Deb is a former Selectman in the Town of Brookline where she became its Chair. She has maintained her commitment to local communities and grass roots organizing by serving as a Commissioner on Brookline’s Neighborhood Conservation District Commission, is a Democratic State Committee member and the Democratic National Committee member representing the Democratic Treasurers throughout the country.

Deb believes that government has an important role to play in improving people’s lives. Whether in saving taxpayer dollars through smart debt management to ensuring high school students learn how to budget and avoid debt, she has shown she is qualified to manage the business of the Treasurer’s office. The Boston Globe and the Boston Business Journal have both recognized her for her achievements.

Deb is a graduate of Boston University, Boston College Law School and Harvard Business School, and lives in Brookline with her husband Michael Winter and their son, Evan and daughter, Meredith.

Deb launched the Office of Economic Empowerment, the first-of-its-kind in the country, created to tackle issues such as unequal wages, college savings and financial literacy in Massachusetts.

Wage Equality

When Deb talks about creating a level playing field, she knows where to begin. Wage equality. This is not just a women’s issue. It is a family issue and an economic issue for everyone in our state. Whether it’s in the public sector, nonprofit world or private businesses – workplaces that have equal pay, family friendly human resource policies and are diverse, are more innovative, creative and more financially successful.

College Savings

Deb created a college savings plan called SeedMA for kindergarteners at no cost to taxpayers. Research shows that a kid with a college savings plan is seven times more likely to go to college. Deb’s program also supports vocational and technical training. Providing a skilled workforce will also help to keep companies growing and staying in Massachusetts, which helps our local economy and enables people to thrive. In her second term, Deb plans to expand this program to all Kindergarten students across the Commonwealth through the same type of public-private partnerships that have made the program so successful.

Financial Literacy

Deb convened a state-wide financial literacy task force of 32 experts from all over the state. By expanding the Financial Literacy Trust Fund and working collaboratively with the private sector, she and her team have already instituted 19 of its 22 recommendations, resulting in a robust, state-wide financial literacy program. She will continue to make sure that people never again fall victim to a sub-prime mortgage crisis or go into serious debt to pay for college.