The Biography of Stephanie Thomas
Stephanie Thomas is Connecticut’s 75th Secretary of the State
“Making government more accessible, elections more secure, and civic participation part of everyday life.”
Stephanie Thomas was sworn in as Connecticut’s 75th Secretary of the State on January 4, 2023, making history as the first Black person elected to the office. She leads one of Connecticut’s oldest constitutional offices — established in 1639 — and one of its most wide-ranging, where she is responsible for overseeing elections, managing the state’s official business registry, and serving as the official state record keeper.
Since taking office, she has led a sweeping modernization of Connecticut’s elections, including securing a historic $20 million investment for the purchase of new voting tabulators and successfully implementing early in-person voting. Collaborating with federal, state, and local partners, she has also advanced election security by providing training, guidance, and resources to Registrars and other local election officials. Following Connecticut voters’ 2024 approval of a constitutional amendment expanding absentee voting access, Secretary Thomas and her office are overseeing the implementation of universal absentee voting statewide beginning in 2026. Under her leadership, Connecticut has established an even stronger foundation as a state that runs transparent, bipartisan elections grounded in public trust.
Her leadership has also elevated her voice on the national stage. In 2025, she was invited to testify before Congress on voter access and election security, where she highlighted Connecticut’s approach as a model for balancing access with integrity. She serves on the Executive Board of the National Association of Secretaries of State and has been a leading voice in national conversations on election administration, cybersecurity, and the role of local election officials in safeguarding the voting process. She is frequently sought out by the media to explain complex election issues in clear, practical terms and to translate how policy decisions will impact voters’ everyday experiences.
Known for her collaborative, nonpartisan approach, Secretary Thomas works closely with Connecticut’s 169 municipalities — where bipartisan local officials administer elections — to ensure consistency, security, and accountability across the state. She has emphasized training, real-time support, and strong state-local partnerships as the foundation of a resilient election system, while also championing civic education as essential to sustaining public trust.
Beyond elections, Secretary Thomas has brought a strong focus to Connecticut’s business community. A former small business owner, she championed business-friendly legislation designed to simplify and modernize online business filings, streamline the trade name application process, and reduce certain filing fees. She also helped enact legislation to protect Connecticut businesses from fraud and identity theft. In addition, she launched a monthly e-newsletter that provides businesses of all sizes helpful information on funding opportunities and training resources. In 2026, she became the 7th Secretary in the United States, and the first in the Northeast, to establish a program to help businesses identify, report, and prevent human trafficking.
A defining priority of her tenure as Secretary has been to expand civic engagement beyond Election Day, which has resulted in the launch of innovative initiatives like the Civically Engaged Organization (CEO) business ambassador program, The Power of Civics online learning platform, and NextGen Elections program to train college students as poll workers. Through community conversations, public events, and statewide outreach designed to foster dialogue between the public and government, she has focused on meeting people where they are to build trust, increase understanding, and encourage year-round participation in civic life.
Prior to her election as Secretary of the State, Secretary Thomas built a more than 30-year career as a nonprofit advisor, small business owner, and public servant. She represented Norwalk, Wilton, and Westport as State Representative for the 143rd District, where she developed a reputation for thoughtful, solutions-oriented leadership.
She holds a B.A. from New York University and an M.S. in Nonprofit Management from The New School.