Kate Farrar, executive director of Hartford nonprofit the Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund (CWEALF), is stepping down to pursue a campaign for elected office, officials say.
Farrar recently informed CWEALF, a statewide organization that advocates for women and girls, of her plans to leave her role in May as she seeks the 20th House District seat in West Hartford, board president Kristiana Sullivan said in a letter to constituents Wednesday.Â
Farrar is seeking a seat in the state House of Representatives being vacated by Rep. Joe Verrengia, a Democrat, who recently announced he will not pursue re-election this fall after representing the district since 2011.
Farrar, named to HBJ’s 40 Under Forty class of 2018, started her career lobbying for nonprofits in the state legislature before working nearly a dozen years in Washington, D.C. for two national women’s organizations.
That includes a stint as vice president of campus leadership programs at the American Association of University Women, before she was appointed years later as executive director of CWEALF in July 2016, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Farrar earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from UConn and a master’s degree in public administration from Syracuse University.
Founded nearly a half century ago, CWEALF last year led a coalition of advocates supporting the implementation of Connecticut’s first paid and family medical leave program. CWEALF also pushed for the adoption of a $15-per-hour minimum wage and expanded workplace protections for pregnant workers, among other issues adopted by the state legislature.
