Tonya Schuitmaker (born March 10, 1968) is an American politician. She is a member of the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

party who represented the 26th district of the Michigan Senate from 2011 to 2018. She was the President Pro Tempore of the Senate for the duration of her term in office. Prior to her election to the Senate, she served three terms in the

Michigan State House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 U ...

. She was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in November 2004, 2006, and 2008. In that time she represented Michigan's 80th House District, which included Van Buren County, the city of Otsego, and the townships of Otsego and Watson in Allegan County. She was a candidate for

Attorney General of Michigan The Attorney General of the State of Michigan is the fourth-ranking official in the U.S. state of Michigan. The officeholder is elected statewide in the November general election alongside the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, m ...

in the 2018 election.

Education

Schuitmaker graduated in 1986 from Mattawan High School. She earned a B.A. in business from Michigan State University in 1990 and a J.D. from the

Detroit College of Law The Michigan State University College of Law (Michigan State Law or MSU Law) is the law school of Michigan State University, a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan. Established in 1891 as the Detroit College of Law, it was the ...

in 1993.

Professional career

Schuitmaker was a partner in her family's law firm of Schuitmaker, Cooper and Schuitmaker. At her family's firm, Schuitmaker focused on estate, family, business and governmental law. She is licensed to practice law in Michigan, Florida, and Illinois. Prior to her election to the Michigan House of Representatives, Schuitmaker unsuccessfully ran for an open Van Buren County Circuit Judge seat in 1996.

Community involvement

Schuitmaker has served on the State of Michigan Board of Medicine, the Van Buren Community Mental Health Board, and the Intercare Community Health Network. She is also a member of the Van Buren County Community Corrections Advisory Board. Schuitmaker is involved with the Paw Paw Rotary, the Paw Paw Optimist Club, Daughters of the American Revolution, and the

Farm Bureau The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), also known as Farm Bureau Insurance and Farm Bureau Inc. but more commonly just the Farm Bureau (FB), is a United States-based insurance company and lobbying group that represents the American agr ...

. She has also served as president of the Van Buren County Republican Women and as Vice-Chair for Van Buren County Republicans. Schuitmaker was named a 2014 Aspen Institute Rodel Fellow.

Personal life

Schuitmaker, her husband Steve, and their two children, Jordan and Savina, live in Lawton, Michigan.

References

External links