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Sarah Copeland Hanzas
40th Secretary of State of Vermont
Assumed office
January 5, 2023
Governor Phil Scott
Preceded by Jim Condos
Majority Leader of the Vermont House of Representatives
In office
January 2015 – January 4, 2017
Preceded by Willem Jewett
Succeeded by Jill Krowinski
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives
from the Orange 2nd district
In office
January 7, 2005 – January 5, 2023
Preceded by Wayne G. Kenyon
Succeeded by Monique Priestley
Personal details
Born (1970-07-09) July 9, 1970 (age 53)
Lake Forest, Illinois, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Education University of Vermont ( BA, BS)

Sarah L. Copeland Hanzas (born July 9, 1970) is an American Democratic Party politician who is currently serving as the Secretary of State of Vermont. She previously served in the Vermont House of Representatives from Orange County's 2nd District, having been first elected in 2004. [1] [2]

Early life and career

Sarah Louise Copeland Hanzas was born in Lake Forest, Illinois on July 9, 1970 [3] and her family moved to Vermont in 1971. [4] She grew up in Corinth and graduated from Bradford's Oxbow High School in 1988. [5] She then attended the University of Vermont from which she received a Bachelor of Arts in history in 1992 and a Bachelor of Arts in geology in 1993. [3] In 1995, she completed her teaching certification at Upper Valley Educators Institute in Lebanon, New Hampshire. [4]

After becoming qualified as a teacher, Copeland Hanzas instructed secondary science in several Upper Connecticut River Valley public schools and at Valley Vista residential treatment center in Bradford. [4] Beginning in 2010, she owned a small business in Bradford, the Local Buzz Cafe, which she operated until she closed it in 2021. [6]

Political career

In 2004, Copeland Hanzas was elected to the Vermont House of Representatives. [3] She was reelected every two years through 2020, and served from January 2005 to January 2023. [4] During her House service, Copeland Hanzas was a member of the Health Care Committee and chair of the Government Operations Committee. [4] From 2015 to 2017, she was the majority leader. [7] While in the house, she also served on the Executive Committee of the National Conference of State Legislatures. [4]

In 2022, Copeland Hanzas was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for secretary of state. [7] In the August primary, she defeated deputy secretary of state Chris Winters and Montpelier city clerk John Odum; Copeland Hanzas received 43 percent of the vote to 41 for Winters and 16 for Odum. [8] In the November general election, she defeated perennial Republican candidate H. Brooke Paige by a vote of 61 to 33 percent. [9] She was sworn in for the beginning of her term in January 2023. [10]

Family

Copeland is married to John P. Hanzas Jr. [3] They reside in Bradford and are the parents of three children. [3]

References

  1. ^ "Sarah Copeland-Hanzas". Ballotpedia. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  2. ^ "Sarah Copeland-Hanzas". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d e Clerk of the Vermont House of Representatives; Clerk of the Vermont Senate (2017). Biographical Sketches of Members of the General Assembly, 2017–2018. Montpelier, VT: Vermont General Assembly. p. 33 – via SlideShare.net.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Clerk of the Vermont House of Representatives (2021). "Biography, Representative Sarah Copeland Hanzas". Legislature.Vermont.gov. Montpelier, VT: Vermont General Assembly.
  5. ^ Hallenbeck, Terri (November 23, 2016). "Speaker Squeaker? Two Vie to Lead Vermont's House".
  6. ^ McCallum, Kevin (June 27, 2022). "Copeland Hanzas Enters the Race for Secretary of State". Vermont Seven Days. Burlington, VT.
  7. ^ a b Duffort, Lola (April 28, 2022). "Rep. Sarah Copeland Hanzas is running for secretary of state". VT Digger. Montpelier, VT.
  8. ^ "Sarah Copeland Hanzas wins Democratic primary for Secretary of State". Vermont Business Magazine. South Burlington, VT. August 10, 2022.
  9. ^ D'Auria, Peter (November 8, 2022). "Sarah Copeland Hanzas wins race to become Vermont's next secretary of state". VT Digger. Montpelier, VT.
  10. ^ Robinson, Riley (January 5, 2023). "Vermont's statewide executives, including 3 new faces, sworn in to office". VT Digger. Montpelier, VT.
Vermont House of Representatives
Preceded by Majority Leader of the Vermont House of Representatives
2015–2017 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Secretary of State of Vermont
2023–present 		Incumbent
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