Amy Nelson

Amy Nelson was born in 1980[1] and grew up in Ohio.[2] Nelson developed an interest in politics in her youth, going door-to-door for political campaigns.[2] Her first jobs were as a nanny, then as a waitress.[1] Nelson earned a Bachelor's degree in International Studies from Emory University.[1] While attending college, Nelson interned at the Carter Center, where she accepted a full-time job upon graduation.[1] She then earned a J.D. in law from the NYU School of Law.[1]

After graduating from NYU Law, Nelson worked in law and politics for about a decade.[3][4] Initially, she did corporate litigation for Cahill Gordon & Reindel.[1] While in New York, she also worked for then President Barack Obama's Finance Committee and co-founded Gen44, the under-40 fundraising arm of the Obama campaign.[1][5] She also supported fund-raising campaigns for pro-choice politicians.[5] Nelson moved to Seattle in 2012 after her boyfriend (current husband) got a job at Amazon.com.[2] Subsequently, Nelson worked as an in-house corporate attorney for a tech company in Seattle.[1]

In January 2017, Nelson left her job as an attorney to start fund-raising for The Riveter, where she was one of the founders.[1] Nelson raised about $700,000 and opened The Riveter's first office that May in Seattle.[1] The Riveter is named after Rosie the Riveter, who was a symbol for female factory workers during World War II.[4][5] It provides work space, conducts political advocacy, hosts events, and provides other resources for working women.[3][6] The Riveter has raised $21.6 million in venture capital and expanded to nine locations.[4][6][7]

Nelson has four daughters with her husband, Carleton Nelson – Sloane, Reese, Merritt, and Holland.[7]

• Interview with Bloomberg
• Interview on The Today Show