Teo Erik Žagar (born 1978) is a Slovenian-American filmmaker and politician. He has served 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 a ...

since 2011. Žagar was a member of the Democratic Party until deciding not to run for reelection in 2016. As a member of the House Agriculture Committee, one of his efforts has been the legalization of

hemp Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a plant in the botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial and consumable use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest ...

in the state. He was a lead sponsor and floor reporter of a bill, passed by the House in 2013, to mandate the labeling of

genetically modified Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of cells, including th ...

foods. Žagar moved to the United States in 1980, living in

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, with his single mother. In 1985 they settled in

Barnard, Vermont Barnard is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 992 at the 2020 census. The town has two unincorporated villages: Barnard and East Barnard, along with the hamlets of Newcombsville, Mountain Meadows, and Fort De ...

, where he now resides. He attended the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, commonly referred to as the University of Vermont (UVM), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont, United States. Foun ...

and went on to study filmmaking at

Hampshire College Hampshire College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was opened in 1970 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colleges ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. He directed several films and served as an apprentice to

Ken Burns Kenneth Lauren Burns (born July 29, 1953) is an American filmmaker known for his documentary films and television series, many of which chronicle American history and culture. His work is often produced in association with WETA-TV or the Nati ...

, for whose film '' Horatio's Drive: America's First Road Trip'' (2003) he served as an editorial assistant. Despite his interest in filmmaking, he returned to Vermont in 2006 and began pursuing a career in public service. In the late 2000s he volunteered as a constable of Barnard. He worked in special education as a classroom manager. After the resignation of state Representative Mark Mitchell, Žagar met with several local Democratic committees to seek an appointment to Mitchell's seat. Vermont Governor

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 ...

was impressed with him and appointed him to the seat in August 2011.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zagar, Teo 1978 births Living people Slovenian emigrants to the United States People from Windsor County, Vermont Hampshire College alumni University of Vermont alumni Democratic Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives Filmmakers from Vermont 21st-century members of the Vermont General Assembly