Corey P. Paris

Corey P. Paris has dedicated his life to public service and community activism. He holds firmly to the mantra that when society works to eradicate inequality and bring marginalized communities together in a spirit of genuine cooperation, transformative ideas can drive life-changing action.

Throughout his professional career, those values have energized the work he is committed to. Paris is currently the Chief Philanthropy and Strategy Officer at Person to Person (P2P), based in Darien, which serves approximately 28,000 individuals in lower Fairfield County. The organization supports families and individuals as they move toward stability with healthy food, clothing, housing assistance, and a path to economic opportunity.

Paris has been engaged in politics and community service for more than a decade, serving communities and holding leadership roles in both Kansas, where he grew up, and Connecticut. That work includes having served as President of the Connecticut Young Democrats, as Vice President of Western Connecticut State University's Alumni Association, and as a national trainer for the Young People For program through People for the American Way. Today, he serves on the Board of Directors of the Stamford Partnership.

Paris was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, and grew up in Kansas City, Kansas. He is an alum of Johnson County Community College and Western Connecticut State University, where he earned a degree in political science.

Representative Paris represents the 145th House District, which lies wholly within Stamford. First elected in a 2021 special election and re-elected since, he is the first African American man to represent the district. He serves as Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee, House Chair of the Committee on Children, and a member of the Higher Education & Employment Advancement Committee.

In the legislature, Paris has centered his work on eradicating poverty, along with childcare, student loan relief, child welfare, and financial literacy. He led the passage of the legislation that made Connecticut the 21st state to require a personal finance course for high school graduation, expanding access to financial literacy and the tools to build generational wealth. He has championed efforts to expand affordable childcare, including legislation to create a statewide early education portal, and has introduced bipartisan measures to ease the burden of student loan debt for Connecticut residents. As House Chair of the Committee on Children, he continues to advance policies that strengthen child welfare across the state.

Paris's leadership has been widely recognized. He has been named a 100 Men of Color Honoree, a Champion by Connecticut Voices for Children, and one of the NAACP's Most Influential Blacks in Connecticut, and he received the Council of State Governments' 20 Under 40 Leadership Award.

Representative Paris resides in Stamford with his wife, Symphonie, and their dog, Jed.