Deb Polun was formally appointed to Town Council on November 9, 2022 to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of Adrienne Billings-Smith.

Ms. Polun served on the Board of Education since from 2017 to 2022. During that time, she served as Chairperson of the Board, its Vice Chair, one of its Financial Examiners, and as a member of the Board’s Policy Committee.

Ms. Polun is the Executive Director of the Connecticut Association for Community Action, Inc. (CAFCA). In that role, she partners with the state’s nine Community Action Agencies and others to ameliorate the causes and conditions of poverty, empower people in need, and improve CT’s communities. Prior to this role, Deb has worked on policy matters impacting low-income residents in Connecticut for over 20 years, in positions with the Senate Majority Office of Connecticut’s Legislature, at the Connecticut Commission on Aging, and at the Community Health Center Association of Connecticut.

Ms. Polun’s community service includes serving on the West Hartford Advisory Commission for Persons with Disabilities, the League of Women Voters of Greater Hartford, the Jewish Community Relations Council, as a mentor for the West Hartford Public Schools, and various leadership positions at Congregation B’nai Tikvoh-Sholom.

Ms. Polun is a graduate of Tulane University (B.S., Psychology and Sociology) and the University of Connecticut (M.A., Social Psychology). She and her husband, Ian, have lived in West Hartford since 1999. Their two children, Jordan and Megan, were fortunate to have attended Aiken Elementary School, King Philip Middle School, and Hall High School.