Representative Esme Cole has been a lifelong resident of White River Junction, VT. She attended Hartford High School and graduated from Kenyon College with a BA in International Studies and a minor in Biology. As an undergraduate, she studied at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador, and has since continued her education with a graduate course in ecological economics at the University of Vermont Graduate School, counting toward a certificate in Community Resilience and Planning. Early in her professional career, she interned at the Vermont Department of Health, supporting projects in WIC, 3SquaresVT, statewide emergency preparedness, and the refugee resettlement program. She spent her first years after college as an operations coordinator, classroom aide, and manager of the Child and Adult Food Access Program at a nonprofit early childhood education center. This job preceded her role as an operations manager for a music/social change nonprofit called Music to Life. Currently, she provides grant writing support for community development projects through Creative Solutions for Nonprofits, LLC. Her volunteer and civic duties and titles include membership on the Hartford Energy Commission and the board of Positive Tracks. She has also volunteered with Global Response Management at the U.S./Mexico border and served as a youth lacrosse coach. She enjoys hiking, travel, and local food.
Member of the House of Representatives: 2023–present