Welcome from the Secretary

Welcome to the Vermont Office of the Secretary of State’s official website. I was humbled to win the election for this office in November of 2022 and was so honored to be sworn in as Vermont’s 39^th Secretary of State on January 5, 2023.

After 12 years of service by my predecessor, Jim Condos, 2023 marks a new chapter for the Secretary’s Office. I am so appreciative of Jim and his entire team for their help with the transition and I intend to continue this office’s tradition of excellent customer service for all Vermonters.

The Office of the Secretary of State engages with Vermonters in a number of ways. We are the custodian of government records through the Vermont State Archives. We license over 51 occupations and professions through the Office of Professional Regulation. We oversee the state’s elections and help businesses register with the state through our Business Services division. We assist cities and towns with governing and compliance. In a variety of ways, our work is essential for the health and safety of Vermonters and the vibrancy of our state’s democracy. Learn more about all we do on our About the Office page.

I have lived, gone to school, and worked in Vermont since 1971 and my life and career have always centered on service. I have been an educator, a youth coach, a small business owner, and a state legislator. I am also a mother and a wife. I am so grateful for the life my family and I have been able to build in the state we love so much. I, like many Vermonters, have been a "customer” of the Secretary of State – as a business owner and a voter – and was able to learn a great deal about the agency’s work over my 18-year state legislative career, especially in my role as Chair of the House Government Operations Committee.

I plan to bring a renewed focus on civic education and engagement as I start my term as Secretary. Democracy is under threat from many directions. Under outgoing Secretary Condos, we have done much to make our elections fair, safe, and accessible to all Vermonters. Now we need to energize and educate Vermonters. Civics isn’t just learning about the three branches of government; it must be focused on helping Vermonters understand how to ensure that government does for us what we can’t accomplish as individuals. We will build on Secretary Condos’s work on transparency and open government, and empower Vermonters to get involved in all levels of our government.

I look forward to getting started and I will provide updates as our work unfolds in 2023 and beyond.