Hello! I’m Emily and I’m running for School Committee in Longmeadow

A strong voice for our students and public schools

  • Former university teacher with a MA in English — I will stand up for our students

  • Comfortable advocating for our students and families — in January 2025, I asked Superintendent Marty O’Shea for policy regarding interactions with ICE at our schools and it was published to our district website that day

  • Background in project and program management, so I know how to keep things moving forward, work through issues, and stay on track & within budget

  • Effective communicator who believes in transparency and accountability — I’m not afraid to raise my hand when something needs to be addressed

  • Parent of a Wolf Swamp Elementary school student

  • Committed to investing in this community which has been so welcoming to our family

I'm running because I support public education, value civic engagement, and am concerned about impacts to our students given the current administration's open hostility toward the Department of Education.

Meet Emily

Hi! I’m Emily James Hansen. My husband (Nathan), son (Miles), and I moved to Longmeadow in Fall 2023 after spending a year and a half on the Cape. I grew up outside of Boston (Newton Upper Falls) and spent 25 years in Nashville, TN. Massachusetts has always felt like home and luckily I was able to convince my husband to move! We picked Longmeadow because of the excellent school system, but we also fell in love with Longmeadow’s small-town feel. We love living in Longmeadow and are keen to actively participate in the community. With our son starting kindergarten at Wolf Swamp in 2024, I was inspired to run for School Committee.

Before moving to Longmeadow, I spent two years teaching Freshman Composition and Research & Argumentative Writing at Middle Tennessee State University, where I graduated with my MA in English in 2011. I studied 19th century American Literature and Composition/Rhetoric, and contributed essays to Poe and Place (2018) and Blood, Body and Soul: Essays on Health, Wellness and Disability in Buffy, Angel, Firefly and Dollhouse (2022). I’m a life-long learner!

Currently, I am a program manager at Insight, a Fortune 500 technology company. I love cultivating environments that empower teams to do their best work and I have been formally recognized for efforts to promote diversity and inclusion within my organization. In the last two years, I have secured $1.2M in outside funding for innovation projects. I love problem solving, process improvements, and helping people work smarter, not harder.

In my spare time, I enjoy reading, cooking, travel, British comedies, hiking, painting, knitting, and baking (I have the best chocolate chip cookie recipe, just ask me for it!).

I value public education and believe a good education is one of the best investments we can make in our children. When we take care of our students — they thrive. I also believe civic engagement is important and our community is strengthened by the commitments we make to nurture it. I look forward to working with the school committee to represent community voices as we improve student outcomes and strengthen our schools.

Important Dates and Info

May 23, 2025 - Last day to register to vote

June 3, 2025 - Annual Town Election

Vote at Community House 735 Longmeadow St., Longmeadow, MA 01106

Polling hours are 7am - 8pm on Election Day. Early voting hours will be available here.

Contact Me

Have a question for me? Want my chocolate chip cookie recipe? Fill out some info and I will be in touch shortly. I can’t wait to hear from you!