Maurice West
SPEAKER | LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF ILLINOIS, ISSUES BRIEFING 2023
State Representative Maurice West is serving his second term representing the 67th House District in the Rockford region.
A Rockford native, Representative West serves as Chairperson of the bipartisan Legislative Ethics Commission, Assistant Floor Whip within the Democratic Caucus, Chair of the Ethics & Elections Committee, Vice Chair of the Mental Health and Addiction committee, and as a member of 3 additional committees.
During his two terms in office, Representative West contributed to efforts that helped move Illinois forward. He is particularly proud of his work to enhance worker skills and close the skills gap in the Rockford community by bringing over $3 million for training and youth employment. He also committed himself to being a strong advocate for mental health and restorative justice.
Representative West’s work for his community boils down to one foundational truth: creating opportunities everywhere for everyone in the 67th District. Representative West is a proud graduate of Jefferson High School, class of 2003. After high school he went on to receive his Bachelor's degree in Psychology and Sociology from Illinois College in Jacksonville, IL, and Master's degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. After completing his education he came back to Rockford and began working at Rock Valley College (RVC) as a Career Counselor for the Dislocated Workers Program. For three and a half years he assisted people within the community who were laid-off from their jobs to find new work and/or be retrained to become more marketable in the workforce. While at RVC, he received the Booker Washington Community Center’s 25 Black Leaders to Watch Young Leader