WORCESTER COUNTY, Mass. - Representative Carolyn Dykema  announced Monday she will leave the legislature on Feb. 11, 2022 after 13 years in office. 

Dykema, a Democrat, has accepted the position of Director, Policy Northeast at Nexamp, a clean energy company headquartered in Boston. 

In a released statement, Rep. Dykema said, “ It’s been the honor of my life to represent the residents of the 8th Middlesex District in the Massachusetts legislature. After 13 years as your State Representative, I’ll be moving on to a new challenge! While this is an exciting opportunity and a promising new chapter, it is bittersweet leaving a role I’ve loved and the wonderful people I’ve been so grateful to serve. 

“The residents of Holliston, Hopkinton, Southborough and Westborough are remarkable people, and I’ve been incredibly proud to be your State Representative,” Dykema continued.. Your welfare and wellbeing have always been at the center of my work. You trusted me to represent you, and I hope I earned that trust every day. There are so many thanks to go around and I’ll look forward to speaking with many of you personally in the coming weeks.” 

The 8th Middlesex district comprises the towns of Holliston and Hopkinton and parts of Medway, Southborough and Westborough. It will be up to the Massachusetts Speaker of the House to decide if there will be a special election to fill Dykema’s seat.

Dykema, of Holliston, was first elected in 2008. She ran unopposed in each general election since 2014.