Liana M. Cassar is an American politician who was a Democratic member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives, representing District 66 from 2019 to 2023.
Liana Cassar | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives from the 66th district | |
| In office January 1, 2019 – January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Joy Hearn |
| Succeeded by | Jennifer Boylan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Connecticut, US |
| Political party | Democrat |
| Spouse | Larson Gunness |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | BA, communications and Spanish, University of Connecticut MPH, Boston University MBA, Simmons University |
| Website | electliana |
Early life and education
editCassar was born and raised in Connecticut,[1] and graduated from John Jay High School in Katonah, New York. Following this, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Connecticut and served as a Community Development Worker in the Peace Corps in Costa Rica from 1992 to 1995. She also completed her MPH at Boston University and MBA from Simmons College.[2]
Career
editCassar has worked in various health care and public health sectors in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. She has served as co-chair of the Barrington Democratic Town Committee and as an Advisory Board Member for the Center for Health and Justice Transformation.[2] Earlier, she was a strategy and Operations Consultant to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rhode Island and served as a strategic business consultant for AthenaHealth. From 2006 until 2008, Cassar served as the Chief Operating Officer for Planned Parenthood of Rhode Island.[3]
In January 2018, Cassar announced her bid to replace Joy Hearn as a member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives representing District 66.[1] She defeated John Chung in the primary and Republican Rhonda Holmes in November's general election to win her first election.[4] Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in North America, Cassar announced legislation to lift the ban on abortion coverage for state employee health plans and ensure that abortion care is covered by Medicaid.[5] Following this, she was appointed to the Health, Education and Welfare Committee while continuing to work with the House Committee on Small Business.[6] In October, Cassar announced her bid for Rhode Island House Speaker against Nicholas Mattiello.[7] She eventually dropped her bid in December after the majority of the House voted for Joe Shekarchi.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b Ahlquist, Steve (January 23, 2018). "Liana Cassar announces bid for Joy Hearn's House District 66 seat". upriseri.com. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
- ^ a b "Representative Liana Cassar". rilin.state.ri.us. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
- ^ Gregg, Katherine (October 29, 2020). "Freshman Rep. Liana Cassar pitches her candidacy for RI House Speaker". Providence Journal. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
- ^ "Barrington resident officially sworn in as new lawmaker". eastbayri.com. January 2, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
- ^ Lewis, Allie (January 30, 2020). "Valverde, Cassar look to expand abortion access". ricentral.com. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
- ^ "Rep. Cassar appointed to Health, Education and Welfare Committee". reportertoday.com. February 28, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
- ^ "Rep. Liana Cassar announces bid for Rhode Island House Speaker". turnto10.com. October 29, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
- ^ Gregg, Katherine (December 31, 2020). "Freshman lawmaker drops long-shot bid for RI House Speaker, slams process". The Providence Journal. Retrieved January 14, 2021.