Andrea Stone

Biography

Andrea Stone is the neighbor who helps. She is the reuniter of lost dogs, the purchaser of gift cards left on doorsteps, the chef of casseroles for sick folks, and the volunteer who steps up when the YMCA says there aren’t enough coaches. Andrea loves Oklahoma because as a community, no matter what our political parties, we always take care of each other. But Andrea believes our current state legislature isn’t living up to that Oklahoma Standard, so she’s running to give her neighbors a choice in this election.

Andrea Stone is a mother, educator, community volunteer, and gun violence prevention advocate. Andrea grew up in Tampa, Florida. She met her husband, Jason, a fifth-generation Oklahoman, on the Cameron University debate team. Andrea earned Academic All-American honors as a collegiate debater and earned a full scholarship to earn a Master’s degree in Organizational Development from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. After completing their Master’s degrees, Jason and Andrea started their family on the East Coast. Nearly 20 years ago, a job opportunity in Oklahoma called and they decided to return to Oklahoma to be closer to family, buy a home on an educator’s salary, and raise sixth-generation Oklahomans.

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Andrea is a teacher at heart, having taught swimming lessons to preschoolers, test preparation to high school and college students, speech and communications courses at the University of Central Oklahoma and the University of Richmond, and debate to high school students. After staying home with her children for a few years, she took a full-time job at the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) teaching faculty how to use technology to reach their students more effectively. After 14 years in higher education, she began working for an Oklahoma City-based energy company where she develops training materials for corporate and field employees. Andrea and her husband founded a training and development consulting company in 2008 and is a Certified Learning Environment Architect.

Andrea and Jason have two children. Ian is a junior at UCO and Sarah is a junior at Santa Fe High School. Andrea is an active Moms Demand Action volunteer, serves on the board of Santa Fe High School’s Performing Arts Council, and is a volunteer debate coach. She earned the Jo Russell Award in 2017 for her service to the Oklahoma Speech and Debate community.

Platform Issues

Gun Safety

Andrea is a gun owner who grew up in a family of hunters and fishermen. Andrea believes we can increase public safety through evidence-based, common sense measures while ensuring responsible gun owners’ rights are respected. Andrea supports background checks for every gun purchase, giving families legal methods to remove guns from loved ones in crisis, and disarming domestic abusers. As a mom, Andrea has received the texts from her child inside a school on lockdown that cause a parent to hold their breath and hope there isn’t really a shooter on campus. Andrea pledges to work diligently to make our schools safer from gun violence. She will listen to school safety experts, public health authorities, and gun violence prevention groups instead of rubber-stamping legislation written by the gun lobby.

Education

Oklahoma ranks 46th in the country in K-12 Achievement. As the legislature chips away at public school funding, Oklahoma's kids fall further behind. Our colleges and universities haven't escaped the legislature's slashing either having lost 40% of their funding over the last ten years. These schools have cut programs and increased class sizes while also raising tuition to cover the gap in state funding. The result is that middle class families struggle to pay for college costs, or students graduate with debt burdens that diminish their prospects for home ownership or entrepreneurship. Ultimately, large corporations don't choose Oklahoma as a place to relocate because their employees don't want to send their students to Oklahoma's schools and our workforce is not prepared for the positions these companies need to fill. Andrea is an expert in educational technology. She is a Certified Learning Environment Architect. Andrea will bring a unique perspective on digital learning solutions, workforce readiness, and how we can help our state rise in both K-12 and higher education rankings. While funding may not cover all the gaps in Oklahoma's education system, we can't expect schools to do more with less for a decade.

Healthcare

Andrea believes that access to basic healthcare for all Oklahomans is a fundamental right. In 2014, Andrea's daughter was diagnosed with myocarditis, a potentially-life threatening heart condition. Her daughter spent four days in the pediatric ICU. Fortunately, she fully recovered, but without medical insurance, this illness would have financially devastated Andrea's family. Andrea knows the struggle to decide whether or not to take a sick child to the doctor when family finances are tight and will protect programs that provide healthcare to our most vulnerable. Our uninsured rate remains too high, and many Oklahomans must choose between the care they need and paying for the basics, like their rent or electric bills. Politicians at the Capitol don't seem to understand the daily risks people take as they delay doctors visits or stretch their medications to save money. Andrea's mother-in-law is a ten-year cancer survivor who relies on Medicaid to afford the medications that keep her alive. As politicians cut programs that serve the least among us, real people don't get the treatment they need. Andrea believes all families deserve medical treatment without the risks of medical bankruptcy.