Summary
Current Position: Founder of Virginia’s List
Affiliation: Democrat
Candidate: 2019 State Senator
OnAir Post: Amy Laufer
About
Amy Laufer served on the Charlottesville City School Board for seven years. She is the founder of Virginia’s List, an organization that supports Democratic women running for state office. Amy is a former middle school teacher and Peace Corps volunteer.
Amy grew up as one of eight children on a dairy farm in rural Wisconsin. A first-generation college graduate, she supported herself through school at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee by working several jobs (including one packing fish in Alaska) and earned a bachelor’s degree in geology. After college, Amy taught elementary school in a rural town in Jamaica as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer.
After the Peace Corps, Amy was inspired to pursue a career as an educator. She attended Teachers College at Columbia University in New York City, graduating with a master’s degree in secondary science education. At the end of the academic year, Amy moved to Charlottesville, following her soon-to-be husband, Aaron, who she met in the Peace Corps. Aaron attended Charlottesville High School and the University of Virginia for undergraduate and graduate school.
Amy taught math and science at Louisa Middle School and Tandem Friends School and was appointed to the Commission of Children and Families. She was eventually elected to the Charlottesville City School Board in 2011 and has since run for successful reelection. She served as the school board’s vice chair and chair from 2012–2016.
Inspired by her experience in UVA’s Sorensen Institute of Political Leaders Program and Emerge VA Bootcamp, Amy launched Virginia’s List in 2014. Virginia’s List is dedicated to supporting Democratic women running for state office and has helped dozens of candidates get elected. Currently, Amy advises women who run for school board across the Commonwealth.
Amy and Aaron live in Albemarle County with their three children, Hannah, 14, Adam, 13, and Henry, 11, and their dog, Skyler.
Experience
Work Experience
- Founder
Virginia’s List
2014 to present - Chair
Charlottesville City School Board
Volunteer Experience
- Volunteer, Peace Corps
Education
- Masters, Secondary Science Education
Columbia University, Teacher’s College - Geology
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Contact
Email:
- Campaign – contact@amylaufer.com
Offices
Camapign
Laufer for Virginia
P.O. Box 238
Keswick, VA 22947
Web
Campaign Site, Facebook, Twitter
Politics
Source: none
Issues
Source: Campaign page
Civil Rights
Social Justice
Amy was in Charlottesville on August 12, 2017 and witnessed firsthand the violence that occurred. She understands the need to ensure that all of our citizens, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic background, or religion, are able to have the opportunity to succeed and thrive. To ensure this, Amy will be a tireless advocate for:
- The Equal Rights Amendment, to guarantee equal pay for equal work
- Reforming our criminal justice system
- Decreasing mass incarceration
- Helping former prisoners transition back into society
- Establishing automatic voting rights restoration for former felons
Education
Regardless of your ZIP Code, your children have a right to a quality education. This starts early and includes children of all abilities. Education is essential to growing our economy in Virginia and ensuring the best future for our citizens. Amy’s experience as a teacher and school board member means she knows what students need. To create a better future, Amy will fight for:
- Universal preschool
- Raising teacher pay
- Increasing technological training, including certification programs, in our high schools
- Ensuring special education is well-funded and effective
- More technology — and better technology — in classrooms
- Expanding broadband infrastructure, so our children can learn at home
Environment
This is a beautiful district and we have a duty to our children to keep it that way. We need to change our energy policies to ensure our environment will be livable and beautiful for future generations. As a State Senator, Amy will work to:
- Support the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) pact to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030
- Expand the green economy
- Change the law, so that citizens can sell their solar energy back to the grid unimpeded
- Encourage clean energy and embrace the jobs it creates
- Ensure we have clean air and water
- Support our national and state parks
Health Care
We need to ensure that all Virginians have access to affordable healthcare, so no family is forced to choose between medical care and paying rent or buying groceries. Medicaid expansion was a huge gain for Virginia, but we have a lot more to do. As state senator, Amy would work hard to:
- Abolish the work mandate to receive Medicaid
- Expand broadband access to increase opportunities for telemedicine
- Address the opioid crisis
- Fully fund needle exchange programs and provide Narcan free of charge to first responders and schools
- Ensure that all of our public medical schools have sufficient technology so they are prepared for what they will face in hospitals
