Kelly Ayotte '93 Attends "Women for Mitt" Rally in Valley Forge, PA
Kelly Ayotte ’93, a junior Republican senator from New Hampshire, recently visited the Philadelphia area as part of the “Women for Mitt” initiative, an organization for which she was an Honorary Co-Chair. Governor Romney’s wife, Ann, served as the coalition’s Chairwoman. Women for Mitt hosted events throughout the United States in anticipation of Election Day earlier this month.
Senator Ayotte spoke at the September 2012 event at the Double Tree Valley Forge, aimed at rallying support for Governor Romney’s presidential campaign. Senator Ayotte and Governor Romney are political allies; Governor Romney endorsed Senator Ayotte in her 2010 campaign and her name was mentioned as a potential vice presidential candidate this past summer. Additionally, Senator Ayotte spoke on the first night of the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida on August 28, 2012.
Senator Ayotte has also lent her speaking talents to Villanova Law, serving as the speaker at the 2011 commencement on May 20, 2011. She has strong ties to Pennsylvania, having graduated from Penn State in 1990 and VLS in 1993. While at VLS, she served as the Executive Editor of the Villanova Environmental Law Journal. Following graduation, she clerked for the Honorable Sherman D. Horton and then worked as an associate at McLane, Graf, Raulerson & Middleton before accepting a position as a prosecutor for the office of the New Hampshire Attorney General. She subsequently became Deputy Attorney General, Chief of the Homicide Unit, and the first female Attorney General of the State of New Hampshire. In 2008, she was awarded “Citizen of the Year” by the Union Leader, a local newspaper in New Hampshire.
Senator Ayotte currently serves as the Ranking Member on the Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support as well as a member on the Senate Budget Committee and the Senate Commerce Committee. She is passionate about small business and entrepreneurship endeavors and hosts weekly “Coffee with Kelly” sessions each Thursday morning when the Senate is in session.
Story Written by Dana Gittleman '12
