Janis Hochadel known as Jan Hochadel (; née Bibby; born January 21, 1964) is an American engineer, educator and politician. She currently serves as a member of the Connecticut State Senate representing District 13, which encompasses Meriden, Middlefield and parts of

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

and Middletown. She assumed office on January 4, 2023. She won election following the resignation of

Mary Daugherty Abrams Mary Daugherty Abrams is an American politician. She represented the Democratic Party in the 2020 legislative elections, and was to the Connecticut State Senate for the 13th district. Abrams stated that she would not run for reelection in 2022. ...

at the end of 2022. She is the former president and incumbent vice president of the American Federation of Teachers Connecticut (AFT).

Early life and education

Hochadel was born Janis Bibby on January 21, 1964, in North Attleborough, Massachusetts to Richard and Judith (née Freeman) Bibby. Her father was a highway maintenance engineer for the

Massachusetts Department of Transportation The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) oversees roads, public transit, aeronautics, and transportation licensing and registration in the US state of Massachusetts. It was created on November 1, 2009, by the 186th Session of t ...

, while his wife was a homemaker. She had one elder sister, Cheryl Lynn Reinbold (1962-2023) and a brother Mark Bibby. She graduated from

North Attleborough High School North Attleborough High School is a public high school in North Attleborough, Massachusetts, United States, educating grades 9 through 12 with over one thousand students enrolled. History North Attleborough High School was located in the current ...

and then completed a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical engineering at the University of New Haven. She also holds a

Masters of Education The Master of Education (MEd or M.Ed. or Ed.M.; Latin ''Magister Educationis'' or ''Educationis Magister'') is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum a ...

from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield.

Career

She started her career after graduation at Omega Engineering in

Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2020 ...

and Pfizer in Wallingford and New York City. After her career in engineering she opted to teach physics and science at technical high schools in Connecticut. In 2015, she became the president of the Connecticut chapter of the American Federation of Teachers.

Politics

Hochadel was elected into Connecticut State Senate in the 2022 Connecticut primary election on November 8, 2022, defeating Republican candidate Joseph Vollano. She assumed office on January 4, 2022. She currently is a deputy majority leader and Chair of the Aging commission as well as vice chair of the Environment commission. Hochadel is also a member of the Banking, Commerce, Housing as well as Planning & Development commissions.

Personal life

Hochadel is divorced and has three children. She resides in

Meriden, Connecticut Meriden is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located halfway between the regional cities of New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven and Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. In 2020, the population of the city was 60,850.1964 births Connecticut state senators Living people