Nicole T. Lee (born ) is an American politician in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. She is a member of the

Chicago City Council The Chicago City Council is the legislative branch of the government of the City of Chicago in Illinois. It consists of 50 alderpersons elected from 50 wards to serve four-year terms. The council is gaveled into session regularly, usually mont ...

as the alderwoman for the 11th ward, which includes portions of

Bridgeport Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnoc ...

, New City, and

Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...

. She took office in March 2022, after being appointed to fill the vacancy created by the removal of

Patrick Daley Thompson Patrick Daley Thompson (born July 8, 1969) is an American politician who most recently served as an alderman from Chicago's 11th ward and was previously a commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. A member o ...

. She was elected to a full term in 2023. She is the second

Asian American Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous people ...

and first

Chinese American Chinese Americans are Americans of Han Chinese ancestry. Chinese Americans constitute a subgroup of East Asian Americans which also constitute a subgroup of Asian Americans. Many Chinese Americans along with their ancestors trace lineage from ...

to serve on the City Council.

Early life and education

Lee was born and raised in the

neighborhood of Chicago. She attended Mark Sheridan Math and Science Academy and

Whitney Young Magnet High School Whitney M. Young Magnet High School (locally known simply as Whitney Young) is a public magnet high school and middle school located in the Near West Side neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Whitney Young is operated by the Chicago ...

. She received a bachelor's degree in public affairs from

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

and a master's degree in

public policy Public policy is an institutionalized proposal or a decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to solve or address relevant and real-world problems, guided by a conception and often implemented by programs. Public p ...

from

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

Career

Prior to her appointment to City Council, Lee was an executive at

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.

and worked on

philanthropy Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

and

corporate social responsibility Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a form of international private business self-regulation which aims to contribute to societal goals of a philanthropic, activist, or charitable nature by engaging in or supporting volunteering or ethicall ...

efforts. She had previously worked in several executive roles for Private Bank, BP America, and other corporations. She has also served as an independent consultant for community organizations, president of the Chicago chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans, interim executive director and board member of the Chinese Mutual Aid Association, and a member of the

University of Illinois at Chicago The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a Public university, public research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its campus is in the Near West Side, Chicago, Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus esta ...

Asian American Advisory Council. From 2017 to 2021, she served on the local school council for Haines Elementary School.

Chicago City Council

Appointment

On February 14, 2022, incumbent 11th ward alderman

was removed from his position after his conviction for federal tax fraud charges made him ineligible to serve. The office of Mayor

Lori Lightfoot Lori Elaine Lightfoot (born August 4, 1962) is an American attorney and politician serving since 2019 as the 56th mayor of Chicago. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Before becoming mayor, Lightfoot worked in private legal practice as ...

, charged with nominating a replacement, announced on March 15 that it had received 27 applications. Lightfoot nominated Lee on March 24, citing her "dedication to empowering communities and building coalitions." On March 28, the City Council approved her appointment in a 45-0 vote. Lee stated that her top three priorities for the ward were city services provision, public safety, and educational opportunities.

Personal life and family

Lee's father, Gene Lee, was a long-time political aide for former Chicago Mayor

Richard M. Daley Richard Michael Daley (born April 24, 1942) is an American politician who served as the 54th mayor of Chicago, Illinois, from 1989 to 2011. Daley was elected mayor in 1989 and was reelected five times until declining to run for a seventh term ...

. He pled guilty to charges of embezzlement and fraud, unrelated to his position as an aide, in 2014.

Electoral history

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Nicole 1970s births 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians American women of Chinese descent in politics Asian-American city council members Chicago City Council members appointed by Lori Lightfoot Illinois Democrats Indiana University alumni Living people University of Chicago alumni Women city councillors in Illinois