Virginia Sen. Jennifer McClellan ’97 will offer a glimpse into the real-world and challenging task of policymaking to address racial inequities.

McClellan, who has served in the Virginia General Assembly since 2006, is a Democratic gubernatorial candidate for the 2021 election. If elected, she will be the first woman to serve as governor of Virginia, and the first Black female governor in the nation. 

McClellan has represented the 9th district in greater Richmond since joining the Senate in 2017, and represented the 71st district as a delegate from 2006-2017. She is the chair of the Virginia General Assembly’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Commission, and sits on a range of Senate legislative committees including Judiciary, Privileges and Elections, and Finance and Appropriations. Outside of her legislative career, she is an assistant general counsel for Verizon Communications.

This event is sponsored with UVA Law’s State and Local Government Policy Clinic, the Center for the Study of Race and Law, the Public Service Center, the Black Law Students Association, Child Advocacy Research and Education, the Public Interest Law Association and the Virginia Law in Prison Project.