AMBER MCREYNOLDS (‘01) always had an interest in politics and government. With both of her grandmothers having served as election judges and her father’s career as both a lawyer and a judge, it’s no wonder McReynolds graduated with a double major in Political Science and Speech Communications. It wasn’t until she worked for a nonprofit nonpartisan youth voter education organization during the 2004 presidential election that she decided to focus on  improving the voter experience.

McReynolds is now the CEO of the National Vote at Home Institute, which is a nonprofit nonpartisan organization that works to expand convenient and secure voting options to put voters first. McReynolds has been inspired all her life by relatives' stories of women’s struggles to gain the right to vote. As CEO, McReynolds's job is to improve voter experiences, expand vote at-home options through legislative changes, improve the voting experience for all, remove barriers in the voting process, and improve the administration of our elections.

McReynolds's favorite part about the campus is that it is a “true college town” and has a lot of historic buildings, such as the Department of Political Science’s home – David Kinley Hall. Her advice to current students is to take advantage of internships, study abroad, learn something new from someone every day, talk to students with whom you may disagree political, and be adaptable.

She just launched her book, When Women Vote, which focuses on particular challenges and necessary reform in the voting process: https://www.whenwomenvote.org/.