Karen Buffkin will serve as general counsel to Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy’s office when he begins his second term Jan. 7.
Buffkin, of Lebanon, Conn., is now deputy secretary in the state Office of Policy and Management under Benjamin Barnes, where she also previously served as undersecretary for legal affairs beginning in 2011. In both positions, according to Malloy, she was pivotal in preparing the governor’s budget proposals, monitoring the adopted budget, drafting budget-related legislation and reviewing state contracts.
“Her knowledge and experience will serve her very well,” Malloy said in a Dec. 29 statement.
Before OPM, Buffkin was general counsel for the state Board of Labor Relations. She also served for eight years as general counsel in the Office of the State Comptroller under Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman, and eight years as assistant corporation counsel and special counsel in the city of Hartford.
