Three long-time educators from Mt. Pleasant, Van Buren County and Fairfield have joined Tom O’Donnell’s campaign for the Iowa House of Representatives as co-chairs.

O’Donnell faces Republican incumbent Jeff Shipley on November 5 in House District 87, which includes Van Buren County, southern Jefferson County including Fairfield and Maharishi Vedic City, and Tippecanoe, Center and Salem townships in Henry County, including Mt. Pleasant.

Anita Hampton, a 40-year early childhood educator in the Mt. Pleasant school system; Douds resident Gwen Pedrick, who taught for 25 years in Van Buren County schools; and Justin “Jay” C. Thompson, K-8 at-risk school counselor/success coordinator for the Fairfield Community School District say they support O’Donnell, 65, of rural Keosauqua.

“I’m focused on restoring rural schools, so it’s important to have the backing of teachers who have spent years working with our children,” O’Donnell said. “I’m honored to have Anita, Gwen and Jay on my side. Their communities know, love and trust them.”

Anita Hampton

Hampton started as a transitional first grade teacher in Mt. Pleasant, then spent 20 years as owner, director and lead teacher of four-year-olds at Grasshopper Green Preschool on the Iowa Wesleyan University campus. She also started and directed Project REACH, a Henry County Iowa Empowerment/Early Childhood Iowa project that provided support and improvement plans for childcare providers. She has served on the Iowa Association for the Education of Young Children board and advised Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack during his campaign and administration.

Pedrick has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Morningside University, with endorsements in reading and Spanish. She has a master’s degree in elementary education from Viterbo University. Pedrick served 25 years in the Van Buren County school district, teaching kindergarten and first and second grades. She most enjoyed helping students improve their reading skills as a teacher under the federal Title 1 program. “Helping kids overcome barriers to fluent reading was the best,” Pedrick said.

Jay Thompson

Thompson has held his post for eight years. He has degrees from Simpson College, Iowa State University and Liberty University. Before earning his masters in school counseling at Liberty, Thompson was a federal probation officer in southern Iowa for 14 years and a youth caseworker for four years at Orchard Place/PACE in Des Moines. He’s a volunteer mentor to three middle school boys and officiates middle- and high-school football and basketball games.