WILTON, CT, June 01, 2022 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Honorable Toni Boucher has been inducted into Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Long dedicated to serving on behalf of the people of Connecticut, Ms. Boucher held office as a State Senator between 2009 and 2019, during which time she functioned as the Chief Deputy Majority Leader. Originally elected to represent the 26th Senatorial District, she served on several committees, including Co Chairman of the general assembly's Education and Transportation committees and Vice Chairman of the Finance, Revenue, and Bonding committee. Ms. Boucher previously served as a State Representative and Assistant Minority Leader for the 143rd Assembly District between 1997 and 2009.
As a state representative and senator, Ms. Boucher led numerous initiatives that focused on education. She also helped establish the 529 Plan for Connecticut, as well as preschool education programs for disadvantaged children, bilingual education reform, and other significant changes. Additionally, Ms. Boucher passed a bill mandating education regarding the Holocaust in all Connecticut public schools. Outside of her accomplishments in education, she was instrumental in crafting Connecticut's landmark gun reform bill of 4/3/2013 in response to the Sandy Hook School tragedy on 12/14/2012. In 2017 she helped to craft the 2017 bipartisan budget that capped spending and bonding which resulted in filling the States' Rainy-Day Fund for the first time in decades. Ms. Boucher prioritized traffic relief initiatives for all southwestern Connecticut, including its rail service, while serving on the Transportation Committee. She prevented a superhighway from being constructed through the towns and wetlands of the 26th District and widened the current roadway in its place instead. In addition, she facilitated the building of a greenway within this 30 mile stretch of land, preserved several of the remaining farms in the region and protected open space.
Ms. Boucher's many years in public service also included serving as an Officer on the State Board of Education and as Chair of the Board of Education of Wilton, Connecticut. She later was elected to the Board of Selectmen. Previously, she spent more than 20 years in corporate management. She also owned small businesses and served on the Board of Directors for a marketing design agency in San Diego. Contributing decades of experience to the public and private sectors in developing policy, developing and managing billion-dollar budgets, and staff management, Ms. Boucher also garnered experience negotiating labor contracts and spearheading fundraising and marketing campaigns.
Leveraging her expertise, Ms. Boucher has served as the Director of Commonfund in Wilton, Connecticut, since 2015. A nonprofit asset management firm, Commonfund notably manages the investment assets of more than 1,400 nonprofit institutions worldwide. Ms. Boucher also served for more than a decade as the Director of the Commonfund Institute, which was designed by Commonfund to advance investment knowledge and best practices in financial management for long-term investors. In addition to her responsibilities as a Director, she is the Founder of a family nonprofit foundation that guides her philanthropic work.
In 2013, Ms. Boucher and co-author Stephen Hudspeth published "Ethics and the Nonprofit" through the Commonfund Institute. She has also authored numerous articles over the years and has been interviewed on radio and television about such topics as education, transportation, tax policy and investment governance best practices for the nonprofit sector.
As part of her established commitment to civic endeavors, Ms. Boucher has been active with various nonprofit and educational organizations throughout the region, including as a board member of Voices for Hope, Ms. President US, and Friends of Sherwood Island State Park. She previously served on Connecticut, and the Weir Farm Art Center and National Historic Site in Wilton. Additionally, she has served as an advisory board member for the University of Connecticut Nonprofit Leadership Institute. Giving back to her community, Ms. Boucher helped fund the completion of a skating rink in New Canaan, Connecticut in 2021. To honor her and her late husband, the rink will be named the Boucher Community Ice Rink. She has also contributed to the various nonprofits that her husband served on for many years along with various colleges and universities and Johns Hopkins University Hospital research.
Ms. Boucher received a Bachelor of Arts in foreign languages at the USD and a Master of Business Administration at the University of Connecticut. Additionally, she has held Series 7, Series 63, and Series 31 certifications through the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.
In 2018, Ms. Boucher received a Legislative Leadership Award from the Jewish Federation of Connecticut as a driving force behind the Holocaust and other genocide education mandate bills and helped it pass. She also received over two dozen additional awards, including being named Connecticut Children's Champion seven times, Environmental Champion twice, receiving the Ambassador Award from the Council of Italian American Organizations in 2010, a Legislator of the Year Award from the Connecticut Parent Coalition for Drug-Free Youth in 2005, a Distinguished Legislative Advocate for the Arts Award from the Connecticut Commission on the Arts in 2002, 2006, 2008 and Friend of the Gifted Award from the CT Association of Gifted and Talented in 2013, 2015 and 2018.
Looking toward the future, Ms. Boucher plans to remain active in her philanthropic and public service work. She may even run for office once again.
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Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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