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, precinct 4, and was sworn in for her fifth term in January 2023.

Hannah graduated from Boston University’s School of Management in 1993 and has significant leadership experience in both the public and private sectors. Hannah began 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 two 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 a consulting firm, and later co-owned and served as managing partner of Beaton Kane Construction.

Hannah is deeply committed to public service.  Hannah serves as an elected Town Meeting Member for 20-years, 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 $500,000 in her district in the past eight years. Hannah is a Trustee for the Seven Hills Foundation and serves as Chair of the Advisory Council for Andover Newton Seminary at Yale Divinity School in New Haven, CT. Hannah is a former member of the Shrewsbury Finance Committee, past President of the Shrewsbury Development Corporation and a former board member of Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services.

Hannah serves in the 193^rd Legislative Session as the Ranking Minority Member on the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing, on the Joint Committee on Public Health, and on the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs, and she is also a Member of the House Committee on Ethics. Hannah is a State Director for the national Women in Government Foundation and is Co-chair of the bipartisan and bicameral Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators. Hannah is a Founder and Co-chair of the first in the nation Food System Caucus, the second largest caucus in the Massachusetts Legislature with 159 members, and is Chair of the Massachusetts Legislative Caucus on Cancer Awareness. Hannah is a Co-chair of the Massachusetts Caucus of American Irish State Legislators.

Hannah serves as Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones designee on the Rare Disease Advisory Council, the Women’s Rights History Trail Task Force, the Massachusetts Food Policy Council, the Commission on Malnutrition Prevention Among Older Adults, and the Massachusetts Commission on Unaccompanied Homeless Youth. 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.

Hannah previously 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 the 2016-2018 Special Commission on Local and Regional Public Health.  Hannah served 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.  

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 enjoys public speaking opportunities and has appeared as a guest panelist on WGBH’s Greater Boston 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 received the Vic Karaian Award from the Massachusetts Environmental Health Association in May of 2022 in recognition for her leadership and primary sponsorship of the Statewide Accelerated Public Health for Every Community Act (SAPHE 2.0). In December 2023, Hannah received the MWPC Founders Award from the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus.

Hannah and her husband Jim have lived in Shrewsbury for twenty-six years and have three children, Madison, Caitlin and Patrick. Madison graduated from Loyola University in Baltimore, Maryland; Caitlin is working on her Masters in Homeland Security at Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts and Patrick is a senior at Saint John’s High School in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts.