Alison H. Clarkson

Alison Hudnut Clarkson is a Democratic politician from Woodstock, Vermont, representing the Windsor District in the Vermont State Senate. She has been active in environmental protection, education, and civic organizations throughout her career. Before entering politics, she worked as a theater producer in New York for 15 years, producing plays on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off Broadway.

Clarkson has received several notable awards, including the Vermont Natural Resources Council's Outstanding Vermont Legislator Award and the Vermont Farm Bureau's Stephanie Bourdeau Women in Agriculture Leadership Award, both in 2008. She was also named Woodstock Rotary's Citizen of the Year in 2002. She is married to Oliver R. Goodenough and has two sons, Ward and William.

Education

Clarkson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Political Experience

Clarkson has served in the Vermont Legislature since 2005. She initially represented the towns of Plymouth, Reading, and Woodstock in the Vermont House of Representatives before moving to the Vermont Senate in 2016, where she has represented one of three Senate seats for the Windsor County District.

She served as Senate Majority Leader from 2020 to 2024. Currently, she chairs the Senate Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs Committee and the Senate Sexual Harassment Panel. She also serves on the Senate Government Operations Committee, the Joint Legislative Management Committee, the Legislative Climate Solutions Caucus, the Women's Caucus, and the State Workforce Development Board.

During a comprehensive review of Vermont's Use Value Appraisal Program, Clarkson chaired the Legislature's UVA Task Force. She has announced plans to retire after the 2026 election cycle, concluding more than two decades of legislative service.