Senator Kimberly Lightford Contact information

Kimberly Ann Lightford, born on May 10, 1968, is a Democratic member of the Illinois Senate, representing the 4th district since 1998. She is currently the Senate Majority Leader and serves on several committees including Labor, Education, Executive, Financial Institutions, and Redistricting. She is also the chair of the Senate Black Caucus and co-chair of the Illinois Commission of Intergovernmental Cooperation.

Lightford was born in Chicago, Illinois, and moved with her family to the suburb of Maywood, Illinois, at a young age. She attended Proviso East High School where she was active in the Student Council. After high school, she enrolled at Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois, where she studied human relations and management with a minor in African American studies.

After graduation, Lightford’s first job was with the Secretary of State’s Office. She then decided to pursue an advanced degree and enrolled at Sangamon State University in Springfield, majoring in public administration. During her time there, she interned with the Illinois House of Representatives.

Lightford became a Trustee of the Village of Maywood and, in 1998, was elected to the Illinois State Senate. She has been a longtime champion in the Senate for education, working families, and women’s issues. She was instrumental in passing a bill that would allow criminal background checks on Local School Council members and is also known for her support of the Moment of Silence Bill which made it mandatory for schools to have a moment of silence every day.

In 2018, Governor-elect J. B. Pritzker appointed Lightford to the Educational Success transition committee, which is responsible for state education policy. After Illinois Senate President John Cullerton announced his retirement, Lightford became a candidate to replace him. If she had been selected, she would have been the first woman to hold the position. However, she was ultimately beaten out for the position by Don Harmon.

Lightford was the victim of a carjacking on December 22, 2021, during which her husband was shot at. Her husband returned gunfire at the carjackers. She said, “I thought for sure they were gonna shoot me down… It was a lot of shots being fired. I think they were shooting at my husband and me and luckily enough my husband is concealed and carry and he was able to protect us.”

Lightford lives in Maywood with her son, Isaiah.