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Camille Y. Lilly
BIOGRAPHY
Pictured above: Assistant Majority Leader, Camille Y. Lilly. Proudly representing Illinois’ 78th District in the State House of Representatives.
Assistant Majority Leader Camille Y. Lilly has dedicated her life to public service, advancing health equity, educational opportunity, and economic development across Illinois. Since her appointment to the Illinois House of Representatives in April 2010, she has served the 78th District, representing the vibrant communities of Chicago’s West Side and neighboring suburbs with compassion, integrity, and commitment.
As a legislator, Rep. Lilly champions access to affordable healthcare for all, quality education, small business sustainability, clean energy and environmental justice, funding for the arts, property tax relief, affordable housing, fiscal responsibility, police reform, and violence prevention. Her leadership style is marked by inclusiveness, transparency, and coalition-building — all focused on creating sustainable solutions for historically underserved communities.
Rep. Lilly currently serves as Vice Chair of both the Appropriations–Human Services Committee and the Appropriations–Public Safety Committee, and is a member of the Labor, Health Care Availability and Accessibility, Insurance, Financial Institutions, and Museums, Arts & Cultural Enhancement (Chair) Committees. She has also served as Past Chair of both the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus and the Illinois House Democratic Women’s Caucus.
Before entering the legislature, Lilly spent decades in community and healthcare leadership. She began her career at Bethel New Life, Inc., where she directed the West Garfield Park Families with a Future program and later served as Vice President of Beth-Anne Life Centre, raising over $5.5 million for capital development and revitalization efforts.
As Director of Community Affairs and later Chief External Affairs Officer at Loretto Hospital, she built lasting partnerships, established scholarship programs, and raised over $800,000 annually to support local health and wellness initiatives.
Lilly also founded and led the Austin Chamber of Commerce, where she created a vision for neighborhood economic growth and youth opportunity. Under her leadership, more than 500 young people gained work experience through local businesses, and new jobs were created through major retail and development projects that strengthened the West Side economy.
A proud product of the West Side and Oak Park, Rep. Lilly is an alumna of Oak Park–River Forest High School. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Drake University, a Master’s in Public Health Administration from Oklahoma University, and an Executive MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
Her professional and civic affiliations include service on the Boards of the Westside Health Authority, The Loretto Hospital Foundation, and the Columbus Park Advisory Council. She is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and Delta Sigma Pi, and has been recognized with numerous honors for her faith, leadership, and community impact — including the Chicago Defender’s Women of Excellence Award and the Westside Federation of Contractors’ Legacy Award.