Laura Ruderman (born November 8, 1970) is a former

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

State Representative for Washington's 45th legislative district. She is a member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

. Ruderman graduated from

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Epis ...

Middletown, Connecticut Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States, Located along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, it is south of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. In 1650, it was incorporated by English settler ...

Political career

Laura Ruderman represented

Washington's 45th legislative district Washington's 45th legislative district is one of forty-nine districts in Washington state for representation in the state legislature. It extends from Kirkland on the west, to Duvall on the east, and Sammamish on the south. The district's leg ...

from 1999 to 2005.Laura Ruderman Running In Washington
''Roll Call'' June 2011 While in office, Ruderman was vice-chair of the Technology, Telecommunications, and Energy Committee, and served on the Health Care, Appropriations, and Rules Committees. In addition to these assignments, she was a member of the K-20 Education Network, the Information Services Board, and the Governor's Task Force on Virtual Learning.Activities as a WA State Representative
LearningCommons.org Ruderman was elected by her colleagues to be the vice-chair of the House Democratic Caucus. Ruderman was named one of "100 to Watch" by the

Democratic Leadership Council The Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) was founded in 1985 and closed in 2011. Founded and directed by Al From, prominent members include Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton (who was elected president in 1992 and 1996), Delaware Senator Joe Biden ( ...

, 2003 Ruderman did not seek re-election in 2004, running instead for Washington State Secretary of State against incumbent Republican

Sam Reed Sam S. Reed (born January 10, 1941) is an American accountant and politician who served as the 14th Secretary of State of Washington from 2001 to 2013 and is a member of the Republican Party. Reed was Washington's fourteenth Secretary of State ...

; she captured 45% of the vote to Sam Reed's 51%. On March 20, 2012,

Jay Inslee Jay Robert Inslee (; born February 9, 1951) is an American politician, lawyer, and economist who has served as the 23rd governor of Washington since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a member of the U.S. House of Representat ...

, representing , resigned from office, which resulted in simultaneous elections, one to fill the seat for the remainder of the term, and one for the next term. Ruderman ran in both elections, but was eliminated in both races in the blanket primary on August 7, and Democrat

Suzan DelBene Suzan Kay DelBene (née Oliver; ; born February 17, 1962) is an American politician and businesswoman who has been the United States House of Representatives, United States representative from Washington's 1st congressional district since 2012. ...

won both elections on November 6.

Personal life

Laura Ruderman's stepson, Jacob B. Greenburg, was arrested and charged with arson and reckless burning during the Seattle riots in September 2020. Laura Ruderman appeared in court on September 29 to vouch for her stepson. After being released on bail Jacob B. Greenburg was arrested again on October 16, 2020, for assaulting a police officer. Video of Greenburg's assault with a metal baseball bat swung at the head of a Seattle Police Department bike officer was widely shared during the riots in Seattle in 2020.

Current activities

Since 2005 Ruderman has worked as a school and community activist and a businesswoman. Since January 2019, Ruderman is CEO of the

Technology Alliance The Technology Alliance is a Washington state organization of leaders from high-tech businesses, research institutions, and the community dedicated to Washington's economic success. Programs Research The Alliance developed a set of research ...

.
GeekWire She is or has been active in the following organizations: * Results (organization), RESULTS, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of impoverished families through legislative action * Washington Community Alliance for Self-Help (CASH), a non-profit organization that provides low-income women with credit, business training, and peer support * K-20 Educational Network * Digital Learning Commons * King County Library System Foundation * Sound Mental Health * 21 Acres Ruderman has been a member of the Redmond Chapter of Business and Professional Women, and in 2010 was elected co-chair at Discovery Community School in the

Lake Washington School District The Lake Washington School District #414 or LWSD is a public school district in King County, Washington, in suburbs east of Seattle. Its headquarters is in Redmond. it is the second-largest school district in Washington. It serves the region t ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruderman, Laura Living people Wesleyan University alumni Democratic Party members of the Washington House of Representatives Women in Washington (state) politics 1970 births 21st-century American women Women state legislators in Washington (state)