Ruth Hardy (born 1970) is an American political figure from

East Middlebury, Vermont East Middlebury is a census-designated place in the town of Middlebury, Addison County, Vermont, United States. Its population was 425 as of the 2010 census. East Middlebury first came to the attention of settlers from British America after the ...

. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, she was first elected to the

Vermont Senate The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members elected from multi-member districts. Each senator repre ...

in 2018.

Early life

Ruth Ellen Hardy was born in the

Tompkins County Tompkins County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 105,740. The county seat is Ithaca. The name is in honor of Daniel D. Tompkins, who served as Governor of New York and Vice Preside ...

area of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

circa 1970, a daughter of Robert B. Hardy Jr. and Miriam (Smith) Hardy. Robert Hardy (1930-2005) was a graduate of Cornell University and

Cornell Law School Cornell Law School is the law school of Cornell University, a private university, private, Ivy League university in Ithaca, New York. One of the five Ivy League law schools, Cornell Law School offers four degree programs (Juris Doctor, JD, Maste ...

, and he served for more than thirty years as an Administrative Law Judge for the New York State Department of Labor. Ruth Hardy was raised and educated in Tompkins County and is a 1988 graduate of Dryden High School in

Dryden, New York Dryden is a town in Tompkins County, New York, United States. The population was 14,435 at the 2010 census. The town administers an area that includes two villages, one also named Dryden and one named Freeville, as well as a number of hamlets ...

. Hardy received a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in government from

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...

in 1992 and in 1996 she received a

Master of Public Affairs A Master of Public Affairs (MPA or MPAff) is a professional graduate degree that provides training in public policy and the operation of government. Courses required for this degree educate students in public and non-profit management, policy ana ...

degree from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

. She was a fiscal analyst for the Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau and specialized in education issues. Hardy moved to

in 2002.

Career

After relocating to Vermont, Hardy served as executive director of the Open Door Clinic in

Middlebury, Vermont Middlebury is the shire town (county seat) of Addison County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,152. Middlebury is home to Middlebury College and the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History and the adjacent ...

. In addition, she worked as assistant budget director at

Middlebury College Middlebury College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont, United States. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalists, Middlebury w ...

, and director of government grants at

Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is an American nonprofit organization

of Northern New England. She also served as executive director of Emerge Vermont, which recruits and trains women to run for public office. Hardy served three terms on Middlebury-area school boards and was chairwoman of Middlebury's Mary Hogan School Board, co-chairwoman of the Addison Central Supervisory Union Unification Charter Committee, and Chair of the Addison Central School District Finance Committee. She is a graduate of the Snelling Center's Vermont Leadership Institute.

Vermont Senate

In early 2018, incumbent Democrat Claire D. Ayer announced that she would not be a candidate for reelection to the

in the two-member at-large Addison County Senate District. Hardy announced her candidacy in May. In the November general election, Hardy and incumbent Democrat Christopher Bray were the top two finishers. At the start of her Senate term, Hardy was appointed to the Committees on Education and Agriculture, and was named clerk of the Agriculture Committee. In addition, she was named to the Senate's special panel on sexual harassment and the Joint Committee on Judicial Retention. She has been re-elected twice in 2020 and 2022, serving on the Health and Welfare Committee, Finance Committee, and as the chair of the Government Operations Committee.

Family

In 1997, Hardy married

Jason Mittell Jason Mittell (born 1970) is a professor of American studies and film and media culture at Middlebury College whose research interests include the history of television, media, pop culture, culture, new media, and digital humanities. He is author ...

, professor of Film & Media at

. They are the parents of three children.

References

Sources

Newspapers

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Internet

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hardy, Ruth 1970 births Living people 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century members of the Vermont General Assembly Oberlin College alumni Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs alumni Politicians from Middlebury, Vermont Democratic Party Vermont state senators Vermont Democrats Women state legislators in Vermont