Biography
Rep. Poulos is an educator, father, and lifelong Southington resident, who has dedicated his life to helping others in his community and beyond it. Throughout his lifetime of service, Rep. Poulos has always taken a common-sense approach that delivers for the people he has served in various capacities. As a state legislator, Rep. Poulos advocated for a budget that put students and taxpayers first, supported seniors and veterans, championed small business, and addressed the uptick in crime on a bipartisan basis. During his first term, Rep. Poulos has made it a priority to collaborate with like-minded legislators, work across party lines, and remain committed to a moderate approach that involves compromise, negotiation and working together.
Rep. Poulos has also helped secure funding for community projects, including $5 million from the State Bond Commission to increase the size and aesthetic of the current Southington Public Library and $500,000 to cover the remaining project costs required to dredge Sloper Pond. He also voted for the bipartisan budget that cut the state income tax and voted to maintain the fiscal guardrails that reign in spending, pay down debt, and save for a rainy day.
Rep. Poulos currently teaches Spanish and serves as Instructional Leader for the Humanities at Joel Barlow High School in Redding. He is a National Board Certified Teacher, Connecticut’s 2007 State Teacher of the Year, and a 2022 Inductee of the National Teachers Hall of Fame. He previously worked for two years in a hybrid role, splitting his time between teaching in his district and working alongside policymakers as a Teacher-Leader in Residence at the Connecticut State Department of Education. Rep. Poulos has participated as a member of numerous education fellowships including the inaugural Teacher-Leader Fellowship hosted by the Aspen Institute. He has served on several nonprofit boards of directors in the education sector, on which he was responsible for scaling organizational capacity and outcomes, fundraising, and cultivating partnerships with government, philanthropic, and corporate organizations. Before his career in education, Rep. Poulos served in the United States Peace Corps from 1997-1999 in Honduras.
A 1993 graduate and Class President of Southington High School, Rep. Poulos holds a Sixth Year in Educational Leadership from the University of Connecticut, a Masters degree in Spanish Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Leadership Studies from the University of Richmond.
Rep. Poulos is a lifelong Southington resident. He attended public schools, has worked, volunteered, and has chosen to settle with his wife, Helen, and two children Molly and Andrew in Plantsville.