Ned Lamont was sworn into office as the 89th governor of Connecticut on January 9, 2019. He is currently serving his second term as governor, which he began on January 4, 2023.
Lamont got involved in public service shortly after college, founding a weekly newspaper in a town hit by the loss of its largest employer. Covering town meetings and the Board of Selectmen, he helped to bring voice and transparency to a community working to recover from job losses and reinvent itself. Later, as a member of both the Greenwich Board of Selectmen and the Board of Estimate and Taxation, Lamont worked in a bipartisan effort to safeguard a multimillion-dollar budget and deliver results for constituents. For four years, Lamont also served as Chairman of the State Investment Advisory Council, overseeing a multibillion-dollar state pension fund.
Lamont started his own company, taking on the large and established giants of the telecom industry. Under his vision and stewardship, the company grew to serve over 400 of America's largest college campuses and 1 million college students across the nation.
As a volunteer teacher, Lamont sought to give back to his community by volunteering at Harding High School in Bridgeport. In an effort to spark entrepreneurship, Lamont taught students about the inner-workings of small businesses, bringing in local businesspeople to share their own experiences, and helping to place students in local internships. Lamont is on the faculty of Central Connecticut State University as an adjunct professor of political science and philosophy, where he also helped to found a popular business start-up competition. In early 2009, he helped lead an initiative to bring together Connecticut leaders from across the business, nonprofit, and labor sectors to unite in a strategy to create new jobs in the state.
As a candidate for United States Senate in 2006, he stood up for his convictions and challenged the political establishment. Taking on long-time incumbent Joe Lieberman for the Democratic nomination for United States Senate, Lamont campaigned on the platform that wars in the Middle East were draining resources and attention that could be better focused on pressing domestic issues like the economy, education, and healthcare. As a private citizen, he fought for the issues in which he believes, serving on the boards of Mercy Corps and the Conservation Services Group, non-profits which seek to make a difference in the humanitarian and renewable energy fields, respectively.
Lamont was born on January 3, 1954, in Washington, D.C. to Camille Helene and Edward Miner Lamont. The eldest of three children, he attended Phillips Exeter Academy, and served as president of the student newspaper, The Exonian. After graduating Phillips Exeter in 1972, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from Harvard College in 1976 and a Master of Business Administration from the Yale School of Management in 1980.
Lamont married his wife Annie on September 10, 1983. They have three children: Emily, Lindsay, and Teddy.
SUSAN BYSIEWICZ
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
Sworn in on January 4, 2023, Susan Bysiewicz is serving her second term as Connecticut’s 109th Lieutenant Governor.
During their time in office, Lt. Governor Bysiewicz and Governor Ned Lamont have made significant investments to support the state’s future and the lives of each resident by:
• Passing a bipartisan, balanced budget, which include the largest personal income tax cut in state history.
• Providing significant increases for K-12 funding and additional funding for Special Education.
• Implementing the Governor gun safety proposal, a comprehensive bill that includes provisions to prevent community gun violence, stop mass shootings, avoid firearm-related accidents, add protections for domestic violence victims, and avert suicides.
• Protecting access to abortion care and bolstering reproductive rights through the first-in-the-nation Reproductive Freedom Defense Act, and recently passed measures that expand access to birth control and emergency contraception, increase access to reproductive healthcare at higher education institutions, and protect individuals’ data privacy.
• Launching the Social Connection Campaign to combat loneliness and social isolation in Connecticut.
• Implementing policies that positioned Connecticut as a leader in the nation in COVID recovery – enacting a vaccine rollout that led the state to being the first in the nation to vaccinate more than 70% of adults and helping small businesses to navigate the challenges they faced during the pandemic.
Lt. Governor Bysiewicz is continuing her commitment to economic growth that made her a leading voice for Connecticut residents and small businesses while she served as Secretary of the State from 1999 to 2011. As Secretary of the State, she helped thousands of businesses grow, registered thousands of voters, cut bureaucratic red tape, honored veterans, and fought to keep elections fair.
As a state representative in the Connecticut General Assembly, representing the towns of Middletown, Middlefield, and Durham, Bysiewicz wrote legislation to ban dangerous “drive-through” mastectomies and ensure that women being treated for breast cancer had proper care. She also fought political patronage and wrote the law to ban lobbyists from giving gifts to legislators.
As a business lawyer and a job creator, she has helped over sixty companies access millions of dollars in capital, expand their businesses, and create thousands of jobs in Connecticut.
Lt. Governor Bysiewicz was raised the proud granddaughter of immigrants who came to Connecticut from Poland and Greece with nothing but hopes for a better future. After many years of factory work, they saved enough to buy a farm in Middletown that became Bysiewicz's childhood home. Growing up and working on the farm, she and her siblings learned the values of hard work, education, and persistence.
Lt. Governor Bysiewicz graduated from Middletown High School, Yale University and Duke Law School. She is the author of Ella: A Biography of Ella Grasso, Connecticut’s 83rd governor.
Bysiewicz and her husband David Donaldson reside in Middletown.
STEPHANIE THOMAS
SECRETARY OF THE STATE
Stephanie Thomas was sworn in as Connecticut’s Secretary of the State on January 4, 2023. With a distinguished 30-year career advising and problem-solving for nonprofit organizations, running her own business, and serving as a State Representative of the 143rd District (Norwalk, Wilton, Westport), Secretary Thomas brings a unique blend of business expertise and a passion for civics to public service.
Since taking office, Secretary Thomas has led the implementation of significant election reforms in the state, including the roll-out of early voting. In September 2023, she secured a historic investment of $25 million to replace the state’s aging tabulators, marking Connecticut’s first voting machine upgrade since 2006. During her term, Secretary Thomas will also institute the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of Connecticut and automatic voter registration at several Connecticut agencies, and she will direct the deployment of a new centralized voter registration system.
A former small business owner, Secretary Thomas has worked to pass business-friendly legislation, and she has created a monthly e-newsletter that aggregates funding and training resources in one place to save business owners’ time.
Secretary Thomas believes that a healthy representative democracy relies on regular and active participation in civic life by all. To promote robust civic engagement, she has met Connecticut’s communities in their own spaces, thereby cultivating a nonpartisan dialogue between the people and their government. She has travelled to barbershops and salons around the state as part of her Connect & Cut series, held civic trivia events at local libraries, encouraged businesses and nonprofits to be civic ambassadors through her innovative CEO (Civically Engaged Organization) program, and put the power of civics into the hands of the public by providing plain-language, civics resources at Civics101.ct.gov.
Secretary Thomas made history as the first Black person to be elected Secretary of the State of Connecticut. She has dedicated time to serving on many boards and strategic planning committees, and she has been an active volunteer in her community. She holds a B.A. from New York University and an M.S. in Nonprofit Management from New School University. She and her husband are proud residents of Norwalk, Connecticut.
ERICK RUSSELL
TREASURER
Erick Russell was sworn in as Connecticut’s 84th State Treasurer on January 4, 2023. He is currently serving his first term. Born and raised in New Haven, Russell adopted his parents’ work ethic by working in the family’s small convenience store. He would become the first in his family to graduate college, earning a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Haven before attending the University of Connecticut School of Law. Prior to his election as Treasurer, Russell was a partner at the law firm of Pullman & Comley, where he represented local and state government in financing infrastructure projects, managing debt, and restructuring pension obligations.
Since taking office, Russell has supported the overall economic health of the state through sound management of the state’s pension funds, which hold over $50 billion in assets, responsible financing of infrastructure and other long-term projects bonded by the state, responsible management of cash and debt, and maintenance of Connecticut’s relationships with international investors and credit rating agencies. As Treasurer, Russell is also tasked with returning unclaimed property to its rightful owners.
