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RVDW September 2024 Meeting
September 27 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
@ Williamson Road Public Library, 3837 Williamson Rd, Roanoke VA 24012
Program begins promptly at 12:00 noon followed by the business meeting. Box Lunch Order Form HERE. Feel free to bring your own lunch in lieu of ordering a box lunch. Please arrive at 11:30am if ordering a box lunch.
With early voting underway and election day right around the corner, we look forward to guest speakers Anne Holton and Jeanne Fishwick sharing news and their perspectives on this historic election year.
Our Guest Speakers:
Anne Holton
Anne Holton is a professor in the Schar School of Policy and Government and in the College of Education and Human Development, and a Senior Fellow at EdPolicyForward. She is a lifelong advocate for children and families in Virginia.
With an AB from Princeton and a Harvard law degree, Holton has worked as a legal aid lawyer serving low-income families, a juvenile and domestic relations district court judge, a child welfare reformer, and Virginia’s Secretary of Education.
Holton helped integrate the inner-city schools of Richmond, Virginia, as a child when her father was Virginia’s governor in the early 1970s. As Virginia’s First Lady when her husband was governor in 2006-10, Holton championed foster care system reform. As Virginia’s Secretary of Education in 2014-16, she worked to increase Virginia’s investment in public education, to promote innovation and the joy of teaching and learning in our schools, and to ensure every student has a successful pathway to the future, especially those in high-poverty communities. Her life’s work has focused on children and families at the margin, and the crucial role education must play in helping young people escape poverty.
Holton currently serves on the Virginia Board of Education. She and her husband, now a U.S. senator, live in Richmond, Virginia. They have three adult children, all of whom attended Richmond Public Schools.
Areas of Research: Education Policy, Social Welfare Policy, Urban Policy
(All funds solicited in connection with this event are by Roanoke Valley Democratic Women and not by Anne Holton.)
Jeanne Fishwick
Jeanne Fishwick, a native of Baltimore, has been a resident of Roanoke City for 35 years. A retired educator, she taught English at Roanoke College, Virginia Western Community College, Roanoke City Public Schools and North Cross School. A life-long Democratic activist, she is currently a member of Virginia Democratic Women, Roanoke Valley Democratic Women and Roanoke City Democratic Committee. Jeanne was one of two women elected to represent the 6th Congressional District at the 2024 Democratic National Convention. In addition to her interest in politics, Jeanne is an active volunteer at The Taubman Museum of Art and Mill Mountain Garden Club. She is the wife of John P Fishwick, Jr. and mother to Richard and Jack Fishwick.