About me
Rebecca Wood lived all over Virginia before her relocation to Massachusetts. She graduated from James Madison University and served in Americorps with Virginia State Parks. Her plans for graduate school were put on hold indefinitely when her daughter, Charlie, was delivered ten hours into her twenty sixth week of gestation.
Early on, Rebecca learned she’d have to advocate for her daughter’s well-being, whether with hospitals, insurance companies, or social services. In time, she expanded her advocacy efforts into the policy arena.
Ms. Wood’s initial civic participation was as a volunteer and, later, a Team Leader with the nonpartisan voter registration organization, HeadCount. However, her first time on Capitol Hill and her active engagement began in January of 2017 when she stepped up to join the fight to save the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid.
Since then, Rebecca worked with many organizations and offices on Capitol Hill. Her healthcare work includes rallies, protests, press conferences, and conventions. Most notable, she told her and Charlie’s story at the introduction of Senator Sanders’ Medicare For All Act of 2017 and testified before the House Ways and Means Committee hearing on Pathways to Universal Coverage in June 2019.
Rebecca also regularly volunteers for Remote Area Medical, which provides access to healthcare for underserved communities. Rebecca served as a community organizer for Mass-Care, Massachusetts Campaign For Single Payer Health Care.
Additionally, Rebecca’s experiences with public education and food insecurity motivated her to work in those areas as well.
Rebecca was recognized for her effective advocacy in 2017 by The ARC of Virginia as a Catalyst For Change and was the 2019 R. Ann Meyers Distinguished Social Work Alumni Award recipient.