State Senator Herron Keyon Gaston was elected in November 2022 to serve the 23rd state Senate District, representing parts of Bridgeport and Stratford. Senator Gaston is also the Senior Pastor of Summerfield United Methodist Church in Bridgeport and serves as Vice President and Chief of Staff at the University of Bridgeport.
Senator Gaston has an extensive background in governmental relations, higher education administration, criminal justice, church leadership, and social justice advocacy.
He is the immediate past president of the Civil Service Commission in the City of Bridgeport, and currently serves as the chaplain for Bridgeport Police Department and as a board member for Children in Placement.
The NAACP Connecticut selected Senator Gaston in 2024 as one of the 100 Most Influential Blacks in Connecticut.
Senator Gaston is the founder and director of the Gaston Justice Coalition Group, LLC — a faith-based, non-profit organization comprised of pastors, ministers, churches, educators, and community leaders whose mission is to address critical issues and reduce violence and incarceration, particularly in inner-cities.
Some of his past positions include Assistant Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Bridgeport, where he was responsible for strategic policy development and administrative operations, and Associate Director of Admissions, Recruitment, and Financial Aid at Yale University Divinity School. He also formerly served as Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Council of Churches of Greater Bridgeport.
Previously, Senator Gaston worked for several high-ranking officials at the local, state, and national level. He served as a Gubernatorial Fellow in the Florida Governor’s Office and assisted formerly incarcerated persons reintegrate back into society as a legislative analyst for the Florida Department of Corrections.
Senator Gaston served as a congressional intern for the late Honorable John Lewis, where he helped to advance the cause for civil and voting rights.
Senator Gaston has a passion for seeking justice. While achieving his master’s degree in Florida, he worked at the Florida Capitol where he helped champion the cause of education while addressing the school-to-prison pipeline and criminal justice reform.
Senator Gaston grew up in a small Florida town, attended Florida A&M University and received a B.A. in Political Science/pre law. He then pursued a master’s in public administration and political science. He later matriculated at Yale University, where he received a Master of Sacred Theology, a Master of Divinity, and a Doctorate from the Andover Newton Theological School at Yale Divinity School.
Senator Gaston recently completed a Doctor of Law from Quinnipiac University School of Law, and a certification in Human Rights from the University of Oxford. He is the author of four books. Senator Gaston is the third of six children born to Moses and Mary Jasper-Gaston. He resides in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
