Colin Van Ostern (born Kevin Colin O’Loughlin; February 14, 1979),
is an American businessman and politician who served on the
New Hampshire Executive Council
The Executive Council of the State of New Hampshire (commonly known as the Governor's Council) is the executive body of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The Executive Council advises the Governor on all matters and provides a check on the governor ...
from 2013 to 2017, where he represented the state's second district. He is a member of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
, and was the Democratic nominee for
Governor of New Hampshire
The governor of New Hampshire is the head of government of New Hampshire.
The governor is elected during the biennial state general election in November of even-numbered years. New Hampshire is one of only two states, along with bordering Verm ...
in
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
. He was a candidate for a two-year term as
New Hampshire Secretary of State
The Secretary of State of New Hampshire is a constitutional officer in the U.S. state of New Hampshire and serves as the exclusive head of the New Hampshire Department of State. The Secretary is third in line for succession as acting Governor o ...
in the
New Hampshire General Court
The General Court of New Hampshire is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The lower house is the New Hampshire House of Representatives with 400 members. The upper house is the New Hampshire Senate with 24 membe ...
's 2018 election, which he lost to incumbent
Bill Gardner.
Van Ostern currently serves as President and COO of Alumni Ventures, an investment firm based in
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is a city in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. It is the most populous city in New Hampshire. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 115,644.
Manchester is, along with Nashua, one of two seats of New Hamp ...
.
Early life and education
Van Ostern was born in
Carlsbad, California
Carlsbad is a coastal city in the North County region of San Diego County, California, United States. The city is south of downtown Los Angeles and north of downtown San Diego. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 114,746. ...
. He moved repeatedly as a young child, arriving in New Hampshire in 2001 in his early twenties. He attended high school at Maggie Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies in
Richmond, Virginia
(Thus do we reach the stars)
, image_map =
, mapsize = 250 px
, map_caption = Location within Virginia
, pushpin_map = Virginia#USA
, pushpin_label = Richmond
, pushpin_m ...
, and college in Washington, D.C. at
George Washington University
, mottoeng = "God is Our Trust"
, established =
, type = Private federally chartered research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.8 billion (2022)
, preside ...
, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2000 in International Relations. He received an MBA from the
Tuck School of Business
The Tuck School of Business (also known as Tuck, and formally known as the Amos Tuck School of Administration and Finance) is the graduate business school of Dartmouth College, a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire.
Founded in ...
at
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...
in Hanover, New Hampshire in 2009.
Professional career
Van Ostern currently serves as the President and Chief Operating Officer of Alumni Ventures, a venture capital firm headquartered in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Previously, Van Ostern worked as Vice President of Workforce Solutions at
Southern New Hampshire University
Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) is a private university between Manchester and Hooksett, New Hampshire. The university is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, along with national accreditation for some hospitali ...
. He previously helped SNHU launch College for America, a nonprofit school focused on providing a college education to individuals within the work force interested in furthering their education. College for America works directly with students’ employers to ensure that each student can gain their education while continuing their career, usually with little or no debt. Van Ostern joined the school shortly before its launch in 2013.
Previously, he was a business manager at
Stonyfield, Inc., where he managed various brands and business lines for the world's largest organic yogurt maker.
In 2004, he founded a business-consulting firm called Washington Street Consulting. As the principal of his consulting firm, Van Ostern advised over 30 nonprofits and small businesses. He has also served as a senior advisor to various elected officials including U.S. Senator
Jeanne Shaheen
Cynthia Jeanne Shaheen ( ; née Bowers, born January 28, 1947) is an American retired educator and politician serving as the senior United States senator from New Hampshire since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, Shaheen served as the 78th ...
and Congresswoman
Ann McLane Kuster
Ann L. McLane Kuster (born September 5, 1956) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously worked as a lobbyist.
Early life and education
Kuster was b ...
, and before moving to New Hampshire in 2001.
Political career
Van Ostern won a seat on the
New Hampshire Executive Council
The Executive Council of the State of New Hampshire (commonly known as the Governor's Council) is the executive body of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The Executive Council advises the Governor on all matters and provides a check on the governor ...
in 2012, succeeding former Executive Councilor
Daniel St. Hilaire. He was re-elected in 2014.
