United States Rep. Robin Kelly

Northern Illinois University’s Department of Political Science will host United States Rep. Robin Kelly as a speaker in a free event Tuesday, Oct. 13 from 1-2 p.m. in the Holmes Student Center’s Capitol Room.

In PoliSci Pathways, Rep. Kelly will share practical advice for students interested in exploring careers in politics, public service and policy. Kelly earned a Ph.D. in political science from NIU in 2004, which helped launch her own path into the halls of Congress and public service.

Kelly, 70, was elected to the 2nd Congressional District in 2013. She chairs the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust and is a co-chair for the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, Congressional Gun Violence Prevention Taskforce, House Democratic Policy Group, House Tech Accountability Caucus, and Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls.

Before her election to the U.S. House of Representatives, Kelly was a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 2003-2007. Appointed by then-Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias as chief of staff in 2007, she became the first African American woman to hold such a post for an elected constitutional statewide officeholder in Illinois. In 2011, she was hired as chief administrative officer of Cook County, the second-largest county in the U.S.

More recently, Kelly chaired the Illinois Democratic Party from 2021-2022.