Angelo Cocchiaro Sees Need For 'Generational Change' On Arlington School Board

ARLINGTON, VA — A certified fitness and nutrition professional and former student organizer announced Wednesday that he is running for the Arlington School Board.

If elected, Angelo Cocchiaro, 22, would be the youngest school board member in Arlington history. Cocchiaro said there needs to be a "generational change in perspective on school issues."

"As we emerge from this pandemic, our students and our schools are at the center of multiple swirling crises," Cocchiaro said in a statement Wednesday. "We must bring new voices to the table and bring people together, so we can meet this moment and deliver on the change that's overdue.”

Cocchiaro, who lives in Rosslyn, works in digital communications at the American Association for Justice, a nonprofit group that works to end forced arbitration, nondisclosure agreements and other predatory practices.

He joins two other candidates — Erin Freas-Smith and Miranda Turner — in seeking the endorsement of the local Democratic Party. They will be vying to succeed Reid Goldstein, the current school board chair, who announced he is not running for re-election.

Voting in the Arlington County Democratic Committee endorsement process for one of the three candidates will be held in May at three locations: May 7, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Drew Elementary School; May 10, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Campbell Elementary School; and May 13, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Washington-Liberty High School.

In his announcement Wednesday, Cocchiaro said he supports universal free school meals to address the high cost-of-living and growing inequities in Arlington and 12 weeks of paid family leave for Arlington Public Schools staff to support retention and recruitment. He also believes APS should bring 25 additional substance abuse counselors into the school system.

In high school and in his post-secondary studies, Cocchiaro worked as a student organizer. He organized a student walkout in the wake of the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. He also organized a voter registration drive that saw 100 percent of his graduating class become registered to vote before being handed their diploma.

A graduate of the American University in Washington, D.C., with a bachelor of arts in communications, legal institutions, economics, and government, Cocchiaro focused on Title IX, gender-based violence prevention in education, and childcare issues in college.

Cocchiaro has worked with Rockville, Maryland-based nonprofit So What Else Inc. on training in trauma-informed care and writing lesson plans. The organization provides free childcare and other services to low-income families in Montgomery County and Prince George's County, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.

Cocchiaro also is a certified personal trainer and certified nutrition coach through the National Academy of Sports Medicine.

In Arlington, Cocchiaro has served as a member of the School Health Advisory Board and the county’s Food Security Coalition. He is also a new member of APS’s Early Childhood Advisory Committee on Teaching and Learning.

Cocchiaro has served for more than a year as the deputy communications director for the Arlington County Democratic Committee. He worked on Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) re-election campaign in 2018 and Rep. Don Beyer’s (D-VA) primary campaign in 2022.

Cocchiaro plans to make an in-person announcement of his candidacy Wednesday night at a membership meeting of the Arlington Democrats at Lubber Run Community Center.