Wendy Mackstutis

MPA Fellows, Class of 2025

First Selectman, Town of Simsbury

Wendy is a life-long Connecticut resident, graduate of Bloomfield High School and the University of Hartford, earning a B.S. in Business Administration. She left her role as an IT Director in 2022 after a 25+ year career in information technology, including long term roles at both Travelers and Optum/UnitedHealth Group. Her many IT roles included as a developer, team leader, consultant, project manager, and as implementation manager for a large scale corporate conversion.

In 2019, she ran for public office, having no prior political experience, earning a seat on the Board of Selectmen in Simsbury, and in 2021 became the First Selectman, where she now serves. This was a way for her to give back to the community she has lived in since 1987, raising a family, and volunteering in many capacities, as you would expect of a parent with children in school, sports and other activities. She spent time as a stay-at-home mom in between her Travelers and Optum careers to raise her then young children.

As First Selectman, she has worked with and been impressed by the many graduates of the UConn MPA program, which lead her to this program. This is a way for Wendy to expand her knowledge of Public Administration and Public Policy to help better serve her community. She is the Chairman of the Board of Selectmen and works very closely with the Town Manager.

She lives in Simsbury with her husband Brian and dog, Sarge, has 2 adult children – Kevin and Leah, plays golf and pickleball in her free time, is a long-time Bruce Springsteen fan, and enjoys coffee.

She is very excited to be part of the Fellows program and to finally become a UConn Husky!