About Ileana
Download an official high resolution photograph of Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.
Introduction
Since her election in 1989 to the United States Congress, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has proudly represented Florida’s 18th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. Forced to flee with her family from the oppressive communist regime of Fidel Castro, Representative Ros-Lehtinen became the first Hispanic woman and first Cuban-American elected to Congress and a powerful voice for the South Florida community.
A Career of Public Service
Throughout her life, Ileana has been dedicated to serving her community. When she arrived in Miami from her native Cuba, Ileana was a student at Southside, Riverside and Shenandoah public elementary schools in Little Havana, where she spent her early years. She graduated from West Miami Middle School and Southwest High School where she has been inducted in the public high school's hall of fame. After completing public education in Miami and graduating from Miami-Dade Community College, she followed her passion for education and earned a Bachelors of Arts in Education from Florida International University. The Congresswoman then founded and served as the Chief Administrator of a private elementary school. Ileana’s passion for education continued whilst completing a Masters in Educational Leadership at FIU, and earning a Doctorate of Higher Education from the University of Miami.
Understanding the issues facing South Florida, Ileana was elected in 1982 to the Florida State House of Representatives, becoming the first Hispanic woman in that body. She was then elected to the Florida State Senate in 1986. Whilst serving, Representative Ros-Lehtinen met and married fellow Florida legislator Dexter Lehtinen, who went on to be the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. The couple have two children, Amanda Michelle and Patricia Marie, and two step children, Katharine and Douglas.
When the 18th Congressional District seat was vacated by the passing of Claude Pepper in 1989, Ileana won the seat, and has been strongly returned to Congress since.
A Powerful Voice for South Florida
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has been a strong leader in the United States Congress, fighting to advance the needs of South Florida and ensuring that the nation continues to prosper. Addressing the needs of the unique community in South Florida, Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen has worked so that the pristine environment is maintained for future generations to appreciate. She has consistently led the fight in opposing offshore drilling in the waters surrounding Florida, ensuring that the beautiful ecology is maintained for the enjoyment of all members of the community. In the 110th Congress, Ms Ros-Lehtinen voted in favor of H.R. 6 the CLEAN Energy Act, which included provisions to protect Florida’s coast line from the damaging effect of offshore drilling.
In addition to preventing offshore drilling, Ileana has fought to secure in excess of $27 million to provide for the dredging of the Miami River, ensuring that the river remains a vibrant natural resource. A further $4.5 million has been dedicated in the 2008 Budget. This important work removes contaminated materials from the river, protecting coral reefs and other important marine life in Biscayne Bay.
Ensuring that the economy of South Florida continues to grow and provide economic opportunities for all is one of Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen’s key interests. The Congresswoman has been a tireless advocate in working to get Transport Safety Administration screeners located at the Florida Keys Marathon Airport, a feature which will allow commercial flights to resume, bringing important investment through tourism and trade into the Florida Keys.
Given the importance of the Port of Miami to the South Florida economy, and its position as the gateway to the Americas, it is vital that the port receives the security it requires to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen has fought to bring attention to the critical needs of our ports, which are high priority targets for those who aiming to inflict chaos on the United States. Working with the County, Port of Miami officials and the State of Florida, Ileana has ensured that the cargo facilities are equipped with security resources to keep this important piece of infrastructure safe, in turn protecting the local community and the economy.
As a former educator, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has been a strong voice for addressing the education needs of her community. Whilst in the Florida Senate, Ileana introduced legislation to create Florida’s first Pre-Paid College Tuition plan. This plan has enabled students to attend college, equipping them with the resources to reach their highest ambitions. Without this plan, many of these students would have been denied this opportunity. Continuing her support for the education of our future leaders, Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen recently voted in favor of H.R. 5 to reduce the interest rates on student loans, ensuring that education is an attainable goal for all families in the community.
Representative Ros-Lehtinen has been a strong advocate of programs that address the serious problem of violence against women. As a co-sponsor of H.R. 2876, which reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act, Ileana sent a strong message to the community that violence against women is unacceptable, and ensured that programs to address this problem continued to be funded into the future.
A Strong Commitment to Foreign Affairs
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is the Ranking Member on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Whilst serving in this role, Ileana has been a tireless advocate for the advancement of human rights across the globe, as well as continuing to be a strong voice in opposition to Castro’s communist regime in Cuba. This marks a long involvement in foreign affairs, having previously served as a senior member on the International Relations Committee, and as Chair of the Subcommittee on the Middle East and Central Asia, the Subcommittee on Africa, the Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights and as Vice-Chair on the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere.
For more information on Ileana, click here (MS Word doc).
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