Bill Driscoll Jr. has served full-time in the Massachusetts House of Representatives since January 2017. Currently, he serves as House Chair of the Joint Committee on Emergency Preparedness and Management. The committee was first created in 2021 to provide oversight of the Commonwealth’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to address broader crisis and emergency preparedness issues. He previously served as the Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Election Laws and as a member on a host of other committees including: Healthcare Financing, Consumer Protection, Transportation, and Post Audit. 

 

When Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in September 2005, shortly after he had graduated from Boston College, Bill felt compelled to act. He knew if he could get there, he could do something to help. What started as a two-week trip turned into a two-year mission to assist underserved communities in Mississippi facing the aftermath of the worst natural disaster in U.S. history, and changed the course of his career.

 

For more than a decade prior to becoming State Rep., Bill, provided leadership in the U.S. disaster response and humanitarian aid sector, organizing volunteers and coordinating resources across organizations, emergency management professionals, and all levels of government to help families and communities rebuild following natural disasters. 

 

He has responded to 40+ disasters in the US as well as work in Peru and Mexico. Bill has routinely been sought after to strengthen organizations and has served in executive leadership roles for three nonprofit organizations, including as Interim President and CEO of National VOAD, the nonprofit industry's association for organizations active in disaster response.

 

In the legislature, as a first-time committee chairperson in 2021, he was tasked with leading oversight efforts during the heights of the pandemic. In all roles he has worked to identify areas for improvement and then has worked to realize productive, collaborative solutions. 

Drawing on his experience as a legislative committee chair, innovative non-profit leader, husband, father, and homeowner Bill looks forward to the prospect of working everyday for four times the number of constituents he serves now and advocating for our shared priorities in the Norfolk, Plymouth and Bristol State Senate district.

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While his work has taken him across the country and world, Milton has always been home base. When he was traveling more frequently, often away for months at a time, upon returning home Bill would unwind and recharge by hiking and running trails in the Blue Hills. Having purchased their first home more than 9 years ago in East Milton Square, Bill and his wife, Beca, are proud to be part of the new wave of young families settling down in the area. The couple welcomed a baby boy, Will, to the world in September 2015 and his brother, Robby, in 2018. Bill, Will and Robby can frequently be spotted strolling around East Milton together, talking with neighbors. The boys, are of course, the official campaign spokespeople.

 

 

More about Bill:

 

EDUCATION

• St. Agatha School, Grades K-8 (1988-1997)

• BC High School, Grades 9-12 (1998-2001)

• Boston College, Bachelor of Arts, Communications (2001-2005)

 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

• Massachusetts Legislature 

  • State Representative for Milton & Randolph (January 2017 - Present)  

• Northeastern Forest Fire Protection Commission (NFFPC)

  • Commissioner (2023 - Present)

    • ​Appointed, volunteer position

• NECHAMA – Jewish Response to Disaster

  • Executive Director (2011-2016)

• National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD)

  • Interim President and CEO (May 2015- May 2016)

  • Elected Board Member (2012-2015)

  • Appointed Member Representative (2009-2015)

• All Hands Volunteers (formerly Hands On Disaster Response)

  • Director of U.S. Operations (2007-2011)

• Persevere Disaster Relief

  • Founder and Executive Director (2006-2007)

  • AmeriCorps member (2006-2007)

• ​Hands on USA (2005)

• • Katrina Relief Project and Fleet Management Volunteer

• Showcase Cinema, Randolph, MA

  • (Summer 2003)

 

RECOGNITION

• BC High, St. Ignatius Award, 2012

• Boston College, Young Alumni Award, 2006

• Presidential Call to Service Award, 2006

  • Presented by First Lady Laura Bush

• Boston Celtics Heroes Among Us Award, 2005

• Most Versatile Player, Twins, Milton Little League, 1995

 

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