Gov. M. Jodi Rell

Biography

Governor M. Jodi Rell was sworn-in as Connecticut’s 87th governor in 2004, pledging “to work tirelessly with honor, dignity and civility.” She was elected to her first full term in 2006.

Gov. Rell previously served as lieutenant governor for more than nine years. She also represented the 107th District of Brookfield as state representative for 10 years, holding several leadership posts. Gov. Rell is committed to bolstering the state’s work force and economy; breaking the state’s transportation gridlock; restoring trust and integrity in state government; and making critical investments in our children’s education.

She proposed and signed into law legislation that reduced business
taxes, provided incentives to encourage job growth, helped displaced workers find jobs and established campaign finance reform laws that are hailed as a national model.

Gov. Rell also secured passage of two of the largest investments in our
state’s transportation system in decades, including her 10-year, $1.3 billion
transportation measure and the $2.3 billion “Roadmap for Connecticut’s
Future” initiative to improve roadways, railways, busways and ports.

As lieutenant governor, she launched an unprecedented effort to
ensure Connecticut’s schools and libraries have the best possible technology
and that students are “cyber-ready” by the sixth grade. Her work resulted
in the creation of the Connecticut Education Network, the
nation’s first all-optical network.

Gov. Rell attended Old Dominion University and Western Connecticut
State University. She received honorary doctor of law degrees from the
University of Hartford and the University of New Haven.
She and her husband, Lou, reside in Brookfield. They have two grown
children: Meredith and Michael; and one grandson, Tyler Rell O’Connor.

Governor Rell's Web site