Amanda Nelson is currently the Political Director for the Texas State affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers where she oversees statewide voter contact and labor member engagement programs. Texas AFT is the largest labor union in Texas and works to elect pro-labor and pro-education candidates from school board on up the ballot. She has worked with candidates of multiple parties across the state to ensure that Texas has a pro-education majority in the State Legislature.
Amanda is originally from a small logging community in Southwest Washington State, but currently resides in Austin, Texas. She took her first position in politics in 2004, and quickly discovered a passion for the work. She spent the next several years learning the ropes of campaigns in her home state and being a part of the Democratic Party organizations including being the Rural Caucus Chair for the Young Democrats of America, the State President of the Young Democrats of Washington, and serving on the Washington State Democratic Central Committee.
Since leaving Washington, Amanda has held positions in Nevada, Florida, Arizona, and several cities in Texas. Some of her career highlights have included flipping a statewide office in Washington State, being a part of the team to successfully defend Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ seat, raising record amounts of contributions in a Arizona municipal race, and moving to Texas to work on competitive State House races and for educator unions in 2014. She has also worked for nonprofit organizations and private sector companies in her career, and still personally serves on various boards including the Victory Fund Campaign Board.
Amanda holds degrees from Clark College and Arizona State University, and has recently returned to school to study Urban Forestry at Oregon State University. In her spare time, she loves to cook and is an avid hiker who is 2/3 of the way through a goal of visiting every National Park and Monument in the United States. She is considering becoming a certified dairy goat judge after the 2020 cycle.
