Maria Collett (born July 21, 1974) is a Greek-born American politician serving as a Democratic member of the

Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered ev ...

who represents the 12th District. Her district includes portions of eastern Montgomery County and southern

Bucks County Bucks County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the fourth-most populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Doylestown. The county is named after the English ...

. Collett is the first Greek American woman to serve in the Pennsylvania State Senate.

Political career

Elections

2018

In 2018, Collett ran unopposed in the Democratic primary for the election to succeed retiring State Senator

Stewart Greenleaf Stewart John Greenleaf Sr. (October 4, 1939 – February 9, 2021) was an American politician and attorney who served as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate from 1979 to 2019. Greenleaf represented the 12th District, which includes portion ...

, who had represented the 12th District since 1979. Collett defeated Stewart Greenleaf Jr., Greenleaf's son and a former Controller for Montgomery County, in the November 6 general election. Her victory was part of the " blue wave" that increased Democratic and female representation in the

Pennsylvania General Assembly The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. In colonial times (1682–1776), the legislature was known as the Pennsylvania ...

and Congressional delegation.

Committee assignments

For the 2021-2022 Session Collett sits on the following committees in the Senate: * Aging and Youth - Minority Chair * Community, Economic, and Recreational Development * Judiciary * Local Government * Rules & Executive Nominations

Caucuses

Collett is a member of the following caucuses: * Senate Arts & Culture * Autism & Intellectual Disabilities * Senate Brain Injury * Climate * Film Industry * LGBT Equality * PA Safe * Rare Disease * Senate Women's Health Caucuses.

Councils and task forces

Collett serves on the following councils, committees, and task forces: * Asian American Coalition for Healthcare Services Advisory Board * Joint Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee * Legislative Audit Advisory Commission * Montgomery County Aging and Adult Services Council * Pennsylvania Advisory Council on Elder Justice in the Courts * Pennsylvania Children's Health Advisory Council * Pennsylvania Long-Term Care Council * Special Education Funding Commission * Suicide Prevention Task Force

Legislative priorities

As a State Senator, Collett has focused on the issues of

PFAS Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are synthetic organofluorine chemical compounds that have multiple fluorine atoms attached to an alkyl chain. An early definition, from 2011, required that they contain at least one perfluoroalkyl mo ...

contamination throughout her district, nurse staffing ratios, the statute of limitations for sexual crimes, gender equity, and firearm regulation.

Career

Collett began her career as an attorney representing the interests of children victimized by abuse and neglect as a Deputy Attorney General in Camden County, New Jersey. She then transitioned to a career in nursing, where she worked at the bedside as a Level I trauma nurse, in pediatric home health and in long-term care working with aging adults. Most recently, she worked as a nurse educator, helping other nurses understand how to administer Medicaid programs. In the 2021-2022 Legislative Session, Collett was elected by her colleagues in the Senate Democratic Caucus to the position of Caucus Secretary.

Education

Collett attended the

University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of Mary ...

where she earned a BA in English Literature, going on the earn a JD at

Rutgers Law School Rutgers Law School is the law school of Rutgers University, with classrooms in Newark and Camden, New Jersey. It is the largest public law school and the 10th largest law school, overall, in the United States. Each class in the three-year J.D. pr ...

and then a BSN at

Drexel University Drexel University is a private research university with its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Drexel's undergraduate school was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a financier and philanthropist. Founded as Drexel Institute of Art, S ...

References

External links

Pennsylvania State Senate websiteCollett on Ballotpedia
Living people People from Lower Gwynedd Township, Pennsylvania University of Maryland, College Park alumni Drexel University alumni Rutgers University–Camden alumni Democratic Party Pennsylvania state senators Women state legislators in Pennsylvania 21st-century American women politicians American people of Greek descent 1974 births {{Pennsylvania-PASenate-stub Politicians from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania