RELEASE, 4/11/17 - Business Executive and Veteran Chrissy Houlahan Launches Campaign with Focus on Economy, Education and Veterans
Business Executive and Veteran Chrissy Houlahan Launches Campaign with Focus on Economy, Education and Veterans
By PRESS
DEVON, PA – Today, Air Force Veteran, small business leader and educator Chrissy Houlahan announced her campaign for Congress in Pennsylvania’s 6thCongressional District.
“It is time our district had a representative who truly represents our core values,” said Houlahan. “Coming from a family with a strong history of public service, I will use my business and nonprofit background to serve our district and work to create good jobs, promote strong families, improve and strengthen education, fight for veterans and hold this administration accountable.”
Houlahan continued, “As a veteran and business leader, I cannot stand by while President Trump inflicts damage to our nation. Unfortunately, Representative Ryan Costello has shown an eagerness to rubber-stamp this Administration’s dangerous social, economic, educational, and military policies.”
“After starting my career in the Air Force, I’ve spent my life in the business and nonprofit sectors working to create jobs and give back to Pennsylvania. I know what it means to serve in our military. I know what it’s like to take risks, to put your heart and soul into building a business and to see it succeed. I know what it means to work in a struggling school and to see young kids fight for the American dream. And I know what it’s like to raise a family in our community. That’s the perspective I’ll bring to Congress.”
Houlahan concluded, “My service did not stop when I left the Armed Forces, and that is why today I announce that I am running to represent the voters of Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District. I welcome the opportunity to bring our shared values—actual American values—together with our commitment to families, education, our veterans, and smart business solutions to the District.”
An engineer with an undergraduate degree from Stanford University and a master’s degree in technology and policy from MIT, Houlahan began her career as an officer in the Air Force. After serving her country, she joined AND 1 Basketball in Paoli, PA as Chief Operating Officer. She helped grow the startup apparel and footwear brand from $4 million in sales to over $250 million and created more than 200 jobs in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Following the sale of the company, Houlahan entered the nonprofit sector, joining B Lab in Berwyn, PA, as Chief Operating Officer. B Lab, now in its tenth year, has built a world-wide community of for-profit companies that meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance. The company employs more than 40 now in our region.
After leaving B Lab, Houlahan joined Teach for America, attended Penn’s Graduate School of Education, and taught high school chemistry at Simon Gratz. Most recently, she served as President and COO/CFO for Springboard Collaborative, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit focused on improving early childhood literacy in inner city schools country-wide. Each summer, Springboard educates hundreds of Philadelphia’s most underserved children and creates jobs for more than one hundred teachers and administrators.
Chrissy Houlahan lives with her husband, Bart, in Devon, where she raised her two daughters, Molly and Carly. The daughter of a Holocaust survivor, Chrissy comes from a family with a history of service. Her father and maternal grandfather were both career naval officers.
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