Senator Cristina Castro Contact information

Cristina Castro is a dedicated public servant representing the 22nd District of the Illinois State Senate. She is a second-generation Mexican-American and a lifelong resident of the district she represents, which includes all or part of 11 different communities located within Cook and Kane County.

Her journey into public service began during her high school years when she actively participated in student groups, volunteered at school functions, and helped coordinate and plan activities in her local community of Elgin. These early experiences sparked a deep passion for helping others and working with the community.

After high school, Castro pursued higher education and became the first person in her family to earn a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Business Administration from Northern Illinois University. Prior to this, she received an associate degree from Elgin Community College.

Castro’s public service career officially began in 2008 when she was elected to the Kane County Board where she served until 2016. In addition to the Kane County Board, she served on the board of directors for the Illinois Housing Development Authority, Black History Family Festival, and Centro de Información.

In 2015, she decided to run for the Illinois State Senate with the intention of using her professional background, life experiences, and compassion to represent the interests and concerns of the people of the 22nd District. She was successful in her campaign and assumed office on January 11, 2017.

As a state senator, Castro has stood up for working families and is never afraid to ask the tough questions. She has reached across the aisle on the issues that matter most to the people in her district and works in a bipartisan fashion to help solve problems to move Illinois in the right direction.

She currently serves as the Majority Caucus Whip for the 103rd General Assembly and is chair of the Senate Executive Committee. She is a member of the Latino Caucus and also serves on the Appropriations, Energy and Public Utilities, Insurance, Labor, and Revenue Committees. Castro has served on the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) since January 2023.

She is also a member of the Future of Illinois Task Force, the State Procurement Task Force, and the Legislative Ethics Commission. In December 2023, Castro was elected to serve as Vice President for Public Policy for the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators.

Castro and her husband, Joe McKeown, reside on the east side of Elgin with their three dogs.