Laura Wagoner, who grew up in Schuylkill Township, just outside of Phoenixville, is the Assistant Director of Government and Community Relations at Villanova University.

Wagoner – who attributes her success to her parents, Don and Christina Wagoner, and the values they instilled in her – earned a bachelor’s degree in Government from Franklin & Marshall College and a master’s degree in Public Administration from West Chester University. She credits Val DiGiorgio, the former Chair of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania, has having the biggest impact on her professional career.

“Val shaped the professional I am today,” said Wagoner, who began working as a camp counselor at the Upper Main Line YMCA when she was 15. “He taught me everything I know about politics, fundraising, and the need to have a thick skin in politics. I worked for Val for five years and still use knowledge he taught me on a daily basis.”

Wagoner’s proudest professional achievements occurred in 2017.

“I was named National Committeewoman for the Pennsylvania Young Republicans, class speaker at my graduation from the Anne Anstine Excellence in Public Service Series, and graduated with my master’s degree,” she said. “That was a monumental year in my life, and I grew a great deal personally and professionally.”

Wagoner and her fiancé love the restaurant and bar scenes in both Phoenixville and West Chester.

“Seeing Phoenixville today, as opposed to when I was a little kid in the early 1990s, is so inspiring,” she said.