Senator L. Louise Lucas
Senator L. Louise Lucas. Currently serving as a state senator from Virginia, Louise Lucas is a politician. In 1984, Senator Lucas became the first Black woman elected to the Portsmouth City Council, marking the beginning of her political career. Lucas was elected to the Senate of Virginia in 1991 to represent the 18th District in southeastern Virginia. In 2019, she was elected as the first African American and female president pro tempore of the Senate.
Throughout her tenure, Lucas has supported measures pertaining to redistricting, improving background checks and limiting the purchase of firearms, regulating casino gaming, expanding health care for Virginians, and restoring voting rights. In 1994, Lucas became an assistant professor at NSU, where he oversaw research projects and secured federal funding to create retraining programs in response to the region's military and defense industrial downsizing.
Lucas is a well-known businessman who serves as president and CEO of Lucas Lodge and other associated companies that offer residential and medical services to persons with intellectual disabilities. Senator Lucas became the first female shipfitter at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in 1971 after being among the first women to complete the apprenticeship program there. She received a B.S. in 1971 and an M.A. in 1982 from Norfolk State University, where she studied urban affairs and vocational-industrial education.