REP. LAUREN UNDERWOOD (D-IL)
Lauren Ashley Underwood (born October 4, 1986) is an American politician and registered nurse who serves as the U.S. Representative for Illinois’s 14th congressional district as a member of the Democratic Party. The district, which was once represented by former Speaker Dennis Hastert, is anchored in the outer western suburbs of Chicago, including Crystal Lake, Geneva, Oswego, Woodstock, and Yorkville.
After growing up in Naperville, Illinois, Underwood received a degree in nursing from the University of Michigan and two master’s degrees from Johns Hopkins University. She started her career as a policy professional in the Obama administration in 2014 and later worked 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.
Lauren Underwood was born in Mayfield Heights, Ohio. At age three, she moved with her family to Naperville, Illinois, where she grew up and attended Neuqua Valley High School, graduating in 2004. From 2003 to 2004, she worked on the City of Naperville’s Fair Housing Advisory Commission. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Michigan in 2008. At Michigan, Underwood took a course on nursing politics that she has said “changed her life” and influenced her to enter healthcare policy. Also at Michigan, she joined the National Pan-Hellenic Council sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha. She received her Master of Science in Nursing and Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University in 2009.
