Representative Linda Foley Contact information

Linda K. Foley, born on March 10, 1955, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is an American politician and labor organizer. She attended Fox Chapel Area High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After high school, she pursued her higher education at the Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University, where she earned a B.S. in Journalism in 1977.

Before her political career, Foley was a journalist and later became a labor organizer. She was a reporter for the Lexington Herald-Leader in Lexington, Kentucky before turning to full-time work at the Guild in 1984. She was elected its secretary-treasurer in 1993 and its president in 1995. In 1995, Foley was elected the first woman President of the Newspaper Guild, which would eventually merge with the Communications Workers of America in 1997.

In May 2008, Foley was defeated for re-election by Newspaper Guild Secretary-Treasurer Bernie Lunzer. Foley later became the president of the Berger-Marks Foundation, an organization promoting women in the labor movement, which closed in 2017. She was elected to the Montgomery County, Maryland, Democratic Central Committee in 2018 and subsequently became the chair of the Montgomery County, Maryland, Democratic Party.

Foley was appointed to the Maryland House of Delegates by Gov. Larry Hogan (R) to replace former Rep. Kathleen Dumais (D). She has been a member of the Maryland House of Delegates since December 17, 2021. She represents District 15, Montgomery County. In the legislature, she is a member of the Environment and Transportation Committee, serving on various subcommittees including the motor vehicle & transportation subcommittee, natural resources, agriculture & open space subcommittee, environment subcommittee, land use & ethics subcommittee, and local government & bi-county agencies subcommittee.

In addition to her legislative duties, Foley is also a member of the Maryland Legislative Latino Caucus and the Executive Board, At Large, Women Legislators of Maryland. She is also the chair of the legislative review committee.

Foley’s contributions to journalism and politics have been recognized with several awards, including the Hall of Achievement from the Medill School of Journalism in 2006 and the Alumni Merit Award from Northwestern University in 2007.