Natalie Phelps Finnie

Natalie Phelps Finnie
Member of the Illinois House of Representatives
from the 118th district
In office
September 6, 2017 (2017-September-06) – January 9, 2019 (2019-January-09)
Preceded byBrandon Phelps
Succeeded byPatrick Windhorst
Personal details
Political partyDemocratic
ResidenceElizabethtown, Illinois
OccupationNurse Practitioner

Natalie Phelps Finnie is the Director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.[1] She was a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 118th District from September 2017 to January 2019.[2]

Early life and career

Finnie received her Associate of Science and Bachelor of Science in nursing at the University of Southern Indiana. She received her Master of Science in nursing at Vanderbilt University.[1] Phelps Finnie lives in Elizabethtown, Illinois with her husband, son, and two daughters. She is the daughter of former U.S. Representative David D. Phelps.[3]

Illinois House of Representatives

On September 1, 2017, Brandon Phelps resigned from the Illinois House of Representatives. The Democratic Representative Committee of the 118th Representative District appointed Phelps Finnie to fill the vacancy left by the resignation. She was sworn into office on September 6, 2017.[4]

Phelps Finnie lost the 2018 general election to Republican candidate Patrick Windhorst by a 12.9 point margin.[5]

Post-legislative career

After her loss, she took a position as deputy director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, where she oversaw the Office of Land Management, Legislative Department, Office of Oil & Gas Management, and Office of Mines and Mineral. On January 23, 2023, it was announced that Governor J. B. Pritzker appointed Finnie as director of the department.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c Bowman, Dale (January 24, 2023). "Gov. J.B. Pritzker appoints former downstate legislator as IDNR director". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  2. ^ "Representative Natalie Phelps Finnie (D)". Illinois General Assembly. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  3. ^ Feather, Andrew (September 6, 2017). "Natalie Phelps Finnie appointed to General Assembly". WPSD-TV. Paducah, Kentucky. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  4. ^ Mapes, Timothy D. (Clerk of the House), ed. (October 12, 2017). "Resignations and Appointments" (PDF). Journal of the Illinois House of Representatives. 100 (77). Illinois House of Representatives: 5–7. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  5. ^ Cox, Kallie (November 6, 2018). "Windhorst wins over incumbent Phelps Finnie for Illinois House". The Daily Egyptian. Retrieved November 12, 2018.