Meet Andreas
Leader, Educator, Small Business Owner
Early Life
Andreas was born in Virginia and grew up in the Shenandoah Valley. He was raised by his mom, step-dad, and his younger brother. His step-dad worked maintenance at an historic property to support the family. At age 12, Andreas left school briefly to help care for his younger brother while also homeschooling himself to keep up with his education. From age 14 he started to work to help support his family. During most of his childhood, he was on free- or reduced lunch. He later attended and graduated from Central High School in Woodstock in 2000.
After high school, Andreas attended Virginia Tech and worked many jobs to pay for school. While some families can afford to help their children through college with tuition payments, health insurance, care packages, and even housing during breaks, others cannot. Andreas understands these challenges personally, as he had no real safety net while in school.
Although he had to navigate these systems independently, he leveraged every opportunity to complete a college degree in political science and government.
“I know what it’s like to be a child who has to grow up too fast, to feel the weight of the world on your shoulders. My administration will prioritize initiatives that break the cycle of generational poverty, uplift and empower working families, and enable our youth to reach their full potential.”
Serving the City of Richmond
When Andreas moved to Richmond, he initially worked in the service industry before finding an optimal position within the City of Richmond as a management analyst and civic innovator. His first projects focused on reducing poverty by mitigating the school-to-prison pipeline and expanding workforce development. For eight years, he spearheaded initiatives to fix public infrastructure and improve City operations to better address service needs and enhance both efficiency and effectiveness.
Seeing the limitations of what can be accomplished within that role, he ran for Richmond City Council in 2016 to implement policies that would streamline services, generate equitable economic activity, and strengthen constituent participation in decision-making.
As a Councilmember, Andreas quickly developed a reputation for pursuing innovative solutions to the city’s problems by pushing for bold initiatives, including advocating for the city to invest $10 million into the affordable housing trust fund, preserving fare-free transit on GRTC and providing a 40% pay raise for bus drivers, lowering taxes for small business owners and removing outdated zoning to help businesses thrive, creating a resident-led participatory budgeting commission so Richmonders can play an active role in how the city’s capital budget is allocated, and pioneering Safe Streets for All.
“Richmonders deserve to live in a city where they can walk, bike, push a stroller, and use a mobility device without risking their lives. As Mayor, I will prioritize our Vision Zero goals by implementing my Safe Streets for All strategic plan to end this cycle of needless tragedy.”
Andreas also lobbied the General Assembly to create the Commission on School Construction and Modernization to expand state-level funding support for aging school buildings, where over half of all schools in Virginia are at least 50 years old and in need of significant repair. That legislative effort resulted in bipartisan recommendations to add new funding mechanisms for local school divisions to leverage for maintenance, renovation, and construction projects.
A Focus on Social Enterprise
While working for the City, Andreas went back to school and later earned his MBA from the University of Richmond. He currently serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Virginia, educating students about human-centered design through social enterprise. Students explore the impact that businesses can create to drive social equity and access to opportunity.
“The disproportionate gaps we see in our communities across race, income, and zip code must be our driving factors to make change. We must improve access to employment, services, and other needs for low-income households. Yes, that even includes a full-service grocery store in the Southside.”
Andreas is also the small business owner of Pure Fitness RVA, a gym focused on challenging and inspiring members to achieve their goals and redefine what they are capable of doing. Andreas married his wife, Allison, in 2023, and the couple resides in the Museum District.
The Journey to Becoming Richmond’s Mayor
For over 15 years, Andreas has served the City of Richmond both in City Hall and on Council, and over that time, he has seen firsthand the challenges that impede our ability to serve our residents effectively. His experience showed him that good ideas that will help families and improve systems ultimately fail because of silos, fractured relationships, outdated systems, inadequate support for city staff, and a lack of political will to invest in long-term solutions.
“Far too often, the calls and emails coming into my office are about problems like a water bill that’s much higher than it should be or a damaged sidewalk that has gone unrepaired for months. These are not complicated issues. These are the basic, fundamental services that city hall should not be struggling to deliver.”
Andreas recognizes that we have so much potential to solve critical issues, but we need a strong, focused leader who is committed to doing the hard work, implementing progressive policies to move us forward, governing for the sustainable growth of Richmond, focusing on meeting the basic needs of residents and preventing displacement. As Richmond’s next mayor, Andreas will use his experience and vision to rise to these complex challenges.