U.S. House of Representatives, Illinois’s 14th District (2019–present) Congresswoman Lauren Underwood made history in 2018 as the youngest Black woman ever elected to Congress. When she took office in 2019, she also became the first woman, first person of color, and first millennial to represent Illinois’s 14th Congressional District. A registered nurse, Congresswoman Underwood earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Michigan and both Master of Science in Nursing and Master of Public Health degrees from Johns Hopkins University. Before running for office, she served as a senior advisor at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she helped implement the Affordable Care Act and worked to strengthen the nation’s preparedness for disasters, bioterrorism threats, and public health emergencies. In Congress, she serves on the House Appropriations Committee and as co-chair of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee. She is also the co-founder and co-chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus and a leading architect of the Black Maternal Health Momnibus, a comprehensive legislative effort to address the nation’s maternal health crisis and eliminate disparities in maternal outcomes. Congresswoman Underwood’s journey demonstrates the power of nurses to lead at the highest levels of government. By bringing clinical knowledge, public health expertise, and a nurse’s commitment to evidence and equity into Congress, she shows what becomes possible when nurses claim their place at the policymaking table.