Summary
Current Position: Nonprofit professional and Adjunct professor of social work
Affiliation: Democrat
Candidate: 2019 State Senator
“We are all impacted by current policies that limit our personal and professional lives and impede our great state’s ability to thrive.
Basics like affordable health care, quality education, better infrastructure, and equality are foundational rights that should be available to all, not just a few.”
OnAir Post: Amanda Pohl
About
Source: Campaign page
“We can’t wait any longer for more affordable healthcare, fully-funded public schools, equality, or to address our infrastructure. I’m ready to address the real crises that we are facing and my work as a hospital chaplain, as a policy-focused social worker, as a problem-solver, and as a mom have equipped me for this service.”
Amanda Pohl is a candidate for Senate in the 11th district of Virginia. She is a wife, mom, nonprofit professional, church deacon, adjunct professor of Social Work, and current National President of her multicultural sorority.
Amanda has lived in Chesterfield and Amelia counties most of her life. She was born to teen parents and spent her early years in subsidized housing, eventually becoming the first in her family to graduate from a 4-year college, earning her undergraduate degree at Virginia Tech (go Hokies!).
Amanda and her husband, Tim, have lived in Chesterfield since they were married more than 15 years ago. They have lived in the same home for 13 years where they have enjoyed raising their two daughters. Amanda previously served as a PRN chaplain for Chippenham & Johnston-Willis Medical Center for 10 years and was also chaplain through clinical pastoral education at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center. She completed seminary at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond and holds a Master’s in Patient Counseling and a Master’s of Social Work with a focus on Administration, Planning, and Policy Practice from Virginia Commonwealth University. Amanda was also a policy fellow for the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy.
Experience
Work Experience
- PRN chaplain
Chippenham and Johnston-Willis Medical Center - Chaplain
Virginia Commonwealth University
Education
- Master’s of Social Work
Virginia Commonwealth University - Master’s in Patient Counseling
Virginia Commonwealth University - Bachelor’s degree
Virginia Tech
Contact
Email:
- Campaign – info@pohlforvirginia.com
Web
Campaign Site, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
Politics
Source: none
Issues
Civil Rights
No Virginian should be limited by their identity, skin color, sexual orientation, gender identity, background, abilities, age, religion, country of origin, or socioeconomic class. Each of us deserves equal rights, dignity, and fairness. Diversity makes our Commonwealth stronger and should be celebrated and honored. We need a system that is set up to empower us, not limit us based on who we are. I will work to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment and pass laws that protect LGBTQ+ individuals from employment and housing discrimination.
Voting is an essential right and I will work hard to ensure every citizen can exercise that right in Virginia. Everyone deserves the opportunity to choose their elected representatives. We should be reducing barriers to the polls every chance we get. I support “no fault” absentee voting that extends to Election Day and “same day” voter registration.
Economy
Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. We need to ensure that the working class and middle class are getting the boost we need. I will work to bring more jobs to Virginia and protect our natural resources by increasing our wind and solar energy production and usage. This includes increasing our minimum wage, ensuring there are affordable options for those who want to go to college, and providing quality career training options for those who want to enter their career right out of high school or change careers.
Education
As a mom of school-aged kids, I know the importance of a high-quality education. Our teachers are valuable resources and need to spend their time crafting lessons and learning innovative approaches to teaching instead of worrying how to fund supplies for their students. Virginia has some of the best schools in the United States and I will work to build on that success to ensure that every district, school, teacher, and classroom has the needed resources to provide the best education for our students.
Health Care
Virginia recently expanded Medicaid, which will ensure that many more Virginians have access to healthcare than in previous years. I will continue to build on the successes of the Affordable Care Act and ensure that we all have access to healthcare when we need it most and that we are all able to see a doctor for preventive care to avoid bigger costs and health issues down the road.
Support for women and healthy families
Women’s healthcare issues are between a woman and her healthcare provider. I know firsthand how harmful Virginia’s restrictive abortion laws can be for women who need surgical intervention in miscarriages. We don’t need government involved in personal medical and healthcare decisions. I will work to ensure paid family leave to support families who need to care for new children or family members who become sick.
Infrastructure
Our counties are growing, but our infrastructure has not kept up. We need to build a 21st century energy production systems that reduce carbon emissions. We need to fix our roads. We need to expand Broadband access for everyone in our district. We need to ensure that we are using the best technology to enhance our infrastructure for our future.
Safety
I currently work for a statewide coalition to end sexual and domestic violence. Through this work I have learned that we will not end violence unless we focus on prevention, not just intervention. The technology and resources exist to end sexual domestic violence and I will work to ensure Virginia leads the way.
