Alyia’s family, faith, and hometown have made her who she is: a tenacious fighter for families, communities, and equity.
Alyia was raised in Pittsburgh by a single mom, Francine, who worked two jobs, yet still struggled to make ends meet. Each month, Alyia and her mom would need to make difficult tradeoffs between food, rent, and Francine’s asthma and diabetes medications. Despite this, Alyia’s mother and grandmother pushed for Alyia to receive a great education. She has since used her extensive training to advance policies and systems to make communities work for everyone. She knows how stable jobs, good schools, and safe housing positively affect health, and how to advance policies and programs to ensure all families have these critical resources.
Last April, Alyia and her husband, Greg, welcomed their first child, Ezekiel, which has made her even more passionate about making sure all families are able to live and thrive in affordable, healthy communities.
Meet Alyia
Image taken with Covid pod
Taken with necessary COVID safety procedures
Virginia Fair Housing Board
Transportation Commission
Government Relations Committee for the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce
Hunger Free Alexandria Steering Committee
Agenda Alexandria
Women of Color in Community Development Board of Directors
Good Shepherd Housing Leadership Council
Junior League Volunteer
National Community Church Volunteer
Alyia In the Community
Since moving to the area in 2012, Alyia has put her passion for policy and justice to make her chosen home a better place for everyone. She has served the community in multiple roles, including:
In 2018, Alyia was recognized for her service to the city with one of the Chamber’s 40 Under 40 Awards.
She is also a graduate of the Alexandria City Academy.
Whether she’s at work, volunteering, or running for office, Alyia is committed to advancing equitable results. How does she do it?
First, she listens. Alyia knows that the people who are affected by a problem are most likely to know what’s needed to fix it. She reaches out, asks questions, makes sure she hears all perspectives, and reviews data.
Then she marshals the collective imagination to figure out next steps and develop a plan.
If it requires a phone call, she whips out her phone.
If it requires bringing people together, she makes the connections.
If it requires taking risks, she takes them boldly.
If it requires disrupting the status quo, she disrupts with gusto.
And she gets results.
Taken with necessary COVID safety procedures