Mayor Caroline Simmons

Caroline B. Simmons is honored to be the Mayor of Stamford. She was elected in 2021 with the goal of making Stamford a more equitable, inclusive, affordable, vibrant city where everyone can thrive. Her top priorities include investing in the City's infrastructure, advancing economic prosperity, and making government more responsive to enhance quality of life for residents.

In 2014, Caroline Simmons was elected to represent Stamford's 144th house district. She was appointed to be the chair of the Commerce Committee in her second term and successfully introduced, led debate, and helped pass over 16 bipartisan business bills on the House Floor. She is a passionate advocate for women and minority owned businesses and has helped pass legislation to provide more grants and access to capital to entrepreneurs and startups and to support small business and job growth across Connecticut. During her time in the legislature, she was also a member of the Higher Education and Employment and Human Services committees.

Previously, Caroline worked at Yale University at Elevate: A Policy Lab to Elevate Mental Health and Disrupt Poverty, which is based out of the Yale School of Medicine. While there, she focused on maternal mental health policies to support families. Prior to that, she worked at the Women’s Business Development Council in Stamford where she helped provide entrepreneurial, financial, and professional development training programs for women across Connecticut. 

Caroline also worked at the Department of Homeland Security for four and a half years, serving as a Special Assistant in the Office of the Secretary, a Policy Analyst in the Office of the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia, and as a Director of Special Projects in the Counterterrorism Coordinator’s Office at Homeland Security. In these roles, Caroline provided support for DHS’s domestic and international counterterrorism programs and helped support DHS’s programs and budget for its homeland security team in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Caroline lives in Stamford with her husband, Art Linares, and her three sons, Teddy, Jack and William.