April has a unique set of life experiences that will make her a hands-on, effective, thoughtful and compassionate Member of Congress.
Let’s start with April being born and raised in Buhl, Idaho – the second daughter of an Idaho potato farmer. In that rural, close-knit community, April watched both her Grandfather Chet and her dad Tom work long farming hours.
She learned life lessons about working hard, setting goals, the importance of education, and giving back to your local community. In short, April is not afraid of “digging in” and doing all the work needed to finish a job.
April has four daughters, so she can relate to the issues families face.
She has worked in media and tech for over 30 years, and knows how to help small businesses connect and market globally. Given her 15-year leadership role at the non-profit Common Sense Media, she is an expert on matters related to kids’ online safety and the impact of media on children’s health and well-being. And, as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Communications in President Biden’s Commerce Department, she most recently worked locally, nationally and globally to expand broadband access and digital equity, to address on-line harassment and abuse, to further US competitiveness through innovation and to support efforts underpinning the security and resiliency of our nation’s networks (including that of the First Responder Network).
April cares about Maryland’s families and communities, and she wants to put her experience to work to make sure that the tech revolution strengthens our communities so that they thrive.
She appreciates technology’s potential but also recognizes the critical importance of ensuring tech and AI tools are trustworthy, do no harm and have sufficient privacy protections in place. And she knows that this cannot happen through just hope and reliance on industry promises – but rather, it will take intentional focus and action. It demands understanding the issues and building a coalition to tackle these issues in a smart way.
April specifically wants to leverage technology – and the changes it will bring about – to drive economic development across the 6th District.
Her work with the Biden Administration on broadband is part of the answer, but so much more needs to be done through strategic investments and leveraging the District’s unique research and education assets. By bringing together the Biden Administration’s economic development efforts and climate legislation and combining them with the spirit of local entrepreneurs and businesses, as well as the power of the private sector, she will work to create opportunity and jobs across the District.
Finally, April believes we need to rebuild trust in our Democracy to create a stronger nation for our children and communities.
To do that, we need to rebuild trust, engage in open dialogue and lift up the greater good. That is what America has always done… and is who we are at our core. America has long been a beacon of light, hope and possibility. It is incumbent on all of that it remains ever so.
