Martha Jane Beattie Kitchel (born August 23, 1945) is an American politician serving as a
Democratic member of the
Vermont State Senate
The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members. Senate districting divides the 30 members into three single-member districts, six two-m ...
, representing the
Caledonia senate district since January 2005.
Early life
Kitchel was born in
St. Johnsbury, Vermont
St. Johnsbury (known locally as "St. J") is the shire town (county seat) of Caledonia County, Vermont, Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 7,364. St. Johnsbury is situated ...
, on August 23, 1945. The second of
Catherine and Harold Beattie's ten children, she also had four half-siblings. Born to a fifth-generation Vermont farming family, she grew up on her
family's dairy farm in
Danville, Vermont.
In addition to running the farm, Kitchel's parents also were involved in local politics: her mother was a member of the
Vermont Farm Bureau and a former state legislator, while her father was a local
selectman.
She went to
Danville High School and graduated in 1963. In 1967, Kitchel received her bachelor's degree from
Wilson College.
Kitchel volunteered on multiple Democratic political campaigns in the 1960s, including
Philip H. Hoff
Philip Henderson Hoff (June 29, 1924 – April 26, 2018) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Vermont. He was most notable for his service as the List of Governors of Vermont, 73rd governor of Vermont from 1963 to 1969, the state's ...
's campaign for Governor and
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...
's presidential campaign.
Career
After graduating college in 1967, Kitchel began her career as an entry-level
social worker
Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...
in the St. Johnsbury district office of the Vermont Department of Social Welfare. Continuing to work in the Department, she oversaw six district offices by 1979 and was appointed Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Social Welfare by Governor
Madeleine Kunin
Madeleine Kunin (née May; born September 28, 1933) is a Swiss-born American diplomat, author and politician. She served as the 77th governor of Vermont from 1985 until 1991, as a member of the Democratic Party. She also served as United States ...
in 1985.
In 1992, Governor
Howard Dean appointed her Commissioner of the Department of Social Welfare, where she had been working for 25 years.
Kitchel was then appointed Secretary of the
Vermont Agency of Human Services
The Vermont Agency of Human Services (AHS) is a Vermont executive agency (or cabinet agency). Its purpose is to develop and execute policy on human services for the U.S. state of Vermont.
AHS was created by the Vermont Legislature in 1969 to g ...
, Vermont's largest state agency, in 1992, where she served until her retirement in 2002.
Throughout her work in Social Welfare/Human Services, she played an instrumental role in enacting Vermont's
2-1-1
2-1-1 is a special abbreviated telephone number reserved in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) as an easy-to-remember three-digit code to reach information and referral services to health, human, and social service organizations.
Like the ...
information and referral service and the Ready Up
cash assistance program. Governor Howard Dean praised her as "the driving force" behind his administration's
welfare reforms
and described her as "the architect of our universal healthcare program," referring to
Dr. Dynasaur
Dr. Dynasaur is a publicly funded healthcare program in the U.S. state of Vermont, created in 1989. Vermont had an estimated 140,000 people under age 18 (90,000 under 300% above the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). Dr. Dynasaur covered 56,000 of the ...
, Vermont's publicly funded health insurance program for children that was established in 1989. Kitchel later proposed expanding Dr. Dynasaur coverage to children in families making up to 300 percent of the federal poverty line, which was achieved in October 1998.
She was elected to the
Vermont Senate
The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members. Senate districting divides the 30 members into three single-member districts, six two-m ...
in November 2004, becoming the first Democratic state senator from
Caledonia County
Caledonia County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,233. Its shire town (county seat) is the town of St. Johnsbury. The county was created in 1792 and organ ...
in 16 years. She has been reelected every two years since, most recently in 2022.
Due to her experience in the state government, Kitchel was appointed Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee in her first term.
She became Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee in 2011, and also serves as Clerk of the Senate Transportation Committee. She also serves on the Health Reform Oversight and Joint Fiscal committees, as well as on the Governor's Task Force on Hunger and the Vermont Justice for Children Task Force.
Personal life
She is married to Robert (Guil) Kitchel and resides in Danville. They have one son, Nathaniel.
Kitchel's sister,
Catherine "Kitty" Toll, serves in the
Vermont House of Representatives
The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives ar ...
. Toll became Chair of the Vermont House Appropriations Committee in 2017, now serving as the House counterpart to Kitchel, who has chaired the Senate Appropriations Committee since 2011.
Kitchel actively volunteers in her local community and serves on the boards of the
Vermont Foodbank
The Vermont Foodbank is the largest anti-hunger organization in Vermont.
Started in 1986, the Vermont Foodbank provides charitable food to more than 280 food shelves, meal sites, shelters, senior centers and after-school programs throughout Verm ...
, Bradford's Enhanced Living Inc., the Northeast Regional Community High School of Vermont, and the Northeastern Vermont Area Health Education Center. She is also a
Corporator for the
Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital.
See also
*
Members of the Vermont Senate, 2005–2006 session
Member may refer to:
* Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon
* Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set
* In object-oriented programming, a member of a class
** Field (computer science), entries in ...
*
Members of the Vermont Senate, 2007–2008 session
Member may refer to:
* Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon
* Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set
* In object-oriented programming, a member of a class
** Field (computer science), entries in ...
References
External links
Vermont Senate Biographies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kitchel, M. Jane
Democratic Party Vermont state senators
1945 births
Living people
Women state legislators in Vermont
People from Danville, Vermont
People from St. Johnsbury, Vermont
Wilson College (Pennsylvania) alumni
21st-century American politicians
21st-century American women politicians