Samantha Casne '01 Works to Advance Women in Politics

Above: Samantha Casne' 01 with Hillary Clinton  

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Samantha Casne ‘01 Experience 

• Attended Agnes Scott College 2001-2005, B.A. Women’s Studies & Music
• University of Cincinnati, 2005-2007, M.A. Women’s studies
• Field Organizer for Hillary Clinton for President, Iowa
  • Recruited/maintained volunteers, achieving daily/weekly/monthly goals
• Campaign Manager – People for Rob Cerqui, Puyallup
  • Worked with House Democratic Campaign Committee on legislative race
  • Volunteer coordination, fundraising, strategic implementation
• Legislative Aid – Washington State House of Representatives
  • Administration, communication, research, public relations
• Statewide Outreach Director – Jay Inslee for Washington
  • Built relationships across WA state, organized community events for gubernatorial race
• State Legislative Affairs Specialist – King County
  • Assisted lobbying team in executing state legislative agenda
• CURRENT: Legislative and Political Action Aide – Washington Education Association
  • Provides support to government relations team, research, record keeping, database, tracking/reporting, managing daily office operations in Olympia
• Member of National Women’s Political Caucus of Washington

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It was a paper in Steve Retz’ history class that sparked Samantha’s interest in women’s studies. It was an interest that inspired her to graduate from Agnes Scott College with a double major in Women’s Studies and Music. As an undergrad, Samantha spent a year abroad in Croatia. While she was conducting research about the barriers to women serving in the Croatian Government, Samantha discovered that more Croatian women “were serving in their national Parliament than the United States had serving in Congress.” From that moment on, Samantha knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life “working to elect more women to office” and that has been her “guiding principal ever since.”

She went on to earn her Master of Arts Degree in Women’s Studies from the University of Cincinnati in 2007. After finishing her graduate studies, Samantha began work as a Field Organizer for Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign in Iowa, working across eight states to recruit and maintain volunteers. Later that year, she worked as the Campaign Manager for the People for Rob Cerqui, partnering closely with the House Democratic Campaign Committee to develop winning strategies for this top legislative race.

Later that year, Samantha became a Legislative Aid for the Washington State House of Representatives, providing support to the administration on communications, research, and public relations for the (then) Majority Leader Representative Lynn Kessler and Speaker Frank Chopp. In 2011, she was hired as the Statewide Outreach Director for the Jay Inslee for Washington campaign. She worked across the state to help build relationships and community partnerships in the midst of the top gubernatorial race in the nation. Her hard work paid off as Jay Inslee was elected as the twenty-third Governor of Washington State. After the gubernatorial race, Samantha worked as the State Legislative Affairs Specialist for King County before assuming her current role with the Washington Education Association (WEA) as a Legislative and Political Action Aide. With the WEA, Samantha is responsible for supporting the government relations team, coordinating events, legislative work and managing daily office operations in Olympia.

While Samantha has had success with local campaigns, she has been enjoying success on a national level. Last fall, Samantha began working for the National Education Association (NEA) to help elect Presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton. She has been stationed in New Hampshire, Nevada, Washington, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and California, working to help “turn out members” of the NEA for Hillary during the primary. Her daily activities included “phone banking, volunteer recruitment, going door-to-door, and attending rallies and events supporting” the candidate. Again, Samantha’s hard work has paid off, as Hillary Clinton earned the Democratic Party presidential nomination earlier this year.