Matthew Hartman

Chief of Staff

Matt joined Senator Jehlen’s staff in January of 2016 as Chief of Staff, having previously worked for Senator Ken Donnelly of Arlington. A former long-term resident of Somerville with continuing ties to the community, Matt has participated in many local civic activities. He oversees the day-to-day operations of Sen. Jehlen’s office. He has worked in several state offices in the House and Senate as well as the Federal District Court for the District of Rhode Island.

Matt graduated from Suffolk University Law School in 2012 where he was a Rappaport Fellow in Law and Public Policy working in the Administration of Governor Deval Patrick. He is a member of the Massachusetts Bar.

Vicki Halal

Senior Policy Director

As Senior Policy Director, Vicki assists Senator Jehlen with managing legislation that comes before the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs and  the Joint Committee on Education. Additionally, she works on informational events in the district related to these policy areas, meets with constituents and advocates, and keeps up to date with emerging issues, data, and policy concerns related to the  growing demographic of citizens over 60 as well as the education system in Massachusetts.

Vicki is a graduate of Boston University (BA in Literature) and the University of Massachusetts Boston (MA in Applied Linguistics) and has had a career in teaching at UMass Boston as well as SCALE in Somerville. She lives in Medford.

Laura Gómez arango

Communications Director

Laura joined Senator Jehlen’s staff as Communications Director in January 2021. She grew up in Malden and attended UMass Amherst. She graduated in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a minor in Sociology. After graduation Laura ran a successful Councilor-at-Large race in Melrose. She is excited to be part of the team and eager to serve the community.

Rachel Clinton

Constituent Services Director

Rachel Clinton started working for Senator Jehlen’s office in November of 2019 as a Constituent Services Director. She graduated from Western New England University in 2017 with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and a minor in Psychology. During her time there she interned with the Springfield County Court House as a Victim Witness Advocate and gained valuable insight into the court system. Rachel worked in Somerville for over a year with the Somerville Homeless Coalition as a housing search case manager. She is passionate about advocating for affordable and lawful housing opportunities. A long term goal is to work on criminal justice reform as she progresses through her career. Rachel is very excited to be a part of Senator Jehlen’s team and serve the community