As the first Iranian American elected to state-level office in Virginia, Atoosa Reaser’s path to public service reflects both her family’s remarkable journey and her deep commitment to the community she calls home.
Atoosa fled Iran during a revolution that stripped away freedoms, particularly for women. Her parents made extraordinary sacrifices to ensure she could grow up in a country where education and opportunity were within reach. She has never forgotten what that meant: “I worked hard to graduate, chose a career in public service, and have made it my mission to give back to the community that has given me so much.”
That sense of obligation drives her work in the legislature today. “Through all my time as an attorney and serving my community, I never thought I would see a day when Americans would lose their freedoms. Sadly, we are watching rights being rolled back, and state legislatures have become the last battleground to protect the American promise: if you work hard, you can succeed. That’s why I decided to run for the House of Delegates, to make sure every Virginian has the same freedom and opportunity that brought my family to America in the first place.”
Atoosa has called Loudoun County home for over 20 years. She represents House District 27, covering Eastern Loudoun, and brings a record of community service that long predates her time in Richmond. She served on the Loudoun County School Board, where her colleagues twice elected her Vice Chair, and has volunteered with the PTA, Boy Scouts, and LINK Against Hunger.
Her professional background is equally broad. As a lawyer and former educator, Atoosa has served as a Deputy Town Attorney, a litigator, and in-house counsel, and has been qualified by the Virginia Supreme Court as a guardian ad litem, a role that reflects her longstanding commitment to protecting vulnerable members of her community.
In her first term, 15 of her bills were signed into law by a Republican governor. “In a time of deep partisan division, my bipartisan wins delivered real results for my community and all Virginians.” That record of results has continued. In the most recent legislative session, Governor Spanberger signed all 11 of Atoosa’s bills that reached her desk.
