Yvanna Cancela

During the summer of 2009, she interned in Harry Reid's United States Senate office. She then moved to Nevada to work on Reid's 2010 reelection campaign.[1][2]

Cancela served as the political director for the Culinary Workers Union for six years. She now serves as executive director of the Immigrant Workers Citizenship Project.[1] In 2017, Cancela was chosen to succeed Ruben Kihuen, who was elected to the United States House of Representatives, in the Nevada Senate. She took office on February 6, 2017.[3] She became the first Latina to serve in the Nevada Senate.[4]

Cancela was selected as one of seventeen speakers to jointly deliver the keynote address at the 2020 Democratic National Convention.[5] She was also chosen to serve as one of the convention's parliamentarians.[6]

On January 12, 2021 Cancela announced her resignation in order to join the incoming administration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. She now serves in the United States Department of Health and Human Services. She submitted the attached letter of resignation to Governor of Nevada Steve Sisolak. In her resignation letter, she wrote in part "I could not turn down the offer to continue to serve The Silver State, and our great nation." She announced her resignation would take effect immediately. The Clark County Commission will select a replacement to serve the remainder of her term. Since her position does not require a confirmation vote from the United States Senate, she was sworn in on January 20, 2021, and immediately assumed her post.