Van Ostern was the Democratic Party's nominee for Governor of New Hampshire in 2016, winning the primary election by a vote of 52 percent to Steve Marchand's 25% and Mark Connolly's 20 percent, and losing the general election by a vote of 47 percent to Chris Sununu's 49 percent.
Commuter rail
Van Ostern was first elected to the Executive Council after campaigning on the importance of building passenger rail from Boston to central New Hampshire. The New Hampshire Capitol Corridor rail project was halted by the Executive Council in 2011, but continued in 2013 after Van Ostern was elected. A study focused on the production of the rail system and funded by the state of New Hampshire was completed in 2015, finding that rail from Boston to Manchester would result in a projected 5,600 new permanent jobs and 3,630 additional construction jobs.
Healthcare and reproductive rights
Van Ostern has been a strong advocate for providing accessible healthcare options for all New Hampshire citizens. In 2014, he voted with a majority 3-2 on the Executive Council to enact the New Hampshire Health Protection Plan, which has since expanded Medicaid to over 40,000 New Hampshire citizens.
Van Ostern publicly opposed Republican members of the Executive Council when they voted against funding family planning services at New Hampshire's Planned Parenthood health centers in both 2011 and 2015, and in 2015 he was awarded the Champion of Choice award by NARAL Pro-Choice New Hampshire, the state's largest grassroots organization dedicated solely to reproductive rights.
Ending the 2014–2015 Fairpoint strike
![NL New Hampshire Governor's Forum (30189263742)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/NL_New_Hampshire_Governor%27s_Forum_%2830189263742%29.jpg)
In October 2014, 1,700 workers at
Fairpoint Communications
FairPoint Communications, Inc. was headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and operated communication services in 31 markets in 17 states, mostly in rural areas.
FairPoint services include local and long distance phone service, data, Interne ...
in New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont went on strike after the company froze pensions, implemented pay reductions for new employees, and limited health care benefits. By late November, negotiations between the two sides had reached an impasse. On December 23, Van Ostern asked state officials to delay a proposed $13 million contract for state phone and data service with Fairpoint, citing the poor consumer service levels in the wake of the strike. Members of the striking labor union,
IBEW
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) is a labor union that represents approximately 775,000 workers and retirees in the electrical industry in the United States, Canada, Guam, Panama, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands; ...
, used the contract delay to call on the company to return to negotiations. Negotiations between the company and striking workers resumed on January 4, 2015 and the contract was passed unanimously on the Executive Council later that month. The strike was resolved in early February, and was the nation's largest and longest in 2014.
2018 campaign for Secretary of State
In 2018, Van Ostern was a candidate for
New Hampshire Secretary of State
The Secretary of State of New Hampshire is a constitutional officer in the U.S. state of New Hampshire and serves as the exclusive head of the New Hampshire Department of State. The Secretary is third in line for succession as acting Governor o ...
.
The
New Hampshire General Court
The General Court of New Hampshire is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The lower house is the New Hampshire House of Representatives with 400 members. The upper house is the New Hampshire Senate with 24 membe ...
selects the Secretary of State, and Van Ostern's campaign against longtime incumbent
Bill Gardner, a fellow Democrat who has supported some Republican election and voting proposals, was based in part on the Democratic Party gaining control of both the
New Hampshire Senate
The New Hampshire Senate has been meeting since 1784. It is the upper house of the New Hampshire General Court, alongside the lower New Hampshire House of Representatives. It consists of 24 members representing Senate districts based on population ...
and
New Hampshire House of Representatives
The New Hampshire House of Representatives is the lower house in the New Hampshire General Court, the bicameral legislature of the state of New Hampshire. The House of Representatives consists of 400 members coming from 204 legislative district ...
in the 2018 elections.
Gardner won the December 5 legislative election, 209 votes to 205.
Personal life
Van Ostern lives in
Concord, New Hampshire
Concord () is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2020 census the population was 43,976, making it the third largest city in New Hampshire behind Manchester and Nashua.
The village of ...
, with his wife, two sons, and their dog.
References
External links
Campaign Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Ostern, Colin
1979 births
Elliott School of International Affairs alumni
Living people
Members of the Executive Council of New Hampshire
New Hampshire Democrats
Politicians from Concord, New Hampshire
21st-century American politicians
Southern New Hampshire University staff
Tuck School of Business alumni
Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies alumni
Candidates in the 2016 United States elections