A new biennium: Introducing our progressive house caucus, state senator, and legislative staff

Friends —

We have an exciting slate of new and returning Progressives in the Vermont State House. 

Next week, we are excited to be holding our first press conference of the biennium at noon in the Vermont State House, as well as announce caucus priorities for our Progressive House Caucus. The press conference will be at noon in the Cedar Creek Room, and streamed live on our facebook. 

But first, we are excited to introduce our Progressive House Caucus, Caucus leadership, and Progressive State Senator. We have a bold slate of newly sworn-in leaders, as well as our veteran leaders.

Rep. Emma Mulvaney Stanak (she, her)

Chittenden 17, House Commerce and Workforce Development Committee, House Caucus Leader

Emma is a second-term state representative with a focus on labor, equity, education, inclusion and economic justice. She has led boldly on expanding access to unemployment benefits and workers compensation. She hit the ground running this legislative session, working on safer regulations around firearm ownership and making it easier for employees to effectively organize their workplaces. Emma started off as a professional union organizer and was the former Chair of the Vermont Progressive Party. She now lives in Burlington’s Old North End with her wife and two children, and works as a social change consultant for non-profits, unions, and school districts. 

Rep. Taylor Small (she, her)

Chittenden 21, House Committee on Human Services, House Discrimination Prevention Panel, Canvassing Committee, Assistant Caucus Leader

Taylor was elected in November 2020 and serves as Vermont's first out transgender legislator and one of ten in the United States. In her first year in office, Taylor was able to ban the use of the 'LGBTQ+ Panic Defense' in Vermont with unanimous support from the House, Senate, and Republican Governor. She has also been a strong leader on equitable public school funding and addressing the overdose crisis by centering harm reduction and the prevention of death. Following a successful first term, Taylor received global recognition by One Young World as 'Politician of the Year' and was the only person from the United States to win this award. Outside of the legislature, she delivers cultural humility training for healthcare and human service providers across the state with a priority for rural and smaller practices, and has trained over 2,000 providers in her tenure.

Rep. Brian Cina (any pronouns)

Chittenden 15, House Committee on Health Care, House Ethics Panel

Brian is in their third term as state representative. They have been bold in their approach to shifting away from our degenerative economy, and pushing for a regenerative one that uplifts people and restores our planet. They are currently hard at work on a number of bills, including one to create a single-payer healthcare system in Vermont and lowering housing/rental costs. Brian has passed bills in a number of areas, including health equity, artificial intelligence, indigenous rights, truth and reconciliation, and housing equity. They are a musician, artist, and social worker residing in Burlington’s Old North End, where they work with neighbors through  ISGOOD, a mutual aid project that gardens in public spaces and builds community.

Rep. Kate Logan (she, her)

Chittenden 16, House Committee on Environment and Energy 

Kate is a recently-sworn in state representative and is thrilled to bring her background in climate justice advocacy to the House Committee on Environment and Energy. Kate is no newcomer to advocacy and politics. She has advocated for progressive policy with Rights and Democracy, worked as a policy analyst, is a long-time labor and community organizer, and currently directs a statewide coalition of social service agencies providing services to runaway and homeless youth. She lives in the Old North End with her children and is excited to bring her advocacy into policymaking.

Rep. Troy Headrick (he, him)

Chittenden 15, House Committee on Corrections and Institutions, House Sexual Harassment Prevention Panel

Troy is serving his first term in the Vermont Legislature. Troy is a member of UVM Staff United,  and strongly believes in the power of strong unions. He is already working to introduce a bill that intends to deter various privately funded, far-right interest groups from impacting the ability of our K-12 educators from delivering a curriculum that acknowledges the long history of racial oppression in our country. The bill also intends to preserve our teachers’ autonomy to deliver the state’s curriculum from a gender affirming perspective. Additionally, Troy and the other Burlington Representatives will introduce legislation that hopes to hold UVM accountable for finding solutions to the current housing and rental crisis that persists in Burlington. Troy lives in Burlington with his partner, Marianne, and their Bull Terrier, Rizzo. He works at the University of Vermont at the Center for Student Conduct.

Senator Tanya Vyhovsky (she, her)

Chittenden-Central State Senator, Vice Chair of Senate Committee on Government Operations, Clerk of Senate Committee on Judiciary

Tanya was in the Progressive House Caucus last biennium and is starting a new position in the State Senate this legislative session. She was sworn in recently as the only Progressive Senator. Tanya is a driven advocate for workers rights and reforming our criminal justice system to identify root causes while promoting broader access to rehabilitation and mental health services. She has been involved with the Vermont Workers Center, is on the leadership committee of Rights and Democracy, and founded Essex Area Mutual Aid. Tanya lives in Essex,  loves to hike the Vermont mountains with her dog, Laika, and works as a social worker. We are thrilled to have Tanya hard at work in the Senate and as Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Government Operations. 

Legislative Assistant, Sarah Sciortino (she/her)

Sarah is working to support legislators’ important work this session by helping with research, communications, and tracking policy. She began organizing on UVM campus as a freshman in 2018 for fossil fuel divestment. She has worked with various climate organizations and city council campaigns. She managed Emma Mulvaney-Stanak’s first campaign in 2020 and was most recently as Field Director for Lt. Governor Zuckerman’s 2022 campaign. Sarah lives in Burlington’s South End with her roommates and cats, working on the side as a paint-and-sip instructor.

Progressive House Caucus on the first day of the 2023-2024 biennium.