Ronni Newton, Patch Staff

I have been a resident of West Hartford for 15 years. I'm originally from Stamford, Conn., and I attended Westhill High School. I graduated from Duke University – where I met my husband – in 1983, with a degree in Political Science and Economics.

My first career was in the insurance industry, and I was a Vice President with national insurance broker Marsh & McLennan in their Washington, D.C. office when I took a “sabbatical” and moved to Connecticut in 1998.

I joined the publishing world in 1999 as a freelancer writer, and before Patch, I was editor of Living in West Hartford, Living in the Valley, and Living on the Shoreline magazines. I started working as the About Town columnist for West Hartford Patch even before the site launched.

My husband, Ted, is a West Hartford native (Kingswood-Oxford ’80), and he has often joked that within a few weeks of moving to town, I knew more people than he did. I have a daughter who is a senior at Conard and a son who is a freshman. I also have a bearded collie named Scarlett who is a constant companion in my home office.

I am an avid runner – owner of the car with the “RUN MOM” license plate. My kids are both athletes, and I can often be found cheering them on at soccer games, gymnastics meets, baseball games, basketball games, and track meets. I also enjoy reading and spending as much time as possible at the beach.

I look forward to hearing the ideas and opinions of my fellow West Hartford residents. I can be reached at Ronni.Newton@patch.com, 860-249-9624, or on Twitter @WHartfordPatch.