M. Jane Kitchel

Martha Jane Beattie Kitchel (born August 23, 1945) is a former American politician who served as a Democratic member of the Vermont State Senate, representing the Caledonia senate district from January 2005 to January 2025.

Early life Kitchel was born in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, on August 23, 1945. The second of Catherine and Harold Beattie's ten children, she also had four half-siblings. Born to a fifth-generation Vermont farming family, she grew up on her family's dairy farm in Danville, Vermont. In addition to running the farm, Kitchel's parents also were involved in local politics: her mother was a member of the Vermont Farm Bureau and a former state legislator, while her father was a local selectman. She went to Danville High School and graduated in 1963. In 1967, Kitchel received her bachelor's degree from Wilson College. Kitchel later proposed expanding Dr. Dynasaur coverage to children in families making up to 300 percent of the federal poverty line, which was achieved in October 1998. She has been reelected every two years since, most recently in 2022.

Due to her experience in the state government, Kitchel was appointed vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee in her first term. She became chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee in 2011 and also serves as clerk of the Senate Transportation Committee. She also serves on the Health Reform Oversight and Joint Fiscal committees, as well as on the Governor's Task Force on Hunger and the Vermont Justice for Children Task Force.

Kitchel actively volunteers in her local community and serves on the boards of the Vermont Foodbank, Bradford's Enhanced Living Inc., the Northeast Regional Community High School of Vermont, and the Northeastern Vermont Area Health Education Center. She is also a Corporator for the Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital.