Elizabeth Bennett-Parker
Elizabeth Bennett-Parker is the Delegate for the 45th Virginia House District. Born in Alexandria to two Naval officers, Elizabeth is dedicated to serving her community.
She serves on the House Finance and Counties, Cities & Towns Committees.
During her first session, she passed bills expanding the ability for advisory public boards and commissions to hold electronic meetings, strengthening protections for victims of stalking, and supporting electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Elizabeth was named a Legislative Champion by the Virginia Education Association, received a 100% score from the Virginia Sierra Club and League of Conservation Voters, and earned an A+ from ReproRising (formerly NARAL Virginia).
Elizabeth previously served as the Vice Mayor of Alexandria and as the Chair of the Operation Board of the Virginia Railway Express. She was selected as one of Alexandria’s 40 under 40 in 2017. She has served on Alexandria’s Community Criminal Justice Board and the Commission on Employment, as well as the boards of the Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture, Agenda:Alexandria, and the United Way Regional Council for Alexandria.
She is a graduate of Emerge Virginia and the Alexandria City Academy. Elizabeth is a substitute teacher for Alexandria City Public Schools and a former co-leader of Together We Bake, a non-profit job training and personal development program for underserved women. Elizabeth understands the pressures of being a small business owner. She founded Fruitcycle, a social enterprise fighting the tragic paradox that, while one in six Americans experience food-insecurity on a daily basis, 40% of our food is thrown into landfills.
Elizabeth served as a Fulbright Fellow, graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Cornell University, and earned a Master’s from the University of London.
She and her husband, Stephen, live in Alexandria with their rescue cat, Julep and dog, Nori, thanks to the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria.