Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito will be the 2017 Annual Conference Keynote Speaker
NEWEA is proud to announce that Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito will be the Keynote Speaker for the Annual Conference Opening Session on Monday, January 23, 2017.
NEWEA’s Annual Conference & Exhibit will take place January 22-25, 2017 at the Boston Marriott Copley Place Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts.
Karyn Polito was inaugurated on January 8th, 2015 as the 72nd Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Elected alongside Governor Charlie Baker in November of 2014 on a platform of making Massachusetts great for everyone, Lieutenant Governor Polito continues her career in public service in the new administration.
Lieutenant Governor Polito began her public service in local government, serving as a member of the Shrewsbury Board of Selectmen. She then expanded her work to the state level, serving as a member of the State Lottery Commission. Then, in 2001, Polito ran for State Representative and won, proudly representing the residents of the 11th Worcester District (Shrewsbury and Westborough) for five terms.
In her time on Beacon Hill, Polito was a leading advocate for the passage of “Jessica’s Law,” a bill which would establish tough mandatory minimum sentences for child sex offenders. Her advocacy paid off in 2008, when she worked with her Democratic colleagues to pass tougher sentencing legislation and require District Attorneys to file more comprehensive reports about child sex offenses in Massachusetts.
Lieutenant Governor Polito understands the strain on local budgets, and worked relentlessly to secure increases in local aid, Chapter 70 school aid, Special Education aid, and Special Education transportation aid, as well as for local grant funding. Throughout her term in office, Polito advocated for a safer Commonwealth by filing legislation in a number of key areas: cracking down on drunk drivers, requiring defibrillators in public schools, and strengthening the experience requirements for young drivers.
Polito has also worked hard to promote jobs and economic development, especially encouraging young people to explore careers in science and technology. She served on the Robert H. Goddard Council on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education, and she hosted the annual “Women in Science” conference in Worcester. She is a board member of the Worcester Area Regional Chamber of Commerce, and the Corridor Nine Area Chamber of Commerce.
Lieutenant Governor Polito also believes strongly in giving back to the community. Her first major legislative initiative in 2003 was to file legislation allowing for the issuance of special license plates with the Red Sox and Jimmy Fund insignias. Since that bill was passed, the Red Sox special-issued license plates have raised more than $7,000,000 to date for the Jimmy Fund of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Red Sox Foundation.
Lieutenant Governor Polito is a lifelong resident of Shrewsbury, where she owns and operates a commercial real estate development firm and lives with her husband and two young children.
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