Text Version Biography

Congressman Gerald E. Connolly
11th District of Virginia

Congressman Gerald E. “Gerry” Connolly is serving his second term in the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia’s 11th District, which encompasses Fairfax County, Prince William County, and the City of Fairfax in Northern Virginia.  He was first elected in 2008 and reelected in 2010.

Congressman Connolly serves on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. 

He is the Ranking Member of the Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform, which covers many key issues relating to Northern Virginia’s workforce and economy.  He is also a member of that panel’s Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service and Labor Policy, and the Subcommittee on Government Organization, Efficiency, and Financial Management.  As a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Connolly serves on two Subcommittees: Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade; and the Middle East and South Asia. 

Connolly is also a member of the New Democrat Coalition, chair of the Innovation Task Force, co-chair of the Smart Contracting Caucus, co-chair of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Caucus, co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on U.S.-Turkey Relations and Turkish Americans, co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Korea, and co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Taiwan.  During his first term in Congress, he was elected President of his freshmen class.

Connolly has earned a reputation in Congress as a results-oriented legislator who does his homework and gets results for his Northern Virginia district. 

In his first term, Connolly introduced and passed the bipartisan Telework Enhancement Act which requires the federal government to increase the use of Telework by federal employees to reduce traffic congestion, improve the region’s air quality, enhance recruitment of a quality federal workforce, and ensure continuity of operations by federal agencies during emergency situations.  Connolly has also played a key role in winning federal dollars for transportation improvements in Northern Virginia, including completion of the Fairfax County Parkway, widening the Prince William County Parkway, providing ongoing support for Rail to Dulles, and securing the federal commitment of $150 million annually for the regional Metro system.

He is also considered an expert on local and state government matters and issues affecting federal employees and federal contractors, two large constituencies in his suburban Washington district.  He has sponsored and supported a number of legislative initiatives on behalf of active-duty service members, military families, and veterans, including measures to protect them from predatory service fees, enhance Veterans Administration services to veterans, provide more funding to treat brain injuries incurred on the battlefield, and assist military families when they must move to a new duty station.
 
Prior to his election to Congress, Connolly was Chairman of the Board of Supervisors in Fairfax County, the largest jurisdiction in the Washington, DC metro area with more than 1.1 million residents.  Connolly served a total of 14 years on the Fairfax County Board, the last five as Chairman.  Congressman Connolly received a M.A. in Public Administration from Harvard University in 1979.  He received a B.A. in Literature from Maryknoll College in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.

After graduating from Harvard, Connolly spent 10 years on the staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he handled numerous foreign policy issues including oversight of international economic issues and policies concerning the Middle East and the United Nations.

Congressman Connolly also worked in the non-profit and private sectors for organizations and companies involved in international trade, regulatory matters, technology, and research.

He resides in Fairfax with his wife Cathy and his daughter Caitlin.