Page 5 - Degree Completion Ceremony - Johns Hopkins School of Nursing

LAUREN UNDERWOOD

Congresswoman Lauren Underwood serves Illinois’ 14th Congressional District
and was sworn into the 116th U.S. Congress on January 3, 2019. Congresswoman
Underwood is the first woman, the first person of color, and the first millennial to
represent her community in Congress. She is also the youngest African American
woman to serve in the United States House of Representatives.

Congresswoman Underwood serves on the House Committee on Education and
Labor, the House Committee on Veteran’s Affairs, and the House Committee on
Homeland Security. She also serves on the House Democratic Steering and Policy
Committee. Rep. Underwood is a member of the Future Forum, a group of young
Democratic Members of Congress committed to listening to and standing up for
the next generation of Americans, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), and the
LGBT Equality Caucus. As a strong supporter of addressing the gun violence
epidemic, Congresswoman Underwood is a member of the Congressional Gun
Violence Prevention Taskforce.

Prior to her election to Congress, Congresswoman Underwood worked with a
Medicaid plan in Chicago to ensure that it provided high-quality, cost-efficient care.
She served as a Senior Advisor at the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS), helping communities across the country prevent, prepare for, and
respond to disasters, bioterror threats and public health emergencies. As a career
public servant at HHS, she helped implement the Affordable Care Act —
broadening access for those on Medicare, improving health care quality, and
reforming private insurance. Congresswoman Underwood also taught future nurse
practitioners through Georgetown University’s online master’s program.
Congresswoman Underwood is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Johns
Hopkins University. She graduated from Neuqua Valley High School and is a
lifelong Girl Scout. She resides in Naperville, Illinois.

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