Fifteen years ago, Anna won a straw poll in a neighbor’s living room that led to her run for the Houston Independent School District Board of Education. Anna was driven by her belief that the high-quality experience her three children were having in Houston public schools was possible for all children. During her eight years as a Trustee, including serving as Board President, Anna advocated for high academic standards, teacher accountability, school choice and a fully inclusive non-discrimination policy.

Anna served as Ally Grand Marshall of the Houston Pride Parade in 2015 and was awarded the 2016 National Association of Social Workers/Texas Public Elected Official of the Year. She also briefly served as a Texas State Representative to House District 148 in 2020. Anna is currently Board of The Woods Project (and a volunteer trip leader), a member of the Breakthrough Houston Board and the Houston Grand Opera Community and Learning Committee. Anna also served on the Teach for America Houston Regional Board and Holocaust Museum Houston Advisory Board. Recently, Anna reactivated her LMSW, and is currently in clinical supervision at Autumn Counseling in the Heights.

Anna and her husband Brad have three adult children. When not working, Anna loves cooking for friends and family, walking or hiking, listening to live music – from jazz to folk to opera, doing headstands, advocating for transgender youth and other young people from historically underserved communities, or reading.