph Northam in 2017. She then served as Regional Finance Director for the Northam Inaugural Committee, executing a regional fundraising program and regularly providing detailed briefing documents to then Governor-elect Northam, his inaugural committee staff, and Transition Committee principals.
Dyer is also a founding member of New Leaders Council (NLC) of Virginia, which established and recruited the state's first chapter of the NLC Institute — an initiative led by U.S. Senator Tim Kaine. With millennials set to soon become the largest voting bloc in American history, NLC is considered a hub for progressive millennial thought leadership. Dyer also serves as the Development Director for the VCU Political Science Alumni board and is on the board of Virginia Association of Fundraising Executives.
Dyer earned her certificate in community and social change from American University and her bachelor's degree in political science and government from Virginia Commonwealth University. After graduating, she was a part of the Emerging Leaders Program at the Sorensen Institute at the University of Virginia.
Meet Joe Gonzalez
Political Finance Associate, Dyer Strategies
Joe Gonzalez is a second-generation Latino with over 4 years of campaign experience. He has worked for numerous national, state, and local campaigns in Virginia. Priorly, Gonzalez served as Political Director with Aaron Rouse’s majority-making state senate campaign in the vital Virginia Beach district. There, Gonzalez implemented an adaptive fundraising strategy with an emphasis on building long-lasting donor relationships, helping secure over $1.5 million. The campaign was crucial in maintaining Democrats’ majority in the Virginia Senate and helping down-ballot candidates flip the House of Delegates.
Gonzalez earned his associate degree in social sciences at Tidewater Community College. Currently, Gonzalez is a student at Virginia Tech and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in political science with a concentration in social and political justice.