Yvanna Cancela (born 1987) is an American politician who served as a member of the

Nevada Senate The Nevada Senate is the upper house of the Nevada Legislature, the state legislature of U.S. state of Nevada, the lower house being the Nevada Assembly. It currently (2012–2021) consists of 21 members from single-member districts. In the pr ...

for the 10th district from 2017 to 2021. She joined the

Biden administration Joe Biden's tenure as the 46th president of the United States began with his inauguration on January 20, 2021. Biden, a Democrat from Delaware who previously served as vice president under Barack Obama, took office following his victory ...

on January 20, 2021.

Early life and education

Cancela was born to Cuban immigrants in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...

, and raised in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. She graduated from

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications in 2010. While she served in the

, she earned her Juris Doctor from the William S. Boyd School of Law.

Career

Nevada politics

During the summer of 2009, she interned in

Harry Reid Harry Mason Reid Jr. (; December 2, 1939 – December 28, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Nevada from 1987 to 2017. He led the Senate Democratic Caucus from 2005 to 2017 and was the Sena ...

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

office. She then moved to Nevada to work on Reid's 2010 reelection campaign. Cancela served as the political director for the

Culinary Workers Union The Culinary Workers Union, UNITE HERE Local 226 is a local union affiliated with UNITE HERE which operates in the Las Vegas metropolitan area of Nevada. Members include a variety of occupations organized along craft lines working in restaurants ...

and as

executive director Executive director is commonly the title of the chief executive officer of a non-profit organization, government agency or international organization. The title is widely used in North American and European not-for-profit organizations, though ...

of the Immigrant Workers Citizenship Project. In 2017, Cancela was chosen to succeed

Ruben Kihuen Rubén Jesús Kihuen Bernal (; born April 25, 1980) is an American politician and former member of the United States House of Representatives for , serving from 2017 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously was a member of the ...

, who was elected to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, in the Nevada Senate. She took office on February 6, 2017. She became the first

Latina Latina or Latinas most often refers to: * Latinas, a demographic group in the United States * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America. *Latin Americans Latina and Latinas may also refer ...

to serve in the Nevada Senate. Cancela was selected as one of seventeen speakers to jointly deliver the keynote address at the

2020 Democratic National Convention The 2020 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention that was held from August 17 to 20, 2020, at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and virtually across the United States. At the convention, delegates of ...

. She was also chosen to serve as one of the convention's parliamentarians.

Biden administration

On January 12, 2021, Cancela announced her resignation in order to join the incoming administration of Joe Biden and

Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who is the 49th vice president of the United States. She is the first female vice president and the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history, as well ...

in the

United States Department of Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is ...

as the deputy director of intergovernmental affairs. Since her position does not require a confirmation vote from the

, she was sworn in on January 20, 2021, and immediately assumed her post.

Sisolak administration

On August 9, 2021, it was announced that Cancela would leave her position in the Department of Health and Human Services to serve as chief of staff for Governor

Steve Sisolak Stephen F. Sisolak (born December 26, 1953) is an American businessman and politician who has served as the 30th governor of Nevada since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served on the Clark County Commission from 2009 to 2019 and on ...

. She assumed office on September 6, 2021.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cancela, Yvanna 1987 births 21st-century American women politicians American politicians of Cuban descent Chiefs of staff to United States state governors Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in Nevada Hispanic and Latino American women in politics Living people Democratic Party Nevada state senators Northwestern University alumni Politicians from Las Vegas Politicians from Miami Politicians from Phoenix, Arizona 2020 United States presidential electors 21st-century American politicians William S. Boyd School of Law alumni Biden administration personnel United States Department of Health and Human Services officials