Maxine Waters

Maxine Moore Waters, born in St. Louis, Missouri, on August 15, 1938, is a prominent American politician. She earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from California State University, Los Angeles, in 1971 after working as a teacher and a volunteer coordinator for the Head Start program. Her career in public service began in the California State Assembly, where she served from 1976 to 1990 and became the Democratic Caucus Chair. In 1990, she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Waters has represented California's 43rd district since 2013 and previously represented the 29th and 35th districts. She is a senior member of the Congressional Black Caucus, which she chaired from 1997 to 1999. She also made history as the first woman and first African American to chair the House Financial Services Committee, a position she held from 2019 to 2023.