Senator Jan Hochadel

In November 2022, Jan Hochadel was elected to represent the 13th State Senate District, which covers Meriden and parts of Cheshire, Middletown and Middlefield.

Prior to joining the state Senate, Jan was an engineer working for companies ranging from Omega Engineering in Stamford to Pfizer in Wallingford and New York. After a successful career in engineering, Jan began teaching physics and science at technical high schools in Connecticut, and as an 8th-grade Summer Enrichment Program instructor at Norwalk Community College.

While teaching, Jan shifted to another one of her passions: advocating for workers’ rights. Jan’s involvement with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT-CT) culminated in her becoming president in 2015 of AFT-CT, where she represents 30,000 members, working to ensure they have fair pay, health care, a safe working environment, a voice in the workplace, and are provided the opportunity to retire with dignity. As president of AFT-CT, Jan worked closely with the state legislature and served on the negotiating team for the State Employee Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC). Jan is also a national Vice-President of AFT Washington, D.C. and Co-Titular of the Americas for Public Service International (PSI).

Jan is the mother of three children and has lived in Connecticut since her days as a student at the University of New Haven, where she earned her degree in mechanical engineering. Jan also has a Master of Science degree in Education and Sixth Year Diploma from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield.