Denise Andrews
Encyclopedia
Denise Andrews is an American politician
from Western Massachusetts
. A Democrat
, she is a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
representing the 2nd Franklin district. She was first elected in 2010 and took office on January 5, 2011. The 2nd Franklin district comprises six towns, five of them in Franklin County
: Erving
, Gill
, Greenfield
, Orange
and Warwick
. Additionally, the district contains the town of Athol
in Worcester County
.
Andrews was born in Orange and still lives there with her partner Candi Fetzer. Andrews earned a bachelor's degree from UMass Amherst and an MBA from Xavier University before embarking on a 25-year career with Procter & Gamble
(P&G). Her first P&G positions were in Quincy, Massachusetts
and she later moved to the company's headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio
. She left P&G in 2006 after four years as the company's global diversity & inclusion manager. She then established her own consulting business, Legacy Unlimited.
Following incumbent state representative Chris Donelan's announcement that he would run for Franklin County sheriff rather than seek re-election in 2010, Andrews launched a bid to succeed him in the state house. In the Democratic primary election held on September 14, 2010, Andrews polled 37% in a five candidate race, finishing 519 votes ahead of the second-place finisher, who took 24%. In the general election held on November 2, she polled 6,885 (53%), finishing over 1,300 votes ahead of the Republican nominee (who took 42%) and an independent (on 5%).
She is one of seven openly LGBT
members of the Massachusetts General Court
, alongside Representatives Carl Sciortino
(D–Medford
), Sarah Peake
(D–Provincetown
), Cheryl Coakley-Rivera
(D–Springfield
), Liz Malia
(D–Jamaica Plain
) and Kate Hogan
(D–Stow
), as well as Senator Stan Rosenberg (D–Amherst
).
Politics of the United States
The United States is a federal constitutional republic, in which the President of the United States , Congress, and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments.The executive branch is headed by the President...
from Western Massachusetts
Western Massachusetts
Western Massachusetts is a loosely defined geographical region of the U.S. state of Massachusetts which contains the Berkshires, the Pioneer Valley, and some or all of the Swift River Valley. The region is always considered to include Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden counties, and the...
. 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...
, she is a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
representing the 2nd Franklin district. She was first elected in 2010 and took office on January 5, 2011. The 2nd Franklin district comprises six towns, five of them in Franklin County
Franklin County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 71,535 people, 29,466 households, and 18,416 families residing in the county. The population density was 102 people per square mile . There were 31,939 housing units at an average density of 46 per square mile...
: Erving
Erving, Massachusetts
Erving is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,467 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts metropolitan statistical area.-History:...
, Gill
Gill, Massachusetts
Gill is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, USA. The population was 1,363 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, Greenfield
Greenfield, Massachusetts
Greenfield is a city in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 17,456 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Franklin County. Greenfield is home to Greenfield Community College, the Pioneer Valley Symphony Orchestra, and the Franklin County Fair...
, Orange
Orange, Massachusetts
Orange is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 7,839 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.Part of the town is included in the census-designated place of Orange....
and Warwick
Warwick, Massachusetts
Warwick is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 750 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
. Additionally, the district contains the town of Athol
Athol, Massachusetts
Athol is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,584 at the 2010 census.-History:Originally called Pequoiag, the area was first settled by five families in September 1735. When the township was incorporated in 1762, the name was changed to Athol...
in Worcester County
Worcester County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:In 1990 Worcester County had a population of 709,705.As of the census of 2000, there were 750,963 people, 283,927 households, and 192,502 families residing in the county. The population density was 496 people per square mile . There were 298,159 housing units at an average density...
.
Andrews was born in Orange and still lives there with her partner Candi Fetzer. Andrews earned a bachelor's degree from UMass Amherst and an MBA from Xavier University before embarking on a 25-year career with Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
(P&G). Her first P&G positions were in Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council...
and she later moved to the company's headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
. She left P&G in 2006 after four years as the company's global diversity & inclusion manager. She then established her own consulting business, Legacy Unlimited.
Following incumbent state representative Chris Donelan's announcement that he would run for Franklin County sheriff rather than seek re-election in 2010, Andrews launched a bid to succeed him in the state house. In the Democratic primary election held on September 14, 2010, Andrews polled 37% in a five candidate race, finishing 519 votes ahead of the second-place finisher, who took 24%. In the general election held on November 2, she polled 6,885 (53%), finishing over 1,300 votes ahead of the Republican nominee (who took 42%) and an independent (on 5%).
She is one of seven openly LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
members of the Massachusetts General Court
Massachusetts General Court
The Massachusetts General Court is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonial Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases...
, alongside Representatives Carl Sciortino
Carl Sciortino
Carl M. Sciortino, Jr., commonly known as Carl Sciortino, is an American politician from Massachusetts. A Democrat, he is a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives representing the 34th Middlesex district...
(D–Medford
Medford, Massachusetts
Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States, on the Mystic River, five miles northwest of downtown Boston. In the 2010 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 56,173...
), Sarah Peake
Sarah Peake
Sarah K. Peake is an American politician from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A Democrat, she has served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives since 2007. She represents the Fourth Barnstable district, a Cape Cod district that includes her hometown of Provincetown. She previously served...
(D–Provincetown
Provincetown, Massachusetts
Provincetown is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,431 at the 2000 census, with an estimated 2007 population of 3,174...
), Cheryl Coakley-Rivera
Cheryl Coakley-Rivera
Cheryl A. Coakley-Rivera is an American politician from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A Democrat, she has served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives since 1999. She represents the Tenth Hampden district, centered on her hometown of Springfield...
(D–Springfield
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
), Liz Malia
Liz Malia
Elizabeth A. "Liz" Malia is an American politician from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A Democrat, she has served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives since March 1998...
(D–Jamaica Plain
Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts
Jamaica Plain is a historic neighborhood of in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded by Boston Puritans seeking farm land to the south, it was originally part of the city of Roxbury...
) and Kate Hogan
Kate Hogan
Kate Hogan is an American politician from Stow, Massachusetts. A Democrat, she is a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives representing the 3rd Middlesex district...
(D–Stow
Stow, Massachusetts
Stow is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,590 at the 2010 census.- History :Stow was first settled c. 1660 by Matthew Boon and John Kettell...
), as well as Senator Stan Rosenberg (D–Amherst
Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 37,819, making it the largest community in Hampshire County . The town is home to Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts...
).