Government Resources for Women's Studies: Current Women in Government

Karine Jean-Pierre has served as the White House press secretary since May 13, 2022. She is the first Black person and the first openly LGBTQ person to serve in the position.

Statement on the Appointment of Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean- Pierre as White House Press Secretary

Secretary Deb Haaland made history when she became the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary. She is a member of the Pueblo of Laguna and a 35th generation New Mexican. 

Rep. Ilhan Omar represents Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She was sworn into office in January 2019, making her the first African refugee to become a Member of Congress, the first woman of color to represent Minnesota, and one of the first two Muslim-American women elected to Congress.

Elizabeth Ann Warren is an American politician and former law professor who is the senior United States senator from Massachusetts, serving since 2013.

Kamala Harris is the first woman, the first Black American, and the first South Asian American to be elected Vice President of the United States, as was the case with other offices she has held. 

Sonia Sotomayor entered the record book as the first Hispanic and the third woman to serve on the Supreme Court. She was sworn in on August 8, 2009.

U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth is an Iraq War Veteran, Purple Heart recipient and former Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs who was among the first handful of Army women to fly combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Duckworth served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years before retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 2014. She was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016 after representing Illinois’s Eighth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives for two terms.

State by State information, historic, and current numbers for women elected to positions in Congress, Statewide Elective Executive, and State Legislature. Click here to go to the Center for American Women and Politics in Texas.

On January 26, 2021, Janet Yellen was sworn in as the 78th Secretary of the Treasury of the United States. An economist by training, she took office after almost fifty years in academia and public service. She is the first person in American history to have led the White House Council of Economic Advisors, the Federal Reserve, and the Treasury Department.  

Mazie Hirono made history in 2012 by becoming the first Asian American woman elected to Senate. Hirono has been involved in state or federal politics for nearly four decades, first joining Hawaii’s House of Representatives in 1981, and she served three terms in Congress before becoming a senator.

Senator Carol Alvarado is proud to serve Texas Senate District 6 in Harris County and was first elected in a 2018 Special Election. In 2008, she was elected to the Texas House of Representatives and served five terms representing District 145. 

Peggy Whitson, PH.D. is a former NASA astronaut.  She completed two six month missions and one almost one year mission aboard the International Space Station for a total of 665 days in space (more than any other woman.)  She served as station commander during two of her flights.  

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also known by her initials AOC, is an American politician and activist. She has served as the U.S. representative for New York's 14th congressional district since 2019, as a member of the Democratic Party.

Judge Lina Hidalgo is the head of Harris County’s governing body. She is the first woman to be elected County Judge and only the second to be elected to the Commissioners Court.

Sheila Jackson Lee is serving her eleventh term as a member of the United States House of Representatives representing the 18th Congressional District of Texas, centered in Houston, Texas.