Representative Lily Qi

Lily Qi, born on November 4, 1963, in Shanghai, China, is an American politician who represents the 15th legislative district in the Maryland House of Delegates. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

Early Life and Education: Qi was born and raised in Shanghai, China during a time of great political unrest. She migrated to Indiana, USA on February 22, 1989. She attended Manchester University on a sponsorship from Manchester professor Al Deeter, for whom she worked as a translator when he visited Shanghai. She graduated from Manchester University in 1991, earning a M.A. degree in communication studies. She later earned a M.B.A. degree in marketing and global information technology management from American University in 2001.

Career: Qi began her career in politics under the administration of Montgomery County executive Ike Leggett, who asked her to serve as a liaison to the Asian American community after his election win in 2006. In April 2016, Leggett appointed Qi to serve as his Assistant Chief Administrative Officer on economic and workforce matters in Montgomery County, becoming the first Asian American to serve the position.

Political Career: Qi announced her candidacy for the Maryland House of Delegates in November 2017, seeking to succeed Delegate Aruna Miller. She won a highly competitive race in 2018 and joined the Maryland legislature as the first Chinese immigrant and a member of the largest female legislative class in history. She is currently serving with Kathleen Dumais, David Fraser-Hidalgo, and Linda Foley.

Personal Life: While at Manchester, she met her future husband, Yu “Phil” Peng. She became a citizen of the United States in 1999. The couple has one child.