Deputy Secretary of the State Jennifer D. Barahona
Jennifer D. Barahona was appointed Deputy Secretary of the State of Connecticut in 2025, following 29 years of dedicated service in the nonprofit sector in Fairfield County.
A lifelong resident of Connecticut, Barahona earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Connecticut and a master’s degree in social work from Columbia University. Most of her career has focused on macro-level practice and nonprofit management.
Her passion for civic engagement was shaped by her graduate professor, Richard Cloward, a key advocate for the passage of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. This influence, combined with her early work as a policy researcher and community organizer for the Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition, laid the foundation for her lifelong commitment to social change.
Barahona spent 13 years at Family & Children’s Agency (FCA) in Norwalk, where she served as Director of Youth Services. During her tenure at FCA, she also played a critical role in supporting families in Connecticut who lost loved ones during the September 11th terrorist attacks. In 2013, she became the Executive Director & Chief Financial Officer of the Newtown-Sandy Hook Community Foundation, where she led community-wide recovery initiatives in response to the devastating trauma associated with the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. In 2019, Barahona joined Norwalk ACTS as Chief Executive Officer, driving the growth and transformation of a cross-sector collective impact partnership aimed at providing all Norwalk children with pathways to economic mobility.
Deeply committed to advancing the macro-level perspective in social work and fostering new talent, Barahona has also served as an adjunct professor in the Social Work Department at Sacred Heart University. She currently serves on the board of directors of Five Frogs, a statewide, multi-sector leadership development organization building a community of changemakers.
Barahona lives in Fairfield with her husband and school-aged children. She is an active member of the community, having previously served as an elected representative on the town’s Representative Town Meeting (RTM). She is honored to serve the citizens of Connecticut in her current role.
A lifelong resident of Connecticut, Barahona earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Connecticut and a master’s degree in social work from Columbia University. Most of her career has focused on macro-level practice and nonprofit management.
Her passion for civic engagement was shaped by her graduate professor, Richard Cloward, a key advocate for the passage of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. This influence, combined with her early work as a policy researcher and community organizer for the Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition, laid the foundation for her lifelong commitment to social change.
Barahona spent 13 years at Family & Children’s Agency (FCA) in Norwalk, where she served as Director of Youth Services. During her tenure at FCA, she also played a critical role in supporting families in Connecticut who lost loved ones during the September 11th terrorist attacks. In 2013, she became the Executive Director & Chief Financial Officer of the Newtown-Sandy Hook Community Foundation, where she led community-wide recovery initiatives in response to the devastating trauma associated with the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. In 2019, Barahona joined Norwalk ACTS as Chief Executive Officer, driving the growth and transformation of a cross-sector collective impact partnership aimed at providing all Norwalk children with pathways to economic mobility.
Deeply committed to advancing the macro-level perspective in social work and fostering new talent, Barahona has also served as an adjunct professor in the Social Work Department at Sacred Heart University. She currently serves on the board of directors of Five Frogs, a statewide, multi-sector leadership development organization building a community of changemakers.
Barahona lives in Fairfield with her husband and school-aged children. She is an active member of the community, having previously served as an elected representative on the town’s Representative Town Meeting (RTM). She is honored to serve the citizens of Connecticut in her current role.