| Rep. Megan L. Cotter was elected Nov. 8, 2022, to represent District 39 in Exeter, Hopkinton, and Richmond. She is a member of both the House Education Committee, the House Health and Human Services Committee, and the House Small Business Committee.
In her first year the in the House, Representative Cotter sponsored legislation that created a legislative commission to help the state determine the best action for improving forest management. In 2023 and 2024, she chaired that commission, which issued recommendations that included funding forest fire prevention programs and more forestry staff in the Department of Environmental Management, state and local collaboration to map accessible routes for firefighting in forested lands, and helping owners of forested lands to develop fire management plans. Her leadership and advocacy helped add funding in the 2025 state budget for additional forest rangers at DEM, and led to the addition of land conservation funding to the "green bond" proposal on the ballot in November 2024. She continues to push for property tax relief and support for Early Intervention programs, as well as being a strong advocate for education, children, and rural communities.
Representative Cotter is the director of business development and category management for Foley Fish, which delivers a full line of seafood products to fine restaurants. She is a member of Women in Seafood.
She grew up in the Elmhurst section of Providence, with working parents who divorced when she was young. Her father imparted upon her and her siblings the importance of hard work and kindness, involving the family in church and volunteering for those in need. She graduated from Classical High School in 2002, and went on to University of Rhode Island, where she triple majored in English, Comparative Literature, and Classical Studies.
Shortly after college, she married her husband, Christopher. They soon had three children, Emily, Joseph, and Charles. Like many Rhode Islanders, they struggled under the weight of rent, utilities, health care, and student loans, but eventually managed to buy a home in Exeter. When that home was completely destroyed in a fire in 2017, their tragedy was transformed into a profound lesson on kindness and community, as neighbors and friends reached out with support from every direction. Rather than move, they did not hesitate to rebuild in the same spot. They and their children are active volunteers in the community that gave so much to them. |