Andrea Dalessandro

Before launching her first political campaign, Andrea attended so many sessions of the state legislature that she was often accused of being a lobbyist. Andrea said, "No, I am not a lobbyist, but I believe the voters of LD 30 deserve the best qualified representative possible to face the challenges that have been ignored for too long."

Eventually, many voters started to ask Andrea to run to represent them. Although she felt she had "zero name recognition," she had been monitoring the activities in Phoenix closely via legislative alerts. With the encouragement of others, she enrolled in Emerge Arizona and more seriously explored the possibility of running for State Representative.

Andrea is a former educator and a member of the Arizona Education Association.  She is devoted to improving the quality of education in her district.  Her campaign website states, "Lack of adequate support of public education negatively impacts national security, reduces real-estate values, and prevents economic development." 

Andrea is also extremely well-versed in tax policy and ran her own tax practice for more than 25 years. She believes that the current budget crisis was very poorly managed, and that the leadership of the Arizona legislature made a bad situation worse. 

Andrea Dalessandro's background as an educator, tax manager and accountant has served as a natural transition to political life. Residing in Sahuarita, she has immersed herself in civic, community, local and regional service. Some of her community involvement includes serving on several faith-based boards that help homeless people transition into homes and employment. She has also participated in political programs such as Camp Wellstone, Progressive Majority, and Democracy for America. 

As an Emerge program graduate, she sees herself applying her political skills on the campaign trail every day. She is incredibly grateful for the number of Emerge alumnae who have supported her campaign, particularly those not even in her district.  She often seeks advice from many Emerge women - such as Lena Saradnick, who previously served as District 26 Representative.  "She's my role model," she says, "I watched her systematically tackle a tough Republican district."

Andrea completed a Masters of Business Administration in Professional Accounting at Rutgers University. Andrea's husband, Andy, is a Marine Corps veteran who served two tours of duty in Vietnam.

To learn more about her campaign, visit her website at www.andreaforaz.net