Future-focused.
Solution-oriented.

Valley of Flowers Parade, Old Town Florissant, 1981. Joan is waving the blue-and-white flag!

This country needs a course correction. It’s up to us! 

Democracy needs each one of us!

I'll work with you to get us back on track.

In the 250th anniversary of our country, I will fight for the precious value of a government

of the people,

by the people,

and for the people.

My story begins with an adoption by Orville and Margaret Chandler. Both were educators: my mother, an elementary school teacher, and my father, a principal who opened seven schools in the rapidly growing Ferguson-Florissant community. I grew up there, too. From an early age, I learned the importance of integrity and the value of personal responsibility— values I saw modeled daily by my parents and which are essential to effective teaching. It impressed upon me the importance of positive leadership and the power of connection our schools provide.

Policy that champions and invests in public education matters. Strong schools build stronger communities, and cultivate an educated electorate.

School is where I met my husband, Roch. We were high school sweethearts. We were future-focused, finishing our college degrees with the help of existing loan programs and grants, as well as paying our way through part-time jobs. It was a clear, viable path to building our future. It's a path I now see vanishing for young families.

Policy that supports robust student loan and grant programs — for college or the trades — matters. It builds a stronger community and economy by providing opportunities for mobility.

Our wedding day was unforgettable for reasons far beyond the obvious joy— it was a profoundly emotional time because my father was battling a quickly-moving cancer. He would always get out of his bed and walk the hospital corridor with me. I didn’t think much of it at the time, until that day, when my father left the hospital and arrived at the church in a wheelchair, doctor by his side. He stood with me at the back of the church and, arm-in-arm, walked me down the aisle. It was the last day he walked, and he passed away just a few weeks later. His great act of love inspires me to this day.

Policy that supports quality healthcare and makes it accessible for all matters. No family should have to choose between financial security and the care a loved one needs.

Roch and I have stayed in St. Louis. I began my teaching career, while Roch founded an architecture firm that will be celebrating 30 years this year.

Policy that supports small business matters. Small businesses are the engine of our economy and integral to a vibrant community.

Together, Roch and I have raised two amazing sons, who each married and are raising their own families close by. Our family’s commitment to our community continues, as they raise our two granddaughters.

Policy that supports young families matters. Families need access to affordable housing, quality childcare and equitable pay.

I spent my career in the service of public education. I believe education is the foundation of our democracy. 

In nearly 30 years of teaching in Parkway and Clayton Schools, I’ve secured over a dozen public grants for staff development to enhance student learning and success. The last piece of professional writing I published was “Empowerment Through Talk: Creating Democratic Communities.”  

Policy that awards and incentivizes innovation matters. America is a country of innovation and ideas, many which have come through our institutions providing opportunity to do so.

In all my years of teaching and listening to my community, I have heard first-hand from thousands of families about how our country can better serve its young people. That is why I am running for Congress— because I am committed to creating a vibrant future for our children.

Our community needs to talk again. Democracy is about the exchange of ideas through civil conversation. We are losing our ability to talk with one another openly and honestly about governance. In response to this loss, I founded Town Talks Live, a series of free workshops around the St. Louis region hosted at local libraries and other public spaces. These events focus on how we begin to listen and talk to one another beyond party lines. As someone who loved teaching about the founding of our country, I know that it is through the exchange of ideas, embedded in civil conversation, that we come to fulfill our ideals: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, as we strive toward a more perfect union.  

Who represents us matters. Future-focused, solution-oriented policy is how we meet the demands of the challenges before us. Restoring our checks and balances matters. This is why I am stepping up!