About Themis
State Representative Themis Klarides is currently serving her sixth term in the General Assembly representing the 114th Assembly District – the towns of Woodbridge, Orange and Derby. House Republican Leader, Rep. Lawrence Cafero, Jr., appointed Rep. Klarides as Deputy Republican Leader for the first time in 2007. Since then, as Deputy Leader, she continues to be an outspoken leader of the Republican Caucus in issues regarding the state’s financial situation, job creation, education and many others. She also serves on the legislature’s Finance, Education, Judiciary and Public Health and Internship Committees and was formerly the Ranking Member of the Insurance and Real Estate Committees. During her first term in office, Rep.Klarides was the leading proponent of legislation enacted to protect personal privacy by making “voyeurism” a crime in Connecticut.
A native of Seymour, Themis Klarides was raised around a family supermarket business that helped teach her the value of hard work and the rewards of community involvement. Her commitment to these values is exemplified through her years of community service with various municipal, state and regional groups. She is a former member of the Planning and Zoning Commission in Derby, and a former member of the Board of Finance in Seymour.
As a member of the Walter Camp Football Foundation and the Advisory Board of Fairfield County Safe Kids, Rep. Klarides is committed to improving education for all of Connecticut’s children. She actively mentors elementary students through the Derby School Special Friends Program and is a volunteer for Big Brothers/Big Sisters. In January 2005, she was elected to the Board of Directors of the Greater Valley Boys and Girls Club. In 2010, Rep. Klarides was given the annual “Champion of Youth” award by the Connecticut Coalition of Boys & Girls Clubs. She also received the 2010 “Children’s Champion” award given annually by the Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance honoring community leaders and elected officials who show a strong commitment to early childhood issues.
She is a corporator with the Birmingham Group and a volunteer with The Umbrella Domestic Violence Group, working to assist victims of domestic violence and providing volunteer legal assistance to women and children at the shelter for victims of domestic violence. She is a member of the National Fountation of Women’s Legislators’ Family Building Subcommittee focusing on women’s infertility issues.
Rep. Klarides serves on the Executive Board of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), and received their GLADD Award (Government Leaders Against Drunk Driving) in 2001, 2002, and 2003 for her efforts in passing legislation aimed at tightening restrictions against drunk driving offenders. She was also honored by the CT Coalition to Stop Underage Drinking in 2002 and 2003 for her efforts to make the social hosting of parties where alcohol is served to minors illegal, and those responsible for them, accountable.
The American Lung Association honored Representative Klarides with the 2003 Breath of Life Award for her work on anti-smoking legislation, and the 2003 Legislative Achievement Award from the Americans with Disabilities Coalition for her work combating discrimination against, and empowering disabled Americans. She is also an active board member of Connecticut AIDS Resource Coalition’s “Women End The Course of AIDS Now” or “WE CAN.” In 2006, she was appointed to the Board of Directors of Griffin Health Services in 2006, and is a member of the Residency Advisory Committee of Griffin Hospital in Derby.She is an outspoken advocate for first responders and public safety personnel including firefighters, police, and emergency medical technicians believing that the people who, every day lay their lives on the line for our safety deserve the best the state has to offer. In April of 2007, Representative Klarides was appointed co-chair of the State Fire Services Caucus and Institute in Connecticut, under the Joint Council of Connecticut Fire Services Organizations.
In addition to her other legislative responsibilities, the House Minority Leader appointed Klarides to serve on the Connecticut-Israel Exchange Commission (CONNIX), which is established under the Connecticut General Statutes to promote and expand economic, scientific, educational, technological, commercial, industrial and cultural cooperation and exchange between the State of Connecticut and the State of Israel.
Representative Klarides was chosen to be an official delegate to the New York City Republican National Convention in 2004.
Themis Klarides is a graduate of Trinity College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and later graduated from Quinnipiac University School of Law. As a practicing lawyer in the State of Connecticut and in the United States District Court for Connecticut, Rep. Klarides is a partner in the law firm of Klarides & Kaplan in Orange.
