Toi Hutchinson (born May 20, 1973) is an American politician who served as a member of the
Illinois Senate
The Illinois Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state, State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adop ...
from 2009 to 2019, representing the 40th District. The 40th district includes all or parts of
Bradley
Bradley is an English surname derived from a place name meaning "broad wood" or "broad meadow" in Old English.
Like many English surnames Bradley can also be used as a given name and as such has become popular.
It is also an Anglicisation of t ...
,
Bourbonnais
Bourbonnais () was a historic province in the centre of France that corresponds to the modern ''département'' of Allier, along with part of the ''département'' of Cher. Its capital was Moulins.
History
The title of the ruler of Bourbonnais ...
,
Chicago Heights
Chicago Heights is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 27,480 at the 2020 census. In earlier years, Chicago Heights was nicknamed "The Crossroads of the Nation". Currently, it is nicknamed "The Heights".
Geograp ...
,
Flossmoor
Flossmoor () is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 9,704 at the 2020 census. Flossmoor is approximately 25 miles south of the Chicago Loop.
Geography
Flossmoor is located at (41.541684, -87.684970).
According ...
,
Homewood,
Hopkins Park,
Kankakee,
Olympia Fields
Olympia Fields is a village and a south suburb of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,718 as of the 2020 census. The municipality grew up around the prestigious Olympia Fields Country Club, originally established ...
,
Peotone
Peotone () is a village in Will County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,142 at the 2010 census, an increase from 3,385 in 2000. The city is about south of Chicago. The village is home to the Peotone High School Blue Devils.
History ...
and
University Park. Prior to her service in the Illinois Senate, Hutchinson was
City Clerk
A clerk is a senior official of many municipal governments in the English-speaking world. In some communities, including most in the United States, the position is elected, but in many others, the clerk is appointed to their post. In the UK, a Tow ...
for the Village of
Olympia Fields, Illinois
Olympia Fields is a village and a south suburb of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,718 as of the 2020 census. The municipality grew up around the prestigious Olympia Fields Country Club, originally established ...
.
Early life and education
At nine years old, Hutchinson moved to
Country Club Hills, Illinois
Country Club Hills is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a suburb and south of Chicago. The population was 16,775 at the 2020 census.
History
10,000 years ago, during a glacial period, this area was a shoreline, with a complex ...
, where she was raised by her mother and maternal grandparents. She attended Infant Jesus of Prague elementary school in
Flossmoor
Flossmoor () is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 9,704 at the 2020 census. Flossmoor is approximately 25 miles south of the Chicago Loop.
Geography
Flossmoor is located at (41.541684, -87.684970).
According ...
, and
Rich Central High School
Rich Township High School STEM Campus, formerly Rich Central High School, is a public four-year high school in the south suburbs of Chicago, located in Olympia Fields, Illinois. The Campus serves portions of Chicago Heights, Country Club Hills, M ...
in Olympia Fields. At the
University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...
, she earned a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
degree, majoring in English and minoring in psychology.
Hutchinson returned to her old high school as an English teacher.
She graduated from
Northern Illinois University's College of Law in 2014.
Career
Hutchinson has worked on behalf of the State Alliance of
YMCA
YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...
s and for the Chicago Southland Chamber of Commerce's Government Affairs Council. In 2004, she became an Executive Management Fellow in the Women and Leadership program created by
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
's
Kennedy School of Government
The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...
.
That same year, Hutchinson ran unsuccessfully for Supervisor of
Bloom Township. The day after that election, she accepted a position on the staff of
Debbie Halvorson
Deborah L. Halvorson (born March 1, 1958) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2009 until 2011. Previously, she served in the Illinois Senate from 1997 through 2009. She is a member of the Democratic Party. In ...
. Hutchinson eventually became Halvorson's Chief of Staff.
Hutchinson was appointed in January 2009 to complete the rest of
Debbie Halvorson's term following Halvorson's 2008 election to the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
. During her tenure, Hutchinson served on the Agriculture and Conservation, Labor, Local Government, Veteran Affairs, and Transportation committee.
