| Senator Linda Chesterfield represents District 30, which includes parts of Pulaski County on both the south and north sides of the Arkansas River. She was first elected to the Senate in November 2010 and was sworn in January 2011. Senator Chesterfield is serving as the Assistant Pro Tempore for the 2nd Congressional District and she is vice chair of Joint Retirement and Social Security.
She is a member of the Senate Committee on Education, Transportation, Technology and Legislative Affairs, Senate Efficiency Committee and serves on the Joint Budget Committee. Senate Chesterfield is a member of the Arkansas Legislative Council and Legislative Joint Auditing Committee and serves on several subcommittees.
Senator Chesterfield was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2003. She served in the House until 2008. She severed in many different leadership roles in her time in the House and in the Senate. She is the former co-chair of the Local 911 Systems Blue Ribbon Committee Task Force, former chair of the Senate Transportation, Technology and Legislative Affairs Committee, former chair of the Senate Efficiency Committee and served as a member on a variety of committees. As chair of the Senate Transportation, Technology and Legislative Affairs Committee she was able to pass legislation to improve the state's highway infrastructure. Senator Chesterfield has been quoted in the past as saying "Education and economic growth are inextricably intertwined as we move forward in Arkansas to reach our full potential as a state."
Senator Chesterfield sponsored legislation for a tax exemption for single parents with two or more children. She has also sponsored legislation that promoted growth at Pulaski Technical College and for other two-year institution that are located throughout the state. When legislation comes in front of Senator Chesterfield to establish a new board; she makes sure the board members consists of a variety of people with different culture backgrounds. Senator Chesterfield also passed legislation on getting funds for History Black Colleges and Universities.
Senator Chesterfield is a retired teacher with over 30 years of classroom experience. She taught 7th, 8th and 9th grade students. She is a past president of the Little Rock School Board and the Pulaski County Association of Classroom Teachers. She also served two terms as president of the Arkansas Education Association. Senator Chesterfield was on the board of the National Education Association and is the only Arkansan to have been elected to the NEA's nine-member Executive Committee. Senator Chesterfield has been president and treasurer of the Arkansas Democratic Black Caucus and Interim President of the Arkansas Legislative Black Caucus.
A native of Hope, Arkansas, Senator Chesterfield was the first African-American to graduate from Hendrix College in Conway. She and her husband, Emry, own a consulting firm, Pondexter Chesterfield Consulting. Senator Chesterfield and her husband are members at a local Baptist church. |