Participant Bios
Arizona
Honorable John Allen House Majority Leader John Allen was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2012. He previously served in the House from 2001 to 2005. Allen worked for America West Airlines. He is a small business owner. He received a degree in business administration from Arizona State University. He and his wife, Tina, have three sons.
Colorado
Honorable Crisanta Duran Speaker-Elect of the House Crisanta Duran is in her third term in the Colorado House of Representatives. Before being elected to caucus leadership, Duran chaired the legislature’s powerful Joint Budget Committee. Among her many roles, she has been a leader in legislative economic development efforts. She serves on the board of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. Duran has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Denver, where she was a double major in public policy and Spanish, and a law degree from the University of Colorado. She is a sixth-generation Coloradan.
Connecticut
Honorable Joe Aresimowicz Speaker-Elect of the House Joe Aresimowicz was first elected to the Connecticut General Assembly in 2004. Beforebeing selected as speaker, he served as House majority leader. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army Reserve, where he served as a combat medic for almost a decade. He is a longtime member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee. Before his legislative service, Aresimowicz served three terms on the Berlin Town Council. He is also the head coach of Berlin High School's varsity football team and has directed Berlin Midget Football for the past 15 years. He and his family live in Berlin.
Delaware
Honorable David McBride Senate President Pro Tem-Elect David McBride was elected to the state Senate in 1980. He was selected as majority leader in 2012, and after the Novemember 2016 election, he was selected as president of the Senate. He served one term in the Delaware House of Representatives from 1978 to 1979. He was enlisted in the U.S. Air Force from 1961 through 1969, and was honorably discharged as a staff sergeant. After being stationed in Texas and Alabama, he served in the Pacific, with stints in Okinawa and Tokyo in Japan, and one in Thailand. McBride works as a civil engineer. He obtained his B.S. and M.S. degrees in civil engineering from the University of Delaware. He and his wife, Margaret, live in New Castle.
Montana
Honorable Scott Sales Senate President-Elect Scott Sales was first elected to the Montana Senate in 2012. He served in the Montana House of Representatives from 2003 to 2011, serving as speaker in 2007-2008 and minority leader in 2009- 2010. Sales has a bachelor’s degree in industrial business form Boise State University. He and his wife, Sandi, have three children.
Honorable Fred Thomas Senate Majority Leader-Elect Fred Thomas was first elected to the Montana Senate in 1996 and served until 2005. He served as majority leader for four of those years. He was re-elected to the Senate in 2012 and now serves as Senate majority leader. He previously served in the Montana House of Representatives. His professional experience includes working as a certified insurance counselor, and the branch manager of Western States Insurance Agency's locations in Hamilton and Stevensville. Thomas earned his B.S. in business and finance from Montana State University. He and his wife, Suzzie, live in Ravalli County.
Nevada
Honorable Aaron Ford Senate Majority Leader-Elect Aaron Ford was elected to the Nevada Senate in 2012 and previously served as minority leader. He was a public school math teacher before beginning his law career. He is a partner at Snell & Wilmer LLP in Las Vegas. He is also a board member of the I Have a Dream Foundation and Junior Achievement of Southern Nevada. He earned his B.A. from Texas A&M University in interdisciplinary studies and his M.A. in international education from George Washington University. He went on to earn an M.A. in educational administration, as well as a law degree and Ph.D. in educational administration from the Ohio State University. He has his wife, Berna, are raising four children.
Vermont
Honorable Mitzi Johnson Speaker-Elect of the House Mitzi Johnson was elected to the House of Representatives in 2002. She previously chaired the House Appropriations Committee. Her professional experience includes program and policy work for Hunger Free Vermont. In addition to being an artist and piano teacher, she is the vegetable production manager at Allenholm Farm. She received a B.S. from the University of Vermont.
U.S. Virgin Islands
Honorable Myron D. Jackson Senate President-Elect Myron Jackson is serving his second term in the U.S. Virgin Islands Legislature. He previously served as the secretary and chair of the Committee on Culture, Historic Preservation, Youth and Recreation. Jackson serves as liaison to the U.S. Department of Interior Office of Insular Affairs. He previously served as a delegate to the Virgin Islands Fifth Constitutional Convention. Jackson is a preservationist, artist and historian. He is a graduate of the Parsons School of Design in New York.