Jillian Gilchrest was elected to represent the 18th District of West Hartford in the Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) in 2018. She serves as Vice Chair of the Public Health Committee and on the Appropriations and Energy & Technologies Committees. Jillian Chairs the MAPOC Subcommittee on Women & Children’s Health and the Trafficking in Persons Council.
Prior to becoming a state representative, Jillian served as the Director of Health Professional Outreach for the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut, and Director of Policy & Communications for the Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence. She has extensive experience advocating for women’s health and safety, in particular influencing public policy at the CGA.
Jillian was elected to the West Hartford Board of Education in 2013. She holds a Masters Degree in Social Work with a focus in Policy Practice from the University of Connecticut School of Social Work, where she has taught Political Advocacy. Jillian currently teaches for the University of Saint Joseph, University of Hartford, and Sacred Heart University. Jillian serves on the Board of Girls on the Run of Greater Hartford and the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women, Inc. She resides with her two children in West Hartford.