James Maroney graduated from Jonathan Law High School then attended Yale University. In 1999, he founded First Choice College Placement, a college placement program. Maroney has served as president and founding member of the Milford Education Foundation and also served on the Milford Board of Education. Before being elected to the Connecticut State Senate, Maroney represented District 119 in the Connecticut House from 2013 to 2015. He was elected to the 14th District Senate seat in 2018. In the 2019 legislative session, Maroney served as Deputy Majority Leader, chair of the General Law and Veterans Affairs committees, vice-chair of the Aging Committee, and member of the Finance, Revenue & Bonding, Government Administration & Elections, Higher Education & Employment Advancement, and Human Services committees.