Residing in Sahuarita, she has immersed herself in civic, community, local and regional service. Even though her parents were of very modest means, Andrea was given the opportunity to attend college and become a mathematics teacher. A scholarship to college covered the tuition, and her numerous part-time jobs covered fees, books and transportation. Andrea knows the meaning of hard work. She wants to work hard for you as your Legislative District 30 Representative.
Early teachers for Andrea included her parents. Sound budgeting was
learned from her stay-at-home mom. From her World War II Army veteran father, who worked as a carpenter on the railroad, she learned a solid work ethic. Andrea strongly believes that the current budget crisis was very poorly managed, and that the leadership of the Arizona legislature made a bad situation worse. Andrea's 91-year-old mother, Estelle, could have taught the leaders of the legislature a thing or two about sound planning and budgeting for the future.Andrea knows that while children and young people are only part of our population, they are 100% of our future. Lack of adequate support of public education negatively impacts national security, reduces real-estate values, and prevents economic development. Andrea is committed to give the students of Arizona the opportunity she had in order for them to become productive and prosperous adults.
After receiving her college degree, Andrea taught high school mathematics at an inner city school for more than a decade. She continued her education with a Master's degree and courses in school supervision and administration. When opportunities for women increased, Andrea enrolled at Rutgers University and completed a Masters of Business Administration in Professional Accounting. While at Rutgers she received grants from IBM. She is proud that she was able to pass all parts on the Certified Public Accountant examination at one sitting while working at Price Waterhouse. Andrea's thorough knowledge of tax policy enabled her to work for several corporations in the New York metropolitan area as a tax manager.
While Andrea enjoyed the challenges of life in the corporate world, she also wanted to devote more time for service to her community. Andrea volunteered to serve on several faith-based boards that helped homeless people transition into homes and employment. Andrea returned to her undergraduate alma mater to teach accounting, when she was recruited by Rutgers University to teach a variety of courses to undergraduates, including governmental accounting.For more than 25 years, Andrea operated her own tax practice. When she closed her practice in December 2006, many of her clients were distraught enough that they offered to double her fees if she would stay in business.
Andrea Dalessandro's ability to move from one phase of her life to another serves her well in her path to be a State Representative for Legislative District 30.
Starting in early 2007, Andrea has traveled to all parts of LD 30. Her husband, Andy, made sure that she had a GPS. Andrea attended so many sessions of the state legislature that she was
often accused of being a lobbyist. Andrea said, "No, I am not a lobbyist, but I believe the voters of LD 30 deserve the best qualified representative possible to face the challenges that have been ignored for too long." Many voters have asked Andrea to run to represent them, because she already monitors the activities in Phoenix so closely via legislative alerts.
Andrea's husband, Andy, is a Marine Corps veteran who served two tours of duty in Vietnam. He is a retired letter carrier. They live with their rescue dog, Dixie. Andrea has one daughter, Michele, who is a neonatal intensive care nurse and a nurse/midwife. Andrea is also the proud grandmother of five, who are the joy of her life.
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