(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he is appointing Sarah Karwan to serve as general counsel in the Office of the Governor. She will begin serving in the position on Friday, June 26, 2026.
Karwan is currently the counsel to the commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, where she has worked since 2023. In this role, she serves as the principal legal advisor to Connecticut’s public safety agency, which contains all the state’s law enforcement, police training, forensic science, fire services, statewide telecommunications, and emergency management and homeland security functions.
Immediately prior to this role, Karwan worked from 2007 to 2023 as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut, including as chief of the Criminal Division, in which she was responsible for leading a team of about 85 prosecutors and staff and overseeing all federal criminal investigations and prosecutions statewide.
“Sarah has extensive experience working in public service in Connecticut, both on the state and federal levels, and has a reputation as an exceptional leader who is committed to providing the residents of our state with a government that works efficiently and effectively,” Governor Lamont said. “She has an impressive skill set and work ethic, and I am glad to have her join our office.”
“I am thrilled for this next new challenge and to serve the people of the state,” Karwan said. “I thank Governor Lamont for this opportunity.”
Prior to joining public service, Karwan worked as an attorney in private practice with the firm of Orans, Elsen, and Lupert, LLP, in New York, New York, from 2002 to 2007. She began her law career as a federal clerk for Chief United States District Court Judge Alfred Covello in the District of Connecticut.
She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in government from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law. She is admitted to the bars of Connecticut and New York.
Karwan will succeed Natalie Braswell in the role of general counsel to the governor. Braswell left the position last week to begin serving in a new role as interim chancellor of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system.