Alex Knopp, a Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

, is a former two-term mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 of Norwalk, Connecticut

Norwalk, Connecticut

Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of the city is 85,603, making Norwalk sixth in population in Connecticut, and third in Fairfield County...

. He served from 2001 to 2005. He was defeated for re-election on November 8, 2005 by Republican Dick Moccia

Dick Moccia

Richard A. Moccia, a Republican, was elected mayor of Norwalk, Connecticut on November 8, 2005. He succeeded Alex Knopp.Moccia defeated Knopp by fewer than 200 votes...

.

Prior to serving as mayor, he served eight terms as a State Representative from Norwalk from 1987 to 2001 and two terms as Norwalk Councilman-at-Large from 1983 to 1987. Since 2008, Knopp has been serving as the Executive Director of the Center for Public Service and Social Justice at Yale University

Yale University

Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...

. Since 2006, he has also been a Visiting Clinical Lecturer at Yale Law School

Yale Law School

Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...

.

Knopp received his B.A. from Wesleyan University

Wesleyan University

Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...

 in 1969, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude. He received his J.D. from George Washington University Law School in 1981, graduating as the valedictorian

Valedictorian

Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...

of his class.