Derek Slap

About Derek:

State Senator Derek Slap was elected in the special election on February 26, 2019, to represent the 98,000 residents of the 5th State Senate District towns of West Hartford, Farmington, Burlington, and the western portion of Bloomfield. He previously served one term as state representative for the 19th House District, serving constituents in West Hartford, Avon and Bloomfield.

Derek makes his home in West Hartford with his wife, Alex, daughters Maggie and Zoe, and son, Charlie. He is Vice President of Advancement at The Village for Families and Children, one of the largest provides of mental health services in Connecticut. Derek has been a lecturer in political science at Yale University and an adjunct communications professor at Quinnipiac University, Sacred Heart, Central Connecticut State, Southern Connecticut State and Eastern Connecticut State universities. In 2017 he won an “ARC Angel Award” from ARC for his advocacy on behalf of people with disabilities.

Legislative Goals:

As Chair of the Higher Education & Employment Advancement Committee, Derek is committed to working with all stakeholders to ensure Connecticut’s institutions of higher education meet the state’s workforce needs. Improving accessibility and affordability of higher education and workforce training programs are important issues that Derek works on as co-chair of the committee.

Other legislative priorities include supporting our non-profits, our local public schools, and folks with disabilities. Derek has also been a leader in the effort to improve governance and transparency at The Metropolitan District (MDC).

As always, one of Derek’s most important goals is enacting an affordable, balanced, and sustainable biennial budget that meets the disparate needs and inequities in Connecticut.

Legislative Accomplishments:

The very first bill Derek introduced and led passage of was to create an independent consumer advocate for the MDC. The bill won unanimous passage in both legislative chambers.

Derek also introduced a bill in 2017 to help close the gender wage gap, by prohibiting employers from asking job applicants about their salary history. The bill eventually passed in 2018 and Connecticut was one of the first states to enact such a ban – now law in many states across the nation.

Derek also played a role in helping Connecticut become a national leader in combating age discrimination. He introduced a bill to keep questions about age, high school and college graduation and attendance dates off job applications. The bill was passed with strong bipartisan support in 2021.

Derek is an advocate for improving access to healthcare for all children, regardless of immigration status. He is also a champion for the environment, gun safety laws, and voting reforms such as early voting.

Experience and Education:

Derek is the former Chief of Staff for the Senate Democratic Caucus, where he managed a 70-person staff, helped achieve significant budget savings, and worked with citizen activists to address issues such as gun safety, school security and mental health reforms; GMO labeling; and access to high quality Pre-K.

Before his tenure as Chief of Staff, Derek was Director of Communications for Senate Democrats for four years. Derek has also been Deputy Chief of Staff/Communications Director for the Secretary of the State, Communications Director for the DeStefano for Governor campaign, and Director of Public Information for the City of New Haven.

Derek was also a news anchor and reporter at NBC Connecticut from 1999 until 2004, and before that worked at TV stations in Florida and at CNN Headline News in Atlanta.

Derek earned his MBA from the UConn School of Business and bachelors’ degrees in Broadcast Journalism and International Relations from Syracuse University, where he graduated Magna cum Laude