Hutchinson left the
Illinois Senate
The Illinois Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state, State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adop ...
in 2019, and Patrick Joyce was appointed by local party leaders in the 40th district to succeed her.
Hutchinson was appointed president and CEO of the
Marijuana Policy Project
The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) is the largest organization working solely on marijuana policy reform in the United States in terms of its budget, number of members, and staff.
Its stated aims are to: (1) increase public support for non-pu ...
in December 2021.
2013 congressional special election
After
Jesse Jackson Jr.
Jesse Louis Jackson Jr. (born March 11, 1965) is an American politician. He served as the U.S. representative from from 1995 until his resignation in 2012. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the son of activist and former presidential candi ...
resigned from the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
after being investigated for the misuse campaign funds, Hutchinson announced her intent to run in the
2013 special election succeed him.
She was endorsed by Cook County Board President
Toni Preckwinkle
Toni Lynn Preckwinkle (née Reed; born March 17, 1947) is an American politician and the current County Board President in Cook County, Illinois, United States. She was first elected as President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, the e ...
, and Illinois State Representatives
Anthony DeLuca,
Lisa Dugan,
Al Riley
Al Riley (born March 4, 1953) was a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 38th District between January, 2007 and January 2019. The district includes all or portions of Country Club Hills, Flossmoor, F ...
, and
Thaddeus Jones. She was also endorsed by the mayors of
Flossmoor
Flossmoor () is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 9,704 at the 2020 census. Flossmoor is approximately 25 miles south of the Chicago Loop.
Geography
Flossmoor is located at (41.541684, -87.684970).
According ...
and
Kankakee, Illinois
Kankakee is a city in and the county seat of Kankakee County, Illinois, United States. As of 2020, the city's population was 24,052. Kankakee is a principal city of the Kankakee-Bourbonnais-Bradley Metropolitan Statistical Area. It serves as an ...
.
In the Democratic primary, Hutchinson came in fifth place out of 16 candidates.
Robin Kelly
Robin Lynne Kelly (born April 30, 1956) is an American politician from Illinois who has served as the U.S. representative from since 2013. A Democrat, Kelly served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 2003 to 2007. She then served as ...
was eventually elected.
Cannabis czar
On September 26, 2019, it was announced that Governor
J. B. Pritzker
Jay Robert "J. B." Pritzker (born January 19, 1965) is an American billionaire businessman, philanthropist, and politician serving as the 43rd governor of Illinois since 2019. A member of the wealthy Pritzker family, which owns the worldwide ...
appointed Hutchinson Illinois Cannabis Regulation Oversight Officer, a role created by the
Illinois Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act The Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (Illinois House Bill 1438) is an act legalizing and regulating the production, consumption, and sale of cannabis in Illinois. It was approved by both houses by May 31, 2019 and came into effect January 1, 2020.
I ...
, to oversee the roll out of the statewide legalization of recreational cannabis. Hutchinson will oversee relevant activities of multiple agencies including the
Department of Agriculture, the
Department of Public Health,
Department of Revenue,
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and the
Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. She will also have input over the policies of the
Illinois State Police
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockfor ...
.
Personal life
She is married to Paul Hutchinson, a Senior Systems Engineer. They reside in Olympia Fields with their three children.
References
External links
Biography, bills and committeesat the 98th Illinois General Assembly
**By session
98th97th96th95thIllinois State Senator Toi Hutchinsonlegislative website
Senator Toi W. Hutchinsonat Illinois Senate Democrats
*
Collected news and commentaryat the ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
''
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hutchinson, Toi
Illinois state senators
Living people
African-American state legislators in Illinois
African-American women in politics
Women state legislators in Illinois
University of Illinois alumni
Northern Illinois University alumni
1973 births
21st-century American politicians
21st-century American women politicians
People from Olympia Fields, Illinois
21st-century African-American women
21st-century African-American politicians
20th-century African-American people
20th-century African-American women