Shanté Hanks

Shanté is a 2018 graduate of the Emerge Connecticut program and is currently on the Board of Directors. She was a candidate for State House for District 126 in 2018.
Hailing from Bridgeport, Shanté is a scholar with broad range of training: she earned her bachelor’s degree in history and secondary education from Clark Atlanta University, her master’s degree in elementary education and 6th year professional degree from Southern Connecticut State University, her doctoral degree in education from the University of Bridgeport, and she attened the Yale Women’s Campaign School.
Shanté’s political career is underscored by her eight-year tenure as Deputy District Director for Rep. Jim Himes from 2008 to 2017, when she also served as the American Recovery Reinvestment Act Recovery Director. Prior to working for Rep. Himes, Shanté worked for the State of Connecticut in Higher Education at Southern Connecticut State University in the Department of Housing.
Shanté is currently serving as Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Housing. She is responsible for National Disaster Resiliency and the communities affected by Hurricanes Sandy and Irene, as well as continuing to make certain Connecticut is a national leader in eradicating homelessness.
Shanté has also previous served on the Bridgeport Public Housing Authority Board Commission, the Connecticut Housing Coalition Board, Opening Doors Fairfield County, and the Bridgeport Regional Business Council (BRBC) Green Business Award nominating committee. In addition, Shanté volunteers with numerous community organizations, serves on the Executive Board of Emerge Connecticut and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Connecticut’s Advisory Board.