DEC Officers
Diana Williams
Chair
Diana Williams is deeply committed to Marion County politics. She has served on the DEC for 12 years, recently re-elected as Chair, and seeks to set a stage of inclusion and diversity by supporting social and economic equality opportunities for all. As Program Chair for the Marion County DEC, Diana diligently provided programs to educate and enlighten members by selecting topics that helped to broaden their views, understanding, and knowledge of said topics.
Diana is a multi-tasker. As a mother of four, she manages a professional career (as a Financial Advisor for 28 years) and sits on many boards of directors. She has been active with the DEC fundraisers, involved with the local affiliate and state boards of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), and is currently serving on the boards of the Salvation Army, Historic Ocala Preservation Society (HOPS), and the Independent Citizens Referendum Oversight Committee (ICROC) for school board tax. She has been a member of Kiwanis since 1991, is a member of the Ocala Women’s Network (OWN), helped start the Democratic Women’s Club, is a former Supreme Court Mediator, and is a member of Friends of Silver Springs State Park.
Diana believes the plan for moving forward after the election is best expressed by RBG’s quote: “Fight for the things that you are about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” She is also of the opinion that we must find common ground, move ahead with compromise, line up qualified candidates to run for office, and engage with more young voters and working groups.
Catherine Mitchell
Treasurer
Catherine Mitchell is a fourth Generation Floridian and received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Florida in Medical Records Administration. She established her own business in 1984—MedClaims—processing Medical Claims and handling Nurse and Caregiver Payroll as an Independent Contractor with Banks, Primarily SunTrust (now Truist). Raising 3 children as a single parent she needed a job with benefits so in addition to her own business, she began working part-time in 1998 with the Orange County Sheriff’s office, managing the Communication’s area payroll. She eventually became a full-time Research Analyst in Research and Development handling statistics for calls for service and response times. Catherine was very involved in the development of the Crisis Intervention Team and also sat on the Board of the Sheriff’s Employee Assistance Trust (SEAT) as Secretary/Treasurer.
Over the years, she was very involved in her three children’s lives, active in Band Boosters, Athletic Boosters and held various offices in their schools’ PTA and more. She has also been blessed with 3 beautiful grandchildren. Catherine met her husband in 2013 and married him in 2015 when she moved to Ocala. She closed her Business in 2017 after 34 years and retired from the Sheriff’s Office in 2019 after 20 years full time.
Catherine is now enjoying retirement and travel. She also enjoys singing and was in the Bach Festival Choir in Winter Park for 10 years and now sings with the Ocala Symphony Chorus. She is anxious to work with other Democrats in Marion County to turn Florida BLUE!
JT Staines
State Committeeman
JT Staines, Marion County Democratic Executive Committee recently elected JT Staines of Ocala, FL as our new State Committeeman for the Florida Democratic Party. JT has been an active participant in the Marion Dems for a few years, most noticeably as the Wizard of Tech, getting our monthly meetings set up and running smoothly via Zoom. JT can also be found canvassing for candidates, registering voters and generally showing up whenever democracy calls!
JT’s hard work and effort was duly recognized when he was elected to replace our former State Committeeman, Rick Perry, making JT the youngest State Committee person in Florida.
Taking even more initiative, JT has recently taken on the revitalization of our Marion County Young Democrats Club and we are all cheering him on from the sidelines. If you’re a young voter in Marion County, please join JT and the DEC so you can make a difference!
Jim Tock
Vice Chair
Jim Tock, the Vice Chair, was first elected in January of 2023. James has been involved with the local party supporting campaign and canvassing activities serving as data administrator and texting lead. Being elected Vice Chair, James is committed to drive initiatives to increase the Democratic voter base in Marion County. His goal is to work closely with the Coordinated Campaign Chair to enable effective consistent messaging and campaign strategies throughout Marion County.
Patricia Eberhardt
Secretary
Pat Eberhardt, Secretary, has been a Democrat all of her voting life. She has lived in New York, Illinois and now in Florida. Married over 50 years with two grown children, she began the Democratic Club in her community in 2017 and has been President of this club since the beginning. She has volunteered in Girls Scouts, church, and in many different community clubs. Last year, Pat became a precinct captain and secretary of the Marion County Democratic Club. Having grown up with 11 brothers and sisters, she knows how difficult life can be for families that struggle financially. She remembers her mother driving to Canada to buy loaves of bread for 5 cents a loaf, eating government cheese, powdered milk and powdered eggs. She remembers going to school with no breakfast and no lunch. That may be why she believes so strongly in the Democratic principles of helping those in need. Pat reflects, “The government paid for my college education and look at me now, I am a contributor to our economy, I am happily paying taxes and hope that another young girl can go to college for a better life and contribute to America and raise a family without the shame of poverty.” She goes on, “Dreams can come true, but we all need help to attain those dreams. Many people helped me to achieve my dreams. That’s why I am a Democrat—to help make dreams come true for future generations.”
Joyce Blake
State Committeewoman
Joyce Blake, State Committeewoman, wants to continue working with our local clubs and the Florida Democratic Party. She has developed an understanding of the workings of the party with almost a decade of experience in this position. She is also the Vice Chair for the State Clubs and Caucus Committee. She has been a DEC member for 13 years.
Joyce has been very active with the Marion County Democratic Party and the state party where she was the DEC Coordinated Campaign Chair, the DEC Chair, and the FDP Congressional District 3 Chair and Vice Chair. She also worked on the 2008 Obama campaign. Most recently, Joyce was appointed by our new Florida Democratic Chair, Nikki Fried, to be a member of the FDP’s Committee on Clubs, Organizations, and Caucuses representing Marion County.
Joyce believes that we need to reach out to Marion County’s Democrats, including younger voters and Independent voters, and we need to register more Precinct Captains. Those who have worked with her know that she is a team player and a consensus builder.
Appointed Positions
Coordinated Campaign & Interim Precinct Captain Chair:
Fundraising Chair:
Media Chair:
Programs Chair:
Want to make a difference?
Join a committee. Volunteer for voter registration, outreach, fundraising. It takes a village—join us!