Rachel ShawRachel Shaw

Rachel was born and raised in Massachusetts. She attended the Massachusetts Maritime Academy studying Emergency Management and Homeland Security while serving in the Massachusetts Army National Guard as a Combat Engineer. She worked in HAZMAT response, responding to oil and chemical spills all over the East Coast. At the age of 26, she moved to Savannah, Georgia where she continued her work in HAZMAT for a time, until starting my own small construction business in 2018. It was then that she met her wife Hannah and her step-daughter. They later had a son and decided to move to Bennington in 2023.

Since moving here, she has worked in the hospitality industry. She has learned first-hand about our incredible ecotourism economy and the small businesses that contribute so much to our vibrant mountain communities. Raising a family is never an easy feat, but with a community that constantly has your back, it certainly makes things easier. Like many other working Vermonters, her children benefit from both Dr. Dynasaur and the childcare subsidies. She believes it is important that families continue to be able to access these important social programs, and that we continue to work to support each other. Bringing affordable housing to our communities, protecting rural Vermont’s schools and land rights, bringing doctors to our hospitals, and fighting for universal primary care are all things you can expect from her.

Meeting people in our community has filled her with an immense amount of hope. Learning about our history and the future we are building has motivated her. Every Vermonter deserves to feel heard and supported by our government, and it is this idea that makes her proud to be a candidate. She hopes to engage with every Vermonter as we work together to build a prosperous future.