Senator L. Louise Lucas
Senator L. Louise Lucas has lived a life of many "firsts," from being to becoming the one of the first women to graduate from the apprentice program at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, where she became its first female shipfitter in 1971 to currently being elected as the first African American and female president pro tempore of the Virginia Senate.
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 she 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.
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.