From the shores of Lake Michigan to Capitol Hill, Northwestern is the alma mater of a number of politicians who are shaping policy across the nation.
Here’s a look at a few NU graduates currently serving in U.S. politics and what they’re working on today.
Brad Schneider (McCormick ’83, Kellogg ’88), U.S. Representative (D-Ill.):
Schneider graduated from the McCormick School of Engineering in 1983 with a degree in industrial engineering. Not long after, he returned to NU to pursue a Master of Business Administration at the Kellogg School of Management.
Since 2017, Schneider has served as a U.S. Representative for the 10th district of Illinois, which primarily consists of northern suburbs of Chicago.
Prior to his career in Washington, D.C., Schneider worked in consulting and started his own firm, Cadence Consulting Group, four years before his first congressional campaign in 2012.
Today, Schneider is a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means and the House Foreign Affairs Committee focusing on work in the health care system, social security and international policy.
April McClain-Delaney (Communication ’86), Democratic nominee for Maryland’s 6th congressional district:
McClain-Delaney was a student at the School of Communication, earning her degree in communication studies in 1986. She was also a member of NU’s sorority chapter Kappa Kappa Gamma.
After graduating, she continued her education at Georgetown University Law Center for her J.D.
The Idaho native worked across both the public and private sectors of government as a media lawyer and deputy assistant secretary of commerce in President Joe Biden’s administration before becoming a politician.
As the election looms closer, McClain-Delaney has built her campaign on “Common Sense, Common Ground” and has gathered endorsements from EMILYs List, Moms Demand Action and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
John Hoeven (Kellogg ’81), U.S. Senator (R-N.D.):
Since graduating from Kellogg in 1981, John Hoeven spent a large portion of his career in the banking industry. Hoeven became the executive vice president of First Western Bank & Trust five years after graduating.
Before he began working in government, Hoeven was the president and CEO of the Bank of North Dakota.
The former banker ran for governor of North Dakota in 2000 and has been involved in politics since. Following a ten-year stint as governor, he ran for senator in 2010 and has held a senate seat since his inauguration in 2011.
J.B. Pritzker (Pritzker ’93), Governor of Illinois:
Although he’s not on Capitol Hill, J.B. Pritzker has had an extensive career in business and politics. Originally an undergraduate student at Duke, Pritzker graduated from NU’s School of Law in 1993.
He launched a campaign in the 1998 U.S. House of Representatives election for Illinois’ 9th congressional district but landed in third place in the primaries.
After his loss, Pritzker spent almost two decades in the business sector and started 1871, his nonprofit startup incubator. In 2018, he was elected governor of Illinois and is currently serving his second term.
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Twitter: @taylorhancock23
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