CHICAGO, IL — Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton became the chair of the National Governors Association at Friday’s annual meeting, making history as the first Black woman to ever hold the position, according to a release from the State of Illinois. She’s also the first Black woman to be elected to a constitutional office in Illinois. 

According to the release, the NLGA was founded in 1962 as the professional and educational association for the elected officials who are first in line of succession to the governors of the 50 states and five territorial jurisdictions.

The release explained Stratton was elected through a bi-partisan vote and will serve until August of 2023. 

Stratton began her political journey in her college, where she held voter-registration drives and promoted ‘education for all’ in a local school council. 

She gained more experience serving executive leadership roles for government agencies and eventually became the state representative for the fifth district. 

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker congratulated Stratton in a statement from the release, saying she’s the kind of creative leader that pushes people forward and inspires creative, equity-centered solutions to the greatest challenges.

So, what does being chair of the NLGA for Stratton? She says it best in her own words: