Saud Anwar

Anwar Sworn in as State Senator

HARTFORD, CT – State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor) was sworn in today to represent the 3rd District. Anwar won election to the State Senate in a special election held this week.

“I’m thankful to the citizens of East Hartford, South Windsor, Ellington and East Windsor for showing confidence in my abilities to address their challenges,” said Sen. Anwar. “I look forward to rolling up my sleeves and working to serve all of the community, including Democrats, Republicans and Independents.”

Before his election to the State Senate on February 26, Sen. Anwar has served as the mayor of South Windsor for two terms, and served on South Windsor’s town council since 2011. He is a medical doctor with specializations in treating lung diseases and critical care medicine, occupational and environmental medicine. He was trained in pulmonary and critical care medicine at, and holds a Master’s Degree in public health from, Yale University. He currently serves as Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at Manchester Memorial and Rockville General Hospitals.

Sen. Anwar also works with humanitarian and peace initiatives on a local, national and global scale, having organized medical missions for disaster relief and received citations from former Governor Jodi Rell, United States Senator Richard Blumenthal and Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz.

Sen. Anwar’s local accomplishments include being a founding member of the South Windsor Hunger Action Team, Zero Waste South Windsor and the South Windsor Alliance for Progress. He is also the founder of South Windsor Haiti School Inc., a board member of the South Windsor Community Foundation and is a former chair of the South Windsor Human Relations Commission.

On a statewide basis, Sen. Anwar is the former commissioner of Asian Pacific American Affairs and served on the Health Equity Leadership Council of Connecticut, CT Health Foundation, and State Emergency Response Commission.

Nationally, Sen. Anwar has testified to the 109th Congress’s Committee on Homeland Security, coordinated volunteer response to September 11, served as a consultant to the FBI’s Multi-Cultural Advisory Committee and spoke at conferences for the Department of Homeland Security and the office of former Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano. Internationally, he’s additionally served on peace missions to Israel and the Middle East, and medical missions to Haiti and Pakistan after natural disasters in those countries. He has spoken at conferences for Friends of Europe – Brussels and the United States Mission to the European Union, served as a consultant for the British Department of Communities and Local Government, and was Chief Coordinator for the Conference on Understanding Radicalization and De-Radicalization Strategies, which was broadcast live throughout the world.

Sen. Anwar has been recognized by the American Red Cross for his response to September 11 and received the FBI Director Robert Mueller Award for Community Leadership and Alliance Building, the Anti-Defamation League’s Torch of Liberty Award, the National Council of Community and Justice’s Human Relations Award, the Manchester Community College Leadership Award, the Department of Justice Attorney’s Office Community Service Award, the South Asian Bar Association of Connecticut’s Trailblazer Award, the Eastern Connecticut Health Network member physicians’ Community Service Recognition Award and the Connecticut Bar Association’s Citizen for the Law Award.

Sen. Anwar and his family, including wife Dr. Yusra Anis-Anwar, sons Taha and Taseen and his mother Zia Anwar, all live in South Windsor.