Jennie M. Forehand (born December 17, 1935) is an American businesswoman and former legislator who has served 15 years in the Maryland Senate, representing Rockville,

Gaithersburg Gaithersburg ( ), officially the City of Gaithersburg, is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. At the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, Gaithersburg had a population of 69,657, making it the ninth-largest location in the state. Ga ...

, and Garrett Park. She previously served four terms in the

Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the legislature of the State of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House on State Circle in Annapolis, ...

Early life

Jennie M. Forehand was born in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

on December 17, 1935. She attended the

Woman's College of the University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG or UNC Greensboro) is a public research university in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina system. UNCG, like all members of the UNC system, is a stand-al ...

in Greensboro, North Carolina. Forehand also attended the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

, receiving her

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree in

Industrial Relations Industrial relations or employment relations is the multidisciplinary academic field that studies the employment relationship; that is, the complex interrelations between employers and employees, labor/trade unions, employer organizations, ...

in 1958.

Career

Forehand founded Forehand Antiques and Interiors and has worked as a teacher, juvenile court probation counselor, and statistician.

Political career

Forehand represented Montgomery County and its 17th district in the

between 1978 and 1994. She then served on the Maryland Senate from January 11, 1995 to January 14, 2015.

Issues

Transportation

Forehand keeps transportation issues "on the front burner" for citizens and public officials. She serves on the MD-DC-VA Regional Transportation Planning Board overseeing the strategic development and federal funding for the area's rail and roadway development. One key regional transportation roadway, the Inter-County Connector (ICC), has begun construction after years of delay, thanks in no small part to Forehand's unwavering advocacy in the Legislature.

Health

Forehand also has a passion for health related issues. She played a leading role in making Maryland "smoke-free," gaining recognition from the

American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. Established in 1913, the society is organized into six geographical regions of both medical and lay volunteers operating in more than ...

for her efforts. She was the first State legislator in the nation to propose prohibiting genetic-based discrimination in health insurance and in the workplace. Leveraging her experience on Montgomery County's Health Planning Commission, Forehand's active support for the strategic expansion of local health care resources such as Adventist Hospital ensures that community health care needs are met. As a Director on the Board of Hospice Caring, she helped create this facility, a haven for individuals facing the end of life and their families. A strong advocate for mental health services, Forehand has given many speeches on depression as the result of her mother's recovery from severe clinical depression. She was a "founding mother" of Rockville's JLG Regional Institute for Children and Adolescents (RICA), a highly regarded, community-based, clinical and educational facility serving those with severe emotional disabilities.

Economic development

As a legislator, Forehand has a knack for recognizing early on the technologies and trends that will affect her constituents and the State economy. She was a very early advocate for the fledgling biotechnology industry and vigorously promoted its economic potential for Montgomery County, introducing legislation to promote venture capital investment in start-up companies and facilitate community-based "business incubators.

Environment

A supporter of Program Open Space to protect park and recreation areas in the State, Forehand was there at the beginning as this program took shape. As recently as 2009, she successfully fought on the Senate floor against restrictions that would have devastated POS programs in her district. Forehand served on the Department of Environment's Task Force on Attaining Federal Air Quality Standards and is responsible for the first pilot program to test emission from diesel trucks. She continues to cosponsor and work for environmental legislation in the Senate.

Women

Senator Forehand is past president of the Women's Legislative Network of the

National Conference of State Legislatures The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), established in 1975, is a "nonpartisan public officials’ association composed of sitting state legislators" from the states, territories and commonwealths of the United States. Background ...

(NCSL) and past president of the Women Legislators of Maryland. Early on in her career, Forehand took the lead on issues including domestic violence, day care access, family leave, child support, reproductive freedom and greater representation of women in the judiciary. Her efforts won her recognition as a "Trailblazer" from the Women's Bar Association and put her into the Maryland's Top 100 Women Circle of Excellence.

Retirement

Senator Forehand did not run for re-election in 2014 and retired in January 2015.

Personal life

She is married and had two children. She lives in Rockville.

Awards

2009 Maryland Department of Transportation Champion of Traffic Safety 2008

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

Director's Award for Leadership & Biosafety Oversight Maryland Municipal League Municipal Super Star Award 2007 Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP) Award 2006 Greater Washington Society for Clinical Social Work MD State Senator of the Year; UMBI Biotechnology Leadership Award 2005 Citizens' Review Board for Children Champion for Children Award; Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services Clean Air Advocate 2003 Montgomery County Business and Professional Women Woman of the Year 2003 Daily Record Maryland's Top 100 Women Circle of Excellence (for being named to Maryland's Top 100 Women three times); Rockville Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year Maryland Impaired Driving Coalition Distinguished Legislator Award 2002 MADD Award of Excellence; American Cancer Society True Champion; Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Transportation Leader of the Year 2001 Metropolitan Washington Board of Trade Leader of the Year; Marylanders for Efficient and Safe Highways Transportation Advocate of the Year Award; American Association of University Women Educational Foundation Award 1999 Daily Record Maryland's Top 100 Women; Maryland Municipal League Award 1998 MD State's Attorneys Association Senator of the Year; Asbury Village President's Award for Service; The Greater Washington Board of Trade Intercounty Connector Award 1996 American Massage Therapy Association, Maryland Chapter Award; Montgomery County Medical Society Legislator of the Year 1995 MADD for drunk driving legislation; Maryland Heritage Museums Humanities Award; Hospice Caring, Inc. Special Recognition 1994 RICA Award for Outstanding Voluntary Service 1993 Women's Bar Association's

Margaret Brent Margaret Brent (c. 1601 – c. 1671), was an English immigrant to the Colony of Maryland, settled in its new capitol, St. Mary's City, Maryland. She was the first woman in the English North American colonies to appear before a court of the ...

Trailblazer Award 1993 Suburban Maryland High Technology Council Technology Leadership Award; Montgomery County Medical Society Outstanding Legislator of the Year 1992 Maryland

Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is a nonprofit organization that provides reproductive health care in the United States and globally. It is a tax-exempt corporation under Internal Reve ...

Public Affairs Award 1991

Shady Grove Adventist Hospital Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center is a 266-licensed bed acute care facility located in Rockville, Maryland. Shady Grove Medical Center provides a range of health services to the community such as high-risk obstetrical care, cardiac ...

Community Service Award 1990 Montgomery County Association of Realtors Partners In Housing Award; Montgomery County Maryland Proclamation in Recognition of Work on Program Open Space 1988 RICA Citizens' Advisory Board Outstanding Leadership; Maryland Association of Psychosocial Services Legislator Honor Roll; Montgomery County Arts Council Outstanding Advocate Award 1987

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

Peabody Medallion Award 1986 American Lung Association of Maryland Award; Maryland College of Art and Design President's Award

External links

Jennie M. Forehand papers
at the

University of Maryland Libraries The University of Maryland Libraries is the largest university library in the Washington, D.C. - Baltimore area. The university's library system includes eight libraries: six are located on the College Park campus, while the Severn Library, an of ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Forehand, Jennie 1935 births Politicians from Nashville, Tennessee Living people Democratic Party Maryland state senators Democratic Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni Women state legislators in Maryland 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians