Representative Hannah Kane Republican - 11th Worcester

Hannah Kane (R – Shrewsbury) serves as the State Representative for the Eleventh Worcester District, representing the towns of Shrewsbury and Westborough, precincts 4 and 5, and was sworn in for her fourth term in January 2021.

Hannah graduated from Boston University’s School of Management in 1993. Hannah has significant leadership experience in both the public and private sectors, beginning her career working at Unum Insurance Company before being recruited by Lt. Governor Paul Cellucci to work in the Weld/Cellucci Administration on the redevelopment of the former 4,400-acre Fort Devens Army Base and on the merger of 2 quasi-public state agencies into the economic development authority MassDevelopment. Hannah served as Director of Marketing and Product Development, helping generate over a billion dollars in economic development across the Commonwealth. Hannah returned to the private sector as Vice President of Marketing Services for a consulting firm, developing and implementing business growth and marketing strategies for her clients. Hannah co-owned and was managing partner of Beaton Kane Construction 2010-2015.

Hannah is deeply committed to public service.  Hannah serves as an elected Town Meeting Member for 18-years, an appointed member of the Shrewsbury Finance Committee, President of the Shrewsbury Public Schools Foundation and a member of the Shrewsbury Coalition for Addiction Prevention and Education.  Hannah is President of the Hannah Kane Charitable Foundation that hosts a charity golf tournament primarily benefitting Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services, St, Anne’s Human Services and Westborough Food Pantry, donating over $385,000 in her district in the past seven years. Hannah is a Trustee for the Seven Hills Foundation and serves as Board Chair for Andover Newton Seminary at Yale Divinity School in New Haven, CT. Hannah is past President of the Shrewsbury Development Corporation and a former board member of Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services.

Hannah serves as the Ranking Minority Member of both the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing and the Joint Committee on Public Health and she is also a Member of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery and the new Joint Committee on Racial Equity, Civil Rights and Inclusion. Hannah is an advisory board member of the 495/MetroWest Partnership, a member of the India Society of Worcester, a member of the Central MA Opioid Task Force and a State Director for the national Women in Government Foundation. Hannah is an Executive Board Member of the bipartisan and bicameral Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators and has led the strategic priority setting for the Caucus.

Hannah serves as Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones designee on the Rare Disease Advisory Council, the Massachusetts Food Policy Council, the Commission on Malnutrition Prevention Among Older Adults, and the Massachusetts Commission on Unaccompanied Homeless Youth. Hannah served as Governor Baker’s appointee to the 2020 Special Commission on Family Care and Child Care Services, on the 2018-2019 Regional Transit Authority Task Force and Hannah served on the 2016-2018 Special Commission on Local and Regional Public Health. She is a Founder and Co-chair of the first in the nation Food System Caucus, the second largest caucus in the Massachusetts Legislature with 146 members, and Hannah serves as a member of Governor Baker’s Food Security Task Force assembled to respond to the impact of COVID-19 of increased food insecurity and the challenges to the food system’s production and distribution. Last fall, Hannah launched the MA Legislative Caucus on Cancer Awareness with Rep. Thomas Golden.

Hannah has helped lead and shape policy on the state level, working in a bipartisan manner to grow consensus and advance critical legislation and budget priorities on public health, life sciences, health disparities, food security and marijuana policy.  Hannah greatly enjoys public speaking opportunities and has also appeared numerous times as a guest panelist on WGBH’s Greater Boston with Host Jim Braude and as a political commentator on WCVB’s On the Record, as well as appearing on WBZ TV’s Keller at Large.

Hannah was the recipient of the 2011 Shrewsbury Education Foundation Community Award for Service, the recipient of the 2018 Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services Harry S. Cutting, Jr. Award for outstanding commitment, contributions and support of the Shrewsbury community, and the first member of the Massachusetts’ Legislature honored as a Service Hero by Project 351, an organization that promotes year-long service by an 8^th grade Ambassadors from each of the Commonwealth’s 351 cities and towns. In 2016, Hannah received the Worcester County Food Bank (WCFB) Harvester Award in recognition of her partnership with the WCFB to help feed hungry people today, while working to create hunger-free communities of tomorrow, and in April of 2017 Hannah received the American Nursing Association of Massachusetts Friend of Nursing Award for her work on marijuana policy. Hannah accepted the 2018 Massachusetts Parks and Recreation Association Legislator of the Year Award in March in recognition of her work to support parks and recreation in her district and the Commonwealth. In March of 2019, Hannah was recognized by the Worcester County Bar Association as a Public Official of the Year for her bi-partisan work on the Healthy Incentives Program. Hannah received the Massachusetts Public Health Association Legislative Leadership Award in November 2019 in recognition of her work to promote a more effective, efficient and equitable local public health system. In June 2021, Hannah received a 2021 Rare Impact Award from the National Organization for Rare Disorders for her leadership in passing legislation in creating a Rare Disease Advisory Council in Massachusetts.

Hannah and her husband Jim have lived in Shrewsbury for twenty-four years and have three children, Madison, Caitlin, and Patrick. Madison attends Loyola University in Baltimore, Maryland, Caitlin attends Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts, and Patrick attends Saint John’s High School in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts.