Meet Jonathan
Jonathan Dromgoole is a community leader and progressive advocate focused on increasing diverse representation through policy and public service. He is committed to ensuring that our home is a welcoming, inclusive, and representative community for ALL who live, work, and visit Arlington.
Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, Jonathan's family immigrated to the U.S. in search of opportunity. He is the proud product of teenage parents, the U.S. public education system, a strong work ethic, and resilient nature. Jonathan took a step towards achieving the "American Dream" by becoming a first-generation double graduate of Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and later the McCourt School of Public Policy.
Jonathan’s professional and personal achievements have focused on social good and people-centered policies that enhance diverse representation from international development practices to local activism. He has worked alongside and advised community leaders, policymakers, governors, elected officials, and the White House. He serves on various local, statewide, and national organizations.
Whether living in Ballston, Rosslyn, or Pentagon City, Jonathan and his husband Juan have felt welcomed and proud to call Arlington home.
Experienced Leadership
Expanding Access - Inclusive Community - Commitment to Service
From international work with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to his local involvement in the North Rosslyn Civic Association Jonathan has focused on expanding access and providing space for communities left out of the conversation. He championed the inclusion of indigenous and LGBTQ communities in the IDB's public consultation across Latin America.
At the age of 23, he was elected to the board of the North Rosslyn Civic Association where he played a key role in adding his perspective as a millennial and renter to the ongoing conversations around the redevelopment of the Holiday Inn, establishment of a dog park at Gateway Park, and opening of H-B Woodlawn.
In his professional capacity, he advocates for the inclusion of qualified LGBTQ+ individuals as presidential appointees of the Biden-Harris administration. His work has led to 15% of the administration's appointees being members of the LGBTQ+ community, the most in the history of the United States.
Jonathan is a staunch Democrat and an advocate for expanding "the table" within the party. Locally he helped establish both the Arlington Democrats Latino Caucus and the Equality Caucus ensuring a voice and vote for the Latino and LGBTQ community in the decisions of the Arlington Democrats.
Statewide, he reinforced community input and engagement in the operations of the Democratic Latino Organization of Virginia (DLOV). During his first term as President, he transformed DLOV from simply a caucus of DPVA to a voice for the community gaining national recognition among other states' Latino caucuses. Along with a regionally diverse team they maintained a 100% win rate for endorsed Latino candidates and an 85% win rate for all other candidates.
Jonathan is a 2020 graduate of the University of Virginia's Sorensen Institute Emerging Leaders Program. He was nominated and elected as a class representative focusing on diversifying the program and making it more accessible to students of color. He joined the IQ Latino/José Nucete Sardi (JNS) Fellows Advisory Board in 2022 lending his leadership to the mission of building Latino representation in one of the Commonwealth's premier leadership programs.
In August of 2021, Jonathan was appointed by Governor Ralph Northam as an inaugural member of the LGBTQ+ Advisory Board, a first in Virginia and the first of its kind in a southern state. Jonathan serves as a member of the Education and Workforce Development subcommittee.
With 11% of Virginians identifying as Hispanic, less than 2% of elected positions across the Commonwealth are held by Latinos. Noticing the clear gap and unique challenges faced by many Latino candidates, Jonathan founded "Juntos Por Virginia" in 2022. Juntos Por Virginia is dedicated to building political resilience, power, and representation for Latinos across Virginia.