Ruth Hardy

Ruth Hardy is a Democratic state senator from East Middlebury in Addison County, Vermont. She was raised in rural central New York State in the Ithaca area, where her mother was a teacher and her father was a state civil servant. She moved to East Middlebury, Vermont in 2002 and is a working mother of three children: Greta, Anya, and Walter. She is married to Jason Mittell, a Professor of Film & Media at Middlebury College.

Throughout her career, Ruth has focused on advocating for good public policy, financially stable organizations, and opportunities for democratic participation. Her professional experience includes serving as Executive Director of the Open Door Clinic, Assistant Budget Director at Middlebury College, Government Grants Director at Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, and Executive Director of Emerge Vermont, which recruits and trains women to run for public office.

Education

Ruth earned a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Oberlin College in Ohio and a Master's degree from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. Following graduate school, she worked as a Fiscal Analyst for the Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau, covering education issues.

Political Experience

Ruth has served in the Vermont State Senate since 2019, representing the Addison District, which includes Addison County, Buels Gore, Huntington, and Rochester.

Committee Assignments:
- Chair of the Government Operations Committee
- Member of the Health & Welfare Committee
- Member of the Joint Committee on Judicial Retention
- Member of the Senate Committee on Finance
- Member of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy
- Senate representative on the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee
- Member of the Building Bright Futures State Advisory Council

Notable Achievements:
- Lead sponsor of Act 76, Vermont's historic 2023 childcare law, which invests in expanding access and affordability of childcare programs
- Co-Chair of the Pupil Weighting Task Force, leading a major revision of Vermont's school funding formula
- Served three terms on local school boards, including as Chair of the Mary Hogan School Board and Co-Chair of the Charter Committee that organized the unified Addison Central School District

Her work focuses on health care access and affordability, government accountability, education policy, and early childhood development. She is passionate about civic engagement and regularly teaches courses on Women in U.S. Electoral Politics and Gender & Public Policy Development at Middlebury College.