Jo Comerford (Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester)

Senator Joanne M. Comerford , a Democrat, represents the Hampshire, Franklin, and Worcester district in the Massachusetts State Senate, which includes 25 cities and towns from Northampton to Ashburnham, encompassing parts of Hampshire, Franklin, and Worcester counties. She assumed office in January 2019 as the first woman to hold the seat and has served multiple terms, including her third term during the 2023-2024 session. Notable achievements include securing nearly $18 million in direct earmarks for her district, resolving about 2,875 constituent cases, leading the Senate COVID-19 Working Group in 2020, and co-chairing caucuses on food systems, higher education, and Medicare for All. She currently chairs the Joint Committee on Higher Education, serves as Assistant Vice Chair of Senate Ways and Means, and acts as Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Agriculture. Previously, she chaired the Joint Committee on Public Health and led the Joint Committee on COVID-19, Emergency Preparedness and Management. Born August 3, 1963, in Northampton, she lives there with her wife Ann , two children, a dog, and two cats.

Education

Comerford earned a Master of Social Work from Hunter College School of Social Work in New York City, focusing on homelessness policy and prison reform.

Political Experience

Before entering the Senate, Comerford built extensive experience in social services and advocacy in western Massachusetts since the late 1990s. She led a crisis intervention outreach team at the Center for Human Development, directed the western Massachusetts American Friends Service Committee for seven years, and served as programs director at the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, launching initiatives to combat food insecurity. She then executive directed the National Priorities Project and worked four years as a Campaign Director for MoveOn. She is a founding board member of the Sojourner Truth School for Social Change Leadership and volunteered on fundraising for Jackson Street School's playground. In the Senate, she has served on committees including Revenue, Cannabis Policy, Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery, Global Warming and Climate Change, and Post Audit and Oversight, while representing the Senate on the statewide Food Security Task Force during the COVID-19 pandemic.