Ann Williams is currently serving her 8th term as State Representative for the 11th District on Chicago’s North Side. The district includes the Chicago neighborhoods of West Lakeview, Roscoe Village and Northcenter, as well as parts of Lincoln Park, Lincoln Square, Ravenswood, Ravenswood Manor, Buena Park and North Halsted. 

Ann is an Assistant Majority Leader and currently serves as Chair of the House Executive committee – which is charged with handling many of the high priority issues being advanced before the General Assembly, including the state budget, transit reform, pension reform, etc. 

During her legislative career, Ann has been a strong leader on issues related to the environment, sustainability and clean energy policy. The former chair of the Illinois Green Caucus, Ann chaired the House Energy & Environment committee for several years and currently is a co-chair of the House Clean Energy working group. In these roles, Ann has championed a number of significant legislative initiatives, including the Clean and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) and the Clean and Renewable Grid Affordability Act.

Other legislative priorities include supporting Chicago’s neighborhood schools, protecting critical human services, preventing gun violence, and restoring fiscal stability to Illinois. She is a strong and unwavering advocate of reproductive rights and was a leader in bringing marriage equality to Illinois. She remains committed to ensuring equality for all Illinois families. Ann has sponsored and supported numerous legislative initiatives pertaining to privacy rights and data privacy.

Ann served as chair of the House working group charged with implementing Chicago’s first ever elected school board legislation and remains engaged with members of the Chicago School Board on issues including pension parity, fiscal stability and governance. She is a member of the Dobbs Decision Reproductive Healthcare working group which works to ensure access to reproductive health services in Illinois. 

Prior to her election, Ann was an Assistant Attorney General and the Legislative Director for Attorney General Lisa Madigan. In this capacity, she was responsible for helping craft and implement key parts of the Attorney General’s public interest agenda, including preventing consumer fraud and creating openness and accountability in state government. Prior to serving as an Assistant Attorney General, Ann was a staff attorney for the Illinois House of Representatives and worked to advance legislation on an array of topics. 

Ann received her law degree from Drake University Law School and her undergraduate degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from the University of Iowa. Ann has always been committed to serving the community. While in law school, she clerked at the Legal Assistance Foundation, Women’s Law Project, and was among the first recipients of the Public Interest Scholarship at Drake University. As a new attorney, Ann worked as a volunteer attorney to assist survivors of domestic violence obtain orders of protection.

Ann has years of experience in the public and private sectors working on behalf of the people of Illinois. She previously served on the boards of the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence and Personal PAC, an advocacy organization committed to maintaining access to reproductive healthcare.

Ann resides in Chicago’s Northcenter neighborhood.