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| Affiliation | Republican |
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| Name | M. Jodi Rell |
| Address |
Brookfield, Connecticut , United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | None |
| Born |
June 16, 1946
(78 years)
|
| Contributor | ... |
| Last Modifed | RBH
Mar 14, 2016 08:44pm |
| Tags |
Caucasian - Married - Cancer - Protestant - Straight -
|
| Info | Governor M. Jodi Rell was sworn-in as Connecticut’s 87th Governor on July 1, 2004. The Governor holds the state’s highest office after serving as Lieutenant Governor for more than nine years.
Prior to being elected Lieutenant Governor, she represented the 107th District of Brookfield for 10 years in the state House of Representatives and held many leadership positions, including Assistant House Minority Leader and Deputy House Minority Leader.
Since taking office, the Governor has moved to address the priorities most important to the people of Connecticut: Demanding the highest ethical standards of everyone serving in state government; bolstering homeland security efforts to protect our citizens; enhancing educational opportunities for all schoolchildren – with a special focus on early childhood education; and improving the state’s economy and job outlook.
One of her first actions as Governor was to issue Executive Order #1 and to appoint a Special Counsel for Ethics Compliance to advise her and all state agencies, departments and boards and commissions on issues of public integrity. She also announced a plan to restructure the State Ethics Commission and to establish a Contracting Reform Task Force to recommend improvements in the way the state purchases goods and services.
Governor Rell appointed Dr. Janice Gruendel, a leading advocate for children, to recommend steps to expand and strengthen early childhood education and to seek new strategies to close the achievement gap in Connecticut.
To enhance homeland security efforts, the Governor assigned a team of homeland security and public safety experts to conduct a national search for a director of the new Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. She also appointed a new Commissioner of the state Department of Public Safety.
The Governor has taken steps to spur economic and job growth in Connecticut by convening a jobs panel and holding a meeting with the state’s top economists to recommend ways to improve the employment outlook.
As Lieutenant Governor, she launched an unprecedented effort to guarantee that Connecticut’s schools and libraries have access to the best possible technology and that students are “cyber-ready” by the sixth grade. Her work has resulted in the creation of the Connecticut Education Network, the nation’s first all-optical network. When completed in 2005, the network will connect more than 1,000 K-12 schools, 250 public libraries and all of the state’s college campuses.
The Governor also championed initiatives to give recognition for those who served our country and communities – from veterans to firefighters. These efforts include securing funding for thermal imaging cameras used by firefighters in each of the more than 300 fire departments in the state. She also led the effort to establish a new law in 2000 to allow honorably discharged World War II veterans to receive high school diplomas if, because of their military service, they left high school to serve their country.
The Governor remains committed to supporting causes that benefit men and women throughout the state. She continues to bring attention to breast cancer awareness, education and prevention. She has participated in numerous National Mammography Day and Race for the Cure events, sponsored free and reduced-cost mammograms in her State Capitol office during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and led the campaign to collect funds for breast cancer research and education through donated state income tax refunds.
In addition to holding elected office, Governor Rell has served on various local, state and national organizations. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Regional YMCA of Western Connecticut and the Candlewood Lions Club. She was previously active in the National Conference of Lieutenant Governors and served as President of the National Order of Women Legislators (NOWLS).
In 2003 she was named a Melvin Jones Fellow, the highest form of recognition conferred by the Lions Club International Foundation. The fellowship represents humanitarian qualities such as generosity, compassion and concern for the less fortunate.
The Governor has also been honored by the Uniformed Professional Fire Fighters, AmeriCares, Arthritis Foundation, CT Race for the Cure, Connecticut Library Association, Connecticut Chapter of the American College of Health Care Administrators, Connecticut Preservation Council, and Connecticut Federation of Business and Professional Women, among others.
Born in Norfolk, Virginia, Governor Rell attended Old Dominion University and Western Connecticut State University. She received honorary doctor of laws degrees from the University of Hartford in 2001 and the University of New Haven in 2004.
She and her husband, Lou, have made their home in Brookfield for many years. They have two grown children, Meredith and Michael.
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