Kesha Ram


Kesha Ram is an American politician who served in the Vermont House of Representatives from 2009 to 2016. She represented the Chittenden-6-4 District, which encompasses the Hill Section and University of Vermont in the City of Burlington. In her early career, she was the youngest member of the House of Representatives and the youngest legislator serving at the time nationally. She is still the youngest Indian American to ever serve in state elected office. In 2016, she finished third in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Vermont.

Early life and education

Born to a Jewish mother and Hindu father, Ram grew up in Los Angeles, California, where her parents ran an Irish pub. Sir Ganga Ram, her great, great grandfather, was a supervising engineer and philanthropist in India and her aunt is Baroness Shreela Flather, life peer in the British House of Lords. She graduated from Santa Monica High School in 2004. After graduating, she moved from California to Vermont to attend the University of Vermont, where she graduated magna cum laude in 2008 with a BS in Natural Resource Planning and a BA in Political Science. She was awarded a Truman Scholarship. While at the University of Vermont she served as student body president. Her first elected position was as Student Council President in fifth grade.

Professional career

She has served as the legal director for Women Helping Battered Women. Much of her work has centered on advocacy for people of color and immigrants in Vermont. She served as the public engagement specialist for the City of Burlington Community and Economic Development Office and interim director for Organizational Development at the Center for Whole Communities. She is currently on the boards of the Center for Whole Communities, Emerge Vermont, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, and the Vermont Natural Resources Council.

Political career

Elected to the state House of Representatives at age 22 to represent the University District and Hill Section of Burlington, she represented the district from 2009 to 2016. She served as Clerk of the House General, Housing, and Affairs Committee from 2009 to 2011. She served as a member of the House Ways and Means Committee from 2011 to 2015. She served as the Vice Chair of the House Natural Resources Committee from 2015 to 2016. She led efforts to establish Abenaki tribal recognition, to create driver's privilege cards available to undocumented immigrants, to criminalize revenge porn and stalking, to establish energy siting standards, and to expand first-time homeownership tax credits.
On October 11, 2015, Ram announced her run for Lieutenant Governor of Vermont. The incumbent, Republican Phil Scott, had earlier announced that he would run for Governor. On October 26, 2015, Ram held a campaign kickoff in Burlington that was attended by many House colleagues and former Governor Madeleine Kunin. She was endorsed by U.S. Representatives Ami Bera and Annie McLane Kuster, as well as Democracy for America. She came in third in the primary, behind House Speaker Shap Smith and the winner, Senator David Zuckerman.