Senator Tammy Duckworth

Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth currently serves as Senator for the state of Illinois after a successful election in 2016 after having served as it Congressional Representative since 2012. An Army Veteran and Purple Heart recipient following injuries she sustained during an Operation Iraqi Freedom deployment where the UH60 Black Hawk helicopter she was piloting was hit by a rocket propelled grenade, Congresswoman Duckworth has been and remains a voice for veterans.

Having lost both her legs and partial use of her arm in service to her country, Congresswoman Duckworth channelled challenge into opportunity and, in 2009, President Obama nominated Tammy to be an Assistant Secretary at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. There, she headed the department’s effort to end Veteran homelessness as well as led initiatives for female Veterans. She also implemented innovative efforts such as creating the Office of Social Media & Online Communications and the Office for Tribal Government Relations.