I am a tireless advocate for women’s health and equality, due largely to my own experiences. My last pregnancy was high-risk, and I had to make quick decisions. I cannot imagine the government obstructing my ability and my doctor’s ability to make life or death decisions about me, my child, and my family. As Delegate, I have worked to protect women’s ability to make their own health decisions by voting to protect menstrual health data from search warrants, ensure the right to contraception, and expand access to affordable reproductive health care options. I will continue to champion women’s bodily autonomy and ensure the health and safety of all of our Commonwealth’s families by working to codify reproductive freedom into the Virginia Constitution and fighting for better health outcomes.

We have all experienced the erratic and intense weather patterns; storms that come out of nowhere, damaging winds, searing heat and floods that cause loss of life and property. I know from growing up on a farm that this will only get worse unless we act quickly. We need to take climate change seriously by investing in green infrastructure and renewable energy while reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. That includes our continued opposition to oil and gas pipelines that harm our land and direct resources away from green infrastructure. As a former water chemist and member of the State Water Commission, I am especially concerned with making sure that our communities have access to clean water. Through legislation like my bill to ensure that our dams are properly maintained and budget language to fix algal bloom problems at Lake Anna, I am working hard to preserve and protect our Commonwealth’s air, water, and land.

I was inspired to become a teacher after my experience in the Peace Corps. Education is the backbone of our society; it is not an expense but rather an investment. I know from being the Chair of Charlottesville School Board that our underinvestment in education has severe consequences. From affordable child care to college, our kids must be in the best position to succeed and compete in a fast-paced and rapidly evolving economy. Their success is our community’s success. During the 2024 legislative session I introduced and successfully passed a bill to help address our child care staffing crisis by easing some of the restrictions on new hires at daycare centers. Additionally, as a member of the Education Committee, I am working to ensure that Virginia invests in our students, teachers, counselors, and school facilities to create happy and healthy students who are fully prepared to enter the workforce.

Firearms are a way of life for rural communities, but firearms have been winding up in the hands of the wrong people for decades. Now, more people than ever are dying due to an overzealous deregulation of firearms. We need to work towards better gun storage laws and make sure all our localities use extreme risk and red flag laws to disarm those that pose a risk to themselves or others. Leaving firearms unlocked and without proper safety devices also exposes children to accidents and leaves those struggling with mental health at greater risk. Many guns wind up on our streets, either through out-of-state trafficking or domestic straw-purchasing. We can and must do better, such as requiring registration of firearms and permits. I put forward a bill to make sure that irresponsible gun owners face consequences when they leave their handgun visible and unattended in their cars, and while it was unfortunately vetoed by the Governor I remain determined to see it pass in future sessions.

Patients should not have to fight the insurance companies for basic healthcare, but for many of us, that is what we have to do. For decades I–just like many of you–have struggled to navigate our broken healthcare system. COVID-19 exposed the cracks in our healthcare system. We should not only help people reach the specialists and obtain the acute care they need, but provide the resources necessary for a healthy lifestyle which includes better nutrition, dental health, maternal health and mental health services. This includes the creation of a paid family and medical leave program, expansions of Medicaid programs, and a Prescription Drug Affordability Board to ensure no Virginians get left behind.