Hon. Mattie Hunter, Illinois State Senator

State Senator – 3rd District

State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago – 3rd District) has served in the Illinois State Legislature since 2003. She is Chairperson of the Human Services Committee; Vice-Chairperson of the Public Health Committee; a member of the Gaming; Appropriations 1 and Redistricting Committees; and holds the leadership position of Majority Caucus Whip. Senator Hunter was appointed to serve on The National Conference of State Legislatures Health Committee, is Co-chair of The Council of State Government Health Policy Task Force and sits on numerous health care agencies and committees.

A native Chicagoan, Senator Hunter attended Monmouth College, Illinois (B.A. – Government) and Jackson State University, Mississippi (M.A. – Sociology).  She is a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor and Prevention Specialist in the State of Illinois and Indiana.  In 2008, Senator Hunter was the commencement speaker at Monmouth College and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters.

Senator Hunter has been recognized for her many accomplishments by several organizations across the country. In 2006, she was appointed a Lifetime Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and named Legislator of the Year by numerous organizations in the field of health care, youth, child welfare, and education to name a few.

Ms. Hunter has been active in the political arena since she was a teenager and has served as a legislative intern for Congressman Ralph Metcalfe, political strategist for Mayor Harold Washington and as a Delegate for the 2004 and 2008 political campaigns as well as numerous volunteer committees on the local, state and national level.

Senator Mattie Hunter is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (Theta Omega Chapter), Eta Phi Beta Sorority (Alpha Lambda Chapter), Central Credit Union of Illinois Board of Directors, the Health Policy Institute’s National Advisory Committee of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies of Washington, D.C., Women In Government, NOBEL/Women, Conference of Women Legislators, Illinois Legislative Black Caucus and numerous other prestigious organizations and councils.

Senator Mattie Hunter has served as Vice President of the Human Resources Development Institute, Inc. (HRDI) (1982-2000) and Managing Director for the Center for Health and Human Services in Johannesburg, South Africa (1994-1996).  Legislatively, while creating various boards and commissions, she has passed over 200 bills in the areas of social services, behavioral & health care, social justice and education.