Heather learned the importance of conviction and courage during time on the picket lines with her father, a welder and lifelong member of the United Auto Workers. A product of public schools, she was the valedictorian of her high school class and worked as a farm laborer in cornfields each summer to save money for college. She attended the University of Illinois and was a national Truman Scholar.

Heather’s solid grounding in social justice traditions has led her to volunteer work throughout her life. Among other projects, she is most proud of her public health service work in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, the four years she tutored at-risk youth in AmeriCorps, and her time as an elected member of the Takoma Park City Council.

Heather is a dynamic force working in Annapolis to implement progressive solutions to the challenges Maryland faces. In her short time as a state legislator, she spearheaded successful efforts to enroll more uninsured children in health insurance, create a nanobiotechnology grants program, increase renewable energy production, extend health insurance coverage for young adults and amputees, and further expand equal rights for the GLBT community. In recognition of her leadership, she was tapped to join President Obama’s State Legislators for Health Reform workgroup. Her work has been profiled in The Washington Post, The Baltimore Sun, and on National Public Radio.