Alexandria’s Vice Mayor Elizabeth Bennett-Parker Announces Run for State Delegate
ALEXANDRIA, VA – Early Tuesday morning, Alexandria’s Vice Mayor Elizabeth Bennett-Parker announced that she is running for Virginia’s House of Delegates, specifically the seat in the 45th district currently held by Delegate Mark Levine, who is running for the office of Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor.
“I am running because I understand the challenges families in Northern Virginia face, especially in this pandemic,” Bennett-Parker said in the press release. “I want to be a part of the solution by ensuring all Northern Virginians have access to good jobs with worker protections, helping small businesses thrive, making sure families have access to quality care and education for their children from early childhood onwards, and taking urgent action to protect our environment and build an infrastructure to respond to climate change.”
A native Alexandrian, Bennett-Parker is the daughter of two Naval officers and was elected to Alexandria’s City Council in November 2018 becoming the 12th woman elected and the youngest woman elected to Council in Alexandria’s history. In addition to her role on City Council, Elizabeth serves the region as the incoming Chair of the Virginia Railway Express, and as a member of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission and the Northern Virginia Regional Commission.
Bennett-Parker is also one of the co-leaders of Together We Bake, a non-profit job training and personal development program for underserved women. The Together We Bake program helps women who are homeless, formerly incarcerated, abuse victims, recent immigrants, and the long-term unemployed. All the participants work in a fully-functioning bakery, and earn certifications to work as managers and valuable employees in the food service industry.
During the pandemic, Bennett-Parker has been a primary caregiver for her grandmother and adds in her statement, “I also know firsthand the challenges so many around Northern Virginia have been facing when it comes to caring for our seniors. Families, workers, educators, and students continue to struggle with the pandemic’s impact, and they deserve an advocate in Richmond.”
Bennett-Parker was selected as one of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce’s 40 under 40 in 2017, served on the Community Criminal Justice Board and the Commission on Employment, as well as the boards of the Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture, Agenda:Alexandria, and the United Way Regional Council.
She served as a Fulbright Fellow, graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Cornell University, and received a Master’s Degree from the University of London. She and her husband, Stephen, live in the Rosemont neighborhood of Alexandria with Elizabeth’s grandmother and their rescue dog and cat.
For more information, please visit www.elizabethfordelegate.com.
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