Sharon Palmer

Sharon Palmer is the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Labor (DOL), the state agency committed to providing the state’s business community and jobseekers with workforce assistance that ultimately strengthens our economy. Governor Dannel P. Malloy appointed her to the position in August 2012. Before joining DOL, Commissioner Palmer served as president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Connecticut. She began serving as an executive officer of the state federation in 1987 when elected to her first term as vice president. Before assuming the position of president in 2003, Palmer held the position of executive vice president for two years. She has more than 20 years of experience working as a classroom teacher — primarily in the Waterford Public School System — and in the Waterford Public Schools Gifted and Talented program. Commissioner Palmer was raised in East Hampton, and earned her bachelor’s degree at St. Joseph University and her master’s degree at Eastern Connecticut State University. She currently lives in Quaker Hill.