Michael S. Pieciak (pronounced p-check) (born June 21, 1983) is an American politician from

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

. 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 ...

, Pieciak has served as

Vermont State Treasurer The State Treasurer's Office is responsible for several administrative and service duties, in accordance with Vermont Statutes. These include: investing state funds; issuing state bonds; serving as the central bank for state agencies; managing the ...

since January 2023.

Early life and career

Michael Sullivan Pieciak was born in

Brattleboro, Vermont Brattleboro (), originally Brattleborough, is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The most populous municipality abutting Vermont's eastern border with New Hampshire, which is the Connecticut River, Brattleboro is located about no ...

on June 21, 1983, a son of Joseph S. and Carolyn (Sullivan) Pieciak. He attended the schools of Brattleboro and is a 2002 graduate of

Northfield Mount Hermon School Northfield Mount Hermon School, often called NMH, is a co-educational preparatory school in Gill, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is a member of the Eight Schools Association. Present day NMH offers nearly 200 courses, including AP and ...

Gill, Massachusetts Gill is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,551 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The campus of Northfield Mount Hermon School is located in t ...

. He graduated from

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

in 2006, where he played on the

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

team. Pieciak was a volunteer staffer at the

2004 Democratic National Convention The 2004 Democratic National Convention convened from July 26 to 29, 2004 at the FleetCenter (now the TD Garden) in Boston, Massachusetts, and nominated Senator John Kerry from Massachusetts for president and Senator John Edwards from North Car ...

and was a Hillary Clinton delegate at the

2008 Democratic National Convention The 2008 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party where it adopted its national platform and officially nominated its candidates for president and vice president. The conventi ...

. In 2009, Pieciak earned his

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

degree ''

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

'' from the

University of Miami School of Law The University of Miami School of Law (Miami Law or UM Law) is the law school of the University of Miami, a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. Founded in 1926, the University of Miami School of Law is the oldest law school in ...

. While in law school, he was the 2008–2009 editor-in-chief of the ''Miami Law Review'' and a member of the Miami

Moot Court Moot court is a co-curricular activity at many law schools. Participants take part in simulated court or arbitration proceedings, usually involving drafting memorials or memoranda and participating in oral argument. In most countries, the phrase " ...

Board. In addition, he interned at the school's Children and Youth Law Clinic. Pieciak was also inducted into the

Iron Arrow Honor Society The Iron Arrow Honor Society is an honor society at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida for students, faculty, staff and alumni. It is the highest honor that can be bestowed by the university. Founded at the University of Miami in 1 ...

and joined the Phi Delta Phi

honor society In the United States, an honor society is a rank organization that recognizes excellence among peers. Numerous societies recognize various fields and circumstances. The Order of the Arrow, for example, is the National Honor Society of the Boy Sc ...

. Pieciak was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 2011 and became an associate at the Downs Rachlin and Martin law firm in

Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...

. In 2012, he managed the reelection campaign of William Sorrell, the

Vermont Attorney General The Vermont Attorney General is a statewide elected executive official in the U.S. state of Vermont who is elected every two years. It was created by an act of the Vermont General Assembly in 1790, repealed in 1797, and revived in 1904. The office ...

. He subsequently practiced mergers and acquisitions law with

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates is an American multinational law firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1948, the firm consistently ranks among the top U.S. law firms by revenue. The company is known for its wor ...

in New York City. In February 2014, Pieciak joined the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation when

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Peter Shumlin Peter Elliott Shumlin (born March 24, 1956) is an American politician from Vermont. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 81st governor of Vermont from 2011 to 2017. He was first elected to the office in 2010, and was reelected to a ...

appointed him as deputy commissioner of the securities division. Shumlin appointed him as commissioner in July 2016 and Governor

Phil Scott Philip Brian Scott (born August 4, 1958) is an American politician, businessman and stock car racer who has served as the 82nd governor of Vermont since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected governor in the 2016 general elec ...

reappointed him in January 2017. In 2020, Scott appointed Pieciak to his COVID response leadership team. Pieciak resigned as DFR commissioner in April 2022.

Vermont State Treasurer

In May 2022, incumbent state treasurer

Beth Pearce Elizabeth A. Pearce (born 1952/1953) is an American politician from Vermont who served as Vermont State Treasurer. Biography Beth Pearce resides in Barre. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of New Hampshire. She was ...

announced that she would not run for reelection. A few days later, Pieciak announced that he would be a candidate in the

2022 Vermont elections A general election were held in the U.S. state of Vermont in 2022. All of Vermont's executive officers were up for election as well as Vermont's Class 3 U.S. Senate seat and its lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. U.S. Senate ...

. After winning the Democratic nomination, he faced Republican H. Brooke Paige in the general election. Pieciak defeated Paige, 62% to 33%. He took office in January 2023.

Personal life

Pieciak and his partner, Will Holder, live in Winooski.

References

External links

Government websiteCampaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pieciak, Mike 1983 births American LGBT politicians LGBT people from Vermont Living people Northfield Mount Hermon School alumni People from Brattleboro, Vermont State treasurers of Vermont Union College (New York) alumni University of Miami School of Law alumni Vermont lawyers