Amy Loudermilk, MSW '07, was awarded the Distinguished Alumni of the Year in 2014.
Amy Loudermilk joined the District of Columbia Government in 2012, assuming the role of Deputy Director of the Mayor’s Office of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Affairs after working in the nonprofit sector for over ten years leading advocacy efforts to improve the lives of marginalized communities. In addition to advising the Mayor on GLBT issues, in this role she spearheads the creation and delivery of culturally competent training curricula for government agencies and service providers and crafts numerous reports that the Office releases annually. She was instrumental in creating new District policy that prohibits health insurance companies from discriminating against transgender individuals in the provision of services. Ms. Loudermilk previously spent five years at the DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence (DCCADV), most recently as the Policy Director. In that capacity she spearheaded advocacy campaigns on behalf of service providers, victims and survivors of domestic violence in the District of Columbia to secure and protect their rights. She also provided technical assistance to District government agencies on state and federal laws relating to victims of crime. She played a pivotal role in enacting the first law in the U.S. that mandates employers to provide survivors of domestic violence with paid “safe leave” to address psychological or safety needs or to prepare for or attend court.
Prior to her tenure at DCCADV, Amy provided direct services to victims of domestic violence at a shelter operated by the House of Ruth in Southeast Washington, D.C., and coordinated the policy work of the Metro DC Chapter of Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Rainbow Response Coalition, a community-based organization dedicated to addressing intimate partner violence in the D.C. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender (LGBT) communities for several years, training police, probation officers and service providers regarding best practices and legal protections for LGBT victims. Ms. Loudermilk was honored with the Next Generation Award from Metro Weekly Magazine in 2010. In addition to a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Towson University, she also has a Master of Social Work degree with a concentration in Social Change from George Mason University.
Comments from Amy Loudermilk
The time I spent at George Mason was truly transformative. Being among like-minded individuals all studying to improve our society was inspiring and empowering. Learning from all of the professors about the social injustices so many groups of people have faced sparked the fire in myself and others to go out and truly create change. Seeing what my fellow graduates are doing today is impressive, and we all owe a debt of gratitude to the Department of Social Work.