Mattie Hunter is a Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 member of the Illinois Senate

Illinois Senate

The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the state of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. The Illinois Senate is made up of 59 senators elected from...

, representing the 3rd district since 2003. She is the Senate secretary for the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus

Illinois Legislative Black Caucus

The Illinois Legislative Black Caucus is an American political organization composed of African Americans elected to the Illinois Legislature. There are no Republicans in this group.-Priorities:...

.

Early life

Hunter is a native of Chicago. She earned a degree in Government

Government

Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...

 from Monmouth College

Monmouth College

Monmouth College is a four-year coeducational private liberal arts college located in Monmouth, Illinois, United States.-History:Monmouth College was founded on April 18, 1853 by the Second Presbytery of Illinois, a frontier arm of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church...

 and went on to get a Master’s degree in Sociology

Sociology

Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...

 from Jackson State University

Jackson State University

Jackson State University is a historically black university founded in 1877 in Natchez, MS by the American Baptist Home Mission Society of New York. The Society moved the school to Jackson in 1882, renaming it Jackson College, and developed its present campus in 1902. It became a state supported...

. She is also a certified alcohol and drug counselor and prevention specialist.

Public service

From 1982 to 2000, Hunter served in numerous capacities with Human Resources Development Institute, Inc. (HRDI). She was the Managing Director of the Center for Health and Human Services located in Johannesburg, South Africa from 1994 to 1996. She participated, coordinated and presented lectures at numerous health and human services conferences in Zimbabwe, Nigeria, and Zambia. Those conferences include Human Resources Development Institute/ South African Department of Health Workshop and the U.S. State Department Alcohol and Drug abuse taskforce.

Senate career

Hunter was appointed senator in 2003 to assume the seat vacated by Senator Margaret Smith.

As senator, Hunter has sponsored legislation to ban the sale, distribution, and manufacture of mercury fever thermometer and encouraging the creation of family friendly workshops. She also pushed for legislation that would fund a study to determine the best methods to treat obesity. To honor Illinois native, Jane Addams, Hunter helped pass a bill to designate December 10 as Jane Addams Day.

Hunter is Vice Chairman of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, she also serves on the Senate Local Government and Senate Government Committees.

External links

• Illinois General Assembly - Senator Mattie Hunter (D) 3rd District official IL Senate site
  • Bills, Committees
• Senator Mattie Hunter at Illinois State Senate Democrats