Terie Norelli is currently serving as the first female Democratic Speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives. This is her sixth term in the House. A graduate of the University of New Hampshire, she was awarded her Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics Education summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa.  Prior to her run for the legislature, Norelli was a high school mathematics educator at Winnacunnet High School in Hampton, New Hampshire.

First elected to the legislature in 1996, Norelli has served as the chair of the Portsmouth legislative delegation and as the ranking Democrat on the House Science, Technology and Energy Committee, where she was the chair of the Clean Air Subcommittee and was intimately involved in the restructuring of the electric industry and reducing harmful air emissions. She has also served on the House Finance Committee. Norelli has been a member of House Democratic leadership for eight years and co-chaired the Reproductive Rights Caucus for 10 years.

During her tenure she has been a leader in fighting for reproductive rights and other women’s issues, economic and civil rights, and the environment. She was a prime sponsor of the Healthy Families Campaign legislation, which would have used revenue from an increased tobacco tax for healthcare and tobacco prevention funding. She has also supported legislation to ban smoking in restaurants, as well as efforts to reduce underage drinking and ensure access to treatment for alcohol addiction. 

Norelli has long been committed to women’s advocacy. She has served as chair of both the Sexual Assault Support Services Board of Directors and NARAL-NH PAC Board of Directors. She has also served on the advisory board of the Portsmouth Feminist Health Center.  She attended the 4th World Conference on Women in Beijing, China in l995, and helped to organize follow-up conferences in New Hampshire in 1996 and 2000.

She has received several awards for her work in the legislature, including the Champion of Choice Award from NARAL-NH. She was named Legislator of the Year by the Women’s Lobby and the National Association of Social Workers, and received the Public Service Award from the Bi-State Primary Care Association.

Norelli has lived in Portsmouth for 26 years with her husband, Allen, daughter, Gina, and son, Daniel.