FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AMY LAWRENCE ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY FOR COUNTY CHAIR OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF COLLIN COUNTY

September 29, 2011 - Amy Lawrence announced this week her intention to file as a candidate for the County Chair of the Democratic Party of Collin County (DPCC) in the March 2012 Democratic primary, saying: Democrats in Collin County need strong representation and opportunities to participate in activism that represents our values. This past legislative session, the Democratic Party of Collin County remained quiet on some of the most important issues, like education funding and voter ID. We could have been using these issues to solidify and mobilize our voters. The current Party administration missed a huge opportunity. As your candidate for County Chair, I am committed to working with you to create an active and effective Democratic party that can draw attention to the negative impacts of the current political status quo; a Democratic Party organization that is known in our communities, supporting other political and non-partisan organizations and building relationships with everyday citizens to be engaged and give direction to our elected officials; a Democratic Party that will strengthen our influence by broadening and diversifying our base of activists and voters; and finally a Democratic Party that fosters a cadre of qualified, electable candidates who share our Democratic values and will work tirelessly to protect our communities. The only way we will be able to hold our elected officials accountable is by creating a strong, vibrant, financially viable and vocal Democratic Party in Collin County that offers an alternative vision for our local communities a party that can exert influence on our current representatives and help elect qualified candidates who share our Democratic values. For the past seven years, Amy has worked in support of civil and political rights abroad as a project manager in Washington, DC and later as a consultant for firms implementing multi-million dollar foreign aid projects funded by the US government. In early 2007, Amy and her husband moved to Cairo, Egypt, where she started up the $17M USAIDfunded Combating Violence Against Women and Children project and later served as the projects operations and communications manager. Amy Lawrence has been an active member of the local Democratic community since moving to Collin County in late 2008. She serves on the board of the Texas Democratic Women of Collin County as membership chair and as Democratic precinct chair for her election precinct. During the 2010 election cycle, Amy served on the DPCCs

coordinated campaign committee and chaired the Get Out the Vote committee, which involved more than 150 volunteers who dedicated over 1200 volunteer hours in support of local and state Democratic candidates. Amy is originally from Crosbyton, Texas and graduated from Austin College in Sherman, Texas. She married fellow Austin College graduate, Brad Lawrence, and together they have two young children Finn, age 3, and Rowan, 6 months. You can learn more about Amy Lawrence and her campaign by visiting the campaign website www.voteamylawrence.jimdo.com. For more information, contact Hazel Weathers at (214) 449-1103.