Drawing on his own upbringing, Russell has also sought opportunities to expand economic participation, particularly in under-resourced communities, and help prepare young people for the future. In July 2023, Russell oversaw the launch of CT Baby Bonds, a program to combat generational poverty and expand economic opportunity by investing directly in children at birth. As Trustee of the Connecticut Higher Education Trust (CHET), he encourages families to start saving early for future education costs, benefitting from both tax advantages and investment earnings along the way. He has been a long-time advocate for financial literacy, seeking to empower Connecticut residents of all ages with the critical financial information they will need to make sound decisions for themselves and their families.
Russell has been a proponent of inclusion and equity, encouraging people to get involved in the decision-making process of government and welcoming new voices into the conversation. In 2022, he became the first Black out LGBTQ person in American history to win an election for statewide office, and embraces his role as mentor for young Black and LGBTQ+ individuals. Russell continues to live in New Haven with his husband, Christopher Lyddy.
SEAN SCANLON
Sean Scanlon began his term as Comptroller in 2023, succeeding Natalie Braswell.
The son of a police officer and small business owner, Sean attended Guilford public schools and worked his way through high school and Boston College. After graduating, Sean returned to Connecticut with the goal of helping others. He began working as an aide for U.S. Senator Chris Murphy where he helped the Senator fight for gun safety and better health care, as well as addressing constituent concerns. In Guilford, he worked with neighbors to organize successful grassroots campaigns to build a new high school and institute a full-day kindergarten.
In 2014, Sean was elected State Representative for Connecticut’s 98th District. In the House, Sean became a champion for health care reform, a passion rooted in his own life experiences coming from a family that was often uninsured or underinsured.
As chairman of the legislature's Insurance Committee, Sean wrote and passed legislation protecting people with pre-existing conditions from insurance discrimination, established the lowest monthly co-pay cap for insulin in the nation at $25, prevented insurance companies from covering mental health differently than physical health, required health insurance plans to cover ten "Essential Health Benefits," and created Connecticut's first prescription drug price transparency law.
During his fourth and final term, Sean served as Chair of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding committee where he led the fight to create tax relief for working families like the one he grew up in and worked with Governor Lamont to pass the largest tax cut in state history.
Sean lives in Guilford with his wife Meghan, who is the President & CEO of the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, their two young sons Jack and Declan, and their dog Delaney.
WILLIAM TONG
ATTORNEY GENERAL
William Tong is the 25th Attorney General to serve Connecticut since the office was established by the state constitution in 1897. He first took office in 2019 and is currently serving his second term.
Attorney General Tong is a national leader in many of the most consequential lawsuits and investigations in our country today, including bipartisan, multistate efforts to hold the addiction industry accountable for their role in the opioid crisis; to restore fair competition and prices in the generic drug industry; to hold social media giants accountable for the harms they may cause to kids and young people; to stop robocall scammers; and to ensure corporations safeguard our personal information from misuse and respect consumers’ rights regarding the collection and use of their information.
Attorney General Tong previously practiced for 18 years as a litigator in both state and federal courts. He served for 12 years as a State Representative in the Connecticut General Assembly, where he served as House Chairman of the Judiciary Committee as well as the Banking Committee.
During his service in the legislature, Attorney General Tong was the author and driver of several major Connecticut laws, helping lead the state’s efforts against gun violence and domestic violence, among many other critical laws and initiatives.
A Connecticut native, Attorney General Tong grew up in the Hartford area and attended schools in West Hartford. He graduated from Phillips Academy Andover, Brown University, and the University of Chicago Law School.
Attorney General Tong is the oldest of five children and grew up working side-by-side with his immigrant parents in their family’s Chinese restaurant. He and his wife, Elizabeth, live in Stamford with their three children and way too many pets. Elizabeth is the Vice President of Tax for North America for Diageo Corporation. In quieter moments, General Tong likes to fly fish (and tie flies), try all the great foods and restaurants across Connecticut and is an amateur carpenter and cook.
He is the first Asian American elected to statewide office in Connecticut history, and the first Chinese American to be elected Attorney General nationwide.