Oral history interview with Michael Pieciak
Title
Oral history interview with Michael Pieciak
Description
Mike Pieciak discusses his expanded role in Vermont Governor Phil Scott's administration after the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020. He explains how he and his team at the Department of Financial Regulation (DFR) examined COVID's impacts on businesses as well as hospitals, created models of likely scenarios, and helped inform decisions about how state government should respond. He describes the broad scope of the information his team assembled, covering topics from school closures to vaccination numbers to travel maps to how mitigation strategies were working in Vermont. He also talks about the regular news conferences held to inform Vermonters about the state's response to the pandemic. In particular, he recalls speaking alongside Mike Smith (then the Secretary of the Agency of Human Services) and Dr. Mark Levine (the Commissioner of Health) at the first big press conference.
While Pieciak mostly focuses on his work in Vermont state government during the pandemic, he also shares some more personal aspects of his experience, including his persistence in following COVID regulations, times he contracted COVID, and how he and his partner Will fared.
Michael Sullivan Pieciak (Mike) was inaugurated as state treasurer of Vermont in January 2023. He previously served six years as the commissioner of the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation (DFR) from July 2016 to April 2022. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Phil Scott appointed Pieciak to his COVID response leadership team.
Sponsored by the Institute of Museum and Library Services MA-251676-OMS-22.
While Pieciak mostly focuses on his work in Vermont state government during the pandemic, he also shares some more personal aspects of his experience, including his persistence in following COVID regulations, times he contracted COVID, and how he and his partner Will fared.
Michael Sullivan Pieciak (Mike) was inaugurated as state treasurer of Vermont in January 2023. He previously served six years as the commissioner of the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation (DFR) from July 2016 to April 2022. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Phil Scott appointed Pieciak to his COVID response leadership team.
Sponsored by the Institute of Museum and Library Services MA-251676-OMS-22.
Date
2023 -06-16
Subject
Source
Collecting COVID-19: A Vermont Story Project
Identifier
AudioFileCOVID-051
Format
MP3
WAV
Type
Audio file
Rights
Permission to publish material from the Collecting COVID-19: A Vermont Story Project may be obtained from the Vermont Historical Society.
Interviewer
Wingerson, Amber
Interviewee
Pieciak, Michael S., 1983-
Duration
1 hr., 36 min., 27 sec.
Repository
Vermont Historical Society Library, 60 Washington Street, Barre, VT 05641-4215
Collection
Citation
“Oral history interview with Michael Pieciak,” Digital Vermont: A Project of the Vermont Historical Society, accessed April 26, 2025, https://digitalvermont.org/vtcovid/AudioFileCOVID-051.