The Candidates

Elaine Luria served as the Representative for Virginia's Second Congressional District from 2019-2023. While in Congress, she served as the Vice Chair of the House Armed Services Committee and as a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security and the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. She also served as a member of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol.

In Congress, Luria championed a strong military; her work consistently resulted in increased defense budgets, emphasizing shipbuilding and improving key capabilities in the Pacific. Luria was instrumental in the passage of the PACT Act, greatly increasing access to care for veterans with health conditions related to toxic exposure, such as burn pits. She was also a consistent voice on advanced nuclear technology, passing bipartisan legislation to field advanced reactor demonstration projects. As a member of Congress, Rep. Luria was consistently lauded as one of the most bipartisan legislators and as the “most effective” freshman member of the House.

Before her election, Luria served two decades in the United States Navy, retiring at the rank of Commander, serving at sea on six ships as a nuclear-trained Surface Warfare Officer, with six deployments to the Middle East and Western Pacific, culminating her Navy career by commanding a combat-ready unit of 400 sailors. Luria graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with a B.S. in Physics and History and received a Master's in Engineering Management from Old Dominion University.

Elaine Luria for Congress

Jennifer Ann Kiggans is an American politician and nurse practitioner serving as the U.S. representative for Virginia's 2nd congressional district. A Republican, Kiggans is a former United States Navy helicopter pilot. She defeated incumbent Elaine Luria in the 2022 election and was re-elected in 2024.

She is next up for re-election in 2026.

Address: Rep Jen Kiggins
152 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Phone: (202) 225-4215

Jen Kiggans for House

Mark Robert Warner is an American businessman and politician serving as the senior United States senator from the state of Virginia, a seat he has held since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, Warner served as the 69th governor of Virginia from 2002 to 2006.

The Democratic incumbent has served three terms as one of Virginia's two U.S. Senators. A key leader on the Senate's Intelligence Committee, Warner has distinguished himself through his focus on national security, technology and protecting against foreign threats.

He is next up for re-election in 2026.

Address: Senator Mark Warner
919 East Main Street
Suite 630
Richmond, VA 23219

Phone: 804-775-2314

Mark Warner for Virginia

Bert Mizusawa is a retired Major General of the United States Army who commanded a Combined Joint Interagency Task Force in Afghanistan and served as a senior advisor to the director of the Central Intelligence Agency. His priorities include curbing government spending, advancing pro-military policy and simplifying the tax code to make life more affordable for citizens.

Bert Mizusawa for Senate

Alicia Armellino Bowman has lived in Isle of Wight County for nearly 40 years and in Smithfield for more than 30. A 1996 graduate of Smithfield High School, she is now raising her son in the same community, where he attended Hardy Elementary and will attend Westside Elementary.

Alicia brings more than two decades of experience inside public education. She began as a volunteer at Churchland High School in 2004, became a special education instructional assistant in 2005, and earned her teaching license in 2007 after graduating summa cum laude from Old Dominion University. Since then, she has taught English in grades 9 through 12 at the general, honors, and inclusion levels, as well as Creative Writing. She has developed curriculum, served on the Behavioral Intervention Team, mentored new teachers, sponsored student classes, and coached varsity cross country for more than ten years. She was named Churchland High School Teacher of the Year in 2016.

Her experience with children and families extends well beyond the classroom. Alicia worked at the Luter Family YMCA from its 1996 opening until 2014, including as director of the before- and after-school program at Hardy Elementary, and she spent more than ten years as a youth minister at Good Shepherd Catholic Church.

Alicia is seeking the District 1 seat to bring an educator's firsthand knowledge of schools, together with her perspective as a parent and lifelong community member, to the Board's decisions.

What she would bring to the board:

• A classroom educator's understanding of how budget, staffing, and policy decisions affect students and teachers

• Experience with curriculum development, special education, and inclusive learning environments

• A parent's investment in the quality of Isle of Wight County Schools

• A commitment to listening to different perspectives and making decisions based on what best serves students

Connect with Alicia:
Email: alicia.armellino@gmail.com
Phone: 757-846-0610

Greg Brown for School Board, District 1

Greg Brown has called Smithfield home for the past 13 years, and his connection to Isle of Wight Schools began the moment his children started classes here. Since then, Greg has become a fixture in the district's school community, showing up for students in ways big and small: leading Career Day sessions, running Field Day activities, participating in Watch DOGS (Dads of Great Students), and even joining kids for a game of dodgeball before the first bell rings.

Greg is an active member of the PTAs at Hardy, Westside, and Smithfield Middle School, driven by a simple belief: a lot of what makes school meaningful for kids never shows up in a budget line item. That belief was put to the test during his son's final year at Westside, when the school found itself without a PTA. Rather than let that gap go unfilled, Greg rallied friends and neighbors to fundraise, volunteer, and organize, ensuring that Honor Roll students still got the recognition and celebration they'd earned.

Greg also works behind the scenes to bring outside resources into local classrooms, regularly researching grant opportunities and helping teachers navigate the application process. Last school year alone, his efforts helped secure nearly $20,000 in grant funding for Isle of Wight Schools.

Now, Greg is running for School Board in District 1 to bring that same hands-on dedication to district-wide decisions.

His priorities:

Supporting every student's potential

• Every student should feel safe in school

• Every student should be treated with dignity and respect, and should learn to extend that same respect to others

• Every student should have access to the resources they need to succeed

• No child should go hungry

Fiscal responsibility, now and for the future

• Taking care of our assets, both physical and human

• Planning ahead: making the decisions today that keep our schools safe and effective ten years from now

Connect with Greg:
Email: greg@gregbrownforschoolboard.com
Facebook: Greg Brown for School Board
Instagram: @greg_brown_for_school_board

Write Gregory K Brown on your ballot for District 1!

Charlotte "Candy" Hayes

For more than fifteen years, Charlotte "Candy" Hayes has served children and families through Daniel's Blessing, Inc., the nonprofit she founded, providing scholarships, mentoring, and support for children in foster care. Through her Powerful Pearls initiative, she works with young women and their mothers on leadership, etiquette, the arts, and educational travel. She has also volunteered directly in the classroom, teaching computer skills and the arts at her church school.

Candy brings board governance experience from her service on the Schoolhouse Museum Board, the Virginia Opera Guild Board, and the Norfolk Botanical Garden President's Council of Diversity and Inclusion. As a retired military spouse who lived in communities around the world, she developed a deep appreciation for different cultures and a strong belief that stable, supportive schools build stronger communities.

She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in African and African American History at Old Dominion University and holds an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice from Tidewater Community College. Her community work has been recognized with the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia's Apple Award.

Candy is seeking appointment to the Isle of Wight County School Board to serve the remainder of the current term.

What she would bring to the board:

• A student-centered perspective, shaped by years of direct work with children and families

• Nonprofit leadership and board governance experience

• A belief that every child deserves a safe, supportive learning environment, excellent educational opportunities, and the encouragement to develop their gifts

Connect with Candy:
Email: candy_hayes@danielsblessing.org
Phone: 757-404-6235

Jeff Ryder brings more than twelve years of experience in public school finance and operations, having served as Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Director of Finance across multiple school divisions in Illinois and Virginia, including Petersburg City, Franklin City, and Greensville County Public Schools. His work centered on finance and operations, but he has approached every budget with an understanding that financial decisions ultimately affect classrooms, teachers, and families.

Over his career, Jeff has administered budgets ranging from tens of thousands of dollars to nearly $200 million, presented at more than 150 school board meetings, and participated in union negotiations on behalf of the districts he served. He has a track record of recovering unclaimed revenue, reducing costs, and delivering unqualified audit opinions, and he has worked to make financial reporting more transparent and understandable for school boards and the public alike.

Jeff holds a Master of Education with a concentration in School Business from Northern Illinois University and a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, with a minor in Accounting, from Loyola University Chicago. He is a Certified Public Accountant and holds Chief School Business Official Certification from the Illinois State Board of Education.

Now retired from full-time employment, Jeff and his wife have chosen Isle of Wight County as their home. He is seeking appointment to the District 1 seat to invest his financial and operational experience back into the community, with a focus on responsible budgeting, long-range planning, and transparency and accountability in the stewardship of public resources.

What he would bring to the board:

• More than a decade of hands-on experience managing multimillion-dollar school division budgets

• A record of financial transparency, audit accountability, and cost savings for the districts he served

• An understanding of how budget and finance decisions translate into classroom and staffing realities

• A commitment to respecting the distinction between governance and administration

Connect with Jeff:
Email: ryder.jeff7@yahoo.com
Phone: 630-835-8845

State Senator, District 17

Emily M Jordan represents the counties of Isle of Wight, Surry, and Prince George, and parts of the City of Suffolk.
She currently serves on the House Appropriations Committee, House General Laws Committee, and is the Chair of the House Communications, Technology, and Innovation Committee.

She is next up for re-election in 2027.

Address:

State Senator Emily Jordan
P.O. Box 5
Smithfield, Virginia 23431

Phone:

(757) 239-1213

Email: senatorjordan@senate.virginia.gov

State Delegate, District 83

H. Otto Wachsmann Jr. is an American politician and pharmacist who is a member of the Virginia House of Delegates for the 83rd district. He was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates 75th district in November 2021 and assumed office on January 1, 2022. Due to redistricting, Wachsmann’s district became the 83rd district.

In 2025, Wachsmann was re-elected. He is next up for election in 2027.

Address: Delegate Otto Wachsmann
12473 Main Street
Stony Creek, VA  23882

Phone: (804) 469-0872

Email: delowachsmann@house.virginia.gov

State Delegate, District 84

Nadarius Clark worked as a campaign organizer for Tim Kaine from when Senator Kaine was Virginia’s Governor. Clark became the youngest ever representative at 26 years old. The minimum age to be a representative is 21 years old.

At the start of the 2024-2025 session, Clark introduced a bill that would prohibit the collection of medical debt if collection proceedings didn't start within 3 years of the due date on the final notice.

In February 2024, Clark introduced a bill to cap rising rents.

In 2025, Clark was re-elected. He is next up for election in 2027.

Address: Delegate Nadarius Clark
P.O. Box 829
Suffolk, VA 23439

Phone:(757) 239-1213

Email: DelNClark@house.virginia.gov