Amanda Waggoner

Amanda Waggoner is the Administrative Assistant for the NYCLU’s Education Policy Center, where she serves its mission through programming and administrative support.

Prior to joining the NYCLU, Amanda coordinated various equity-centered design and social innovation programs for youth change-makers in Baltimore at Dent Education. She closely mentored an anti-oppression, femme youth-led organization harnessing the power of writing and storytelling to support the social-emotional well-being of youth with incarcerated loved ones.

During her time as an AmeriCorps VISTA, Amanda designed and facilitated mentorship and literacy-based programs connecting high school students from the Baltimore Design School (BDS) and college students from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). She led voter education and registration campaigns for MICA’s Voter Access Initiative and coordinated virtual civic engagement workshops for the college’s Center for Creative Citizenship. Amanda was awarded the High School Voter Engagement Award by Black Girls Vote in 2020 for her school-wide voter engagement efforts at BDS.

Amanda studied English Literature and Peace & Justice Studies in the Honors Program at Loyola University Maryland, where she graduated with Distinguished Community Engagement Honors in 2019. Born and raised in Staten Island, Amanda previously coordinated summer employment opportunities for NYC youth, interned at The Poetry Society of New York, and served as an Election Day Worker. She is passionate about amplifying youth voices in decision-making processes and advancing a civil liberties and anti-racist platform in all institutions that serve young people.