Jolene Ivey


Jolene Ivey is an American politician who represented the 47th Legislative District in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2007 to 2015. In 2014 she was a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, running on the ticket of Attorney General Doug Gansler. In 2018, she was elected to the Prince George's County Council to represent District 5.

Background

She is of mixed-race, born to a white mother and African-American father. She was raised by her father and stepmother in Washington, D.C.. Ivey attended public schools in the city throughout her childhood: LaSalle Elementary School, Bertie Backus Jr. High in northeast D.C., and graduated from High Point High School. She graduated from Towson University with a B.A. in mass communication in 1982.
She served as co-host of Say Baltimore, at WMAR-TV in 1983. She was a writer and producer for WMAR from 1984 to 1988. In 1988, she served as then-Congressman Benjamin Cardin's press secretary. She is a freelance writer and the director of Media Relations for the Community Teachers Institute. She returned to graduate school, gaining a master's degree in journalism from the University of Maryland in 1992.
Ivey is married to Glenn F. Ivey, former State's Attorney for Prince Georges County and a well-known politician. The couple have five children.
Although name recognition may have played a part in her initial election in 2006 to the House of Delegates in Maryland, Ivey was endorsed by The Washington Post and The Gazette, and ran a strong grassroots campaign. She defeated incumbent Rosetta C. Parker.
In 2014, Ivey ran for Lieutenant Governor with Douglas Gansler. The Gansler–Ivey team lost to the Brown–Ullman campaign in the democratic primary election for the top ticket that year, coming in second.

In the Legislature

Ivey has been a member of House of Delegates since January 10, 2007. She was assigned to the Ways and Means Committee and its election law and revenues subcommittees. She was vice-chair of the Bi-County Committee in the Prince George's County Delegation. She also served in the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland and the Women Legislators of Maryland.
In her first session in Annapolis, Ivey got her first bill passed and signed into law. HB968 established the Post Adoption Support Services Pilot Program which identifies children eligible for post adoption support services and requires local Departments of Social Services to conduct assessment of the needs adopted children.
share info on House floor

Legislative notes

Democratic Primary
General election

In the democratic party

During the 2008 presidential campaign, Ivey supported Barack Obama and went to the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado as a delegate pledge to Barack Obama.