PERSON: Lauren Underwood

U.S House of Representatives

Member of Congress

Lauren Ashley Underwood (born October 4, 1986) is an American politician and registered nurse who is a U.S. representative from Illinois’s 14th congressional district as a member of the Democratic Party. Her district, once represented by former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, includes the outer western suburbs of Chicago, including DeKalb, Joliet, Oswego, Ottawa, and Yorkville.

Underwood grew up in Naperville, Illinois. She graduated with a degree in nursing from the University of Michigan and two master’s degrees from Johns Hopkins University. She began her career as a policy professional in the Obama Administration in 2014, later working as a senior advisor at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

In 2018, Underwood was elected to the United States House of Representatives, defeating Republican incumbent Randy Hultgren. Upon her swearing in, she became the youngest Black woman to serve in Congress. In 2022, she was elected a co-chair of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, making her the first black woman to have an elected Democratic leadership position since Shirley Chisholm in the 1970s.

A major focus for her in Congress has been on health care disparities, particularly as they relate to maternal health outcomes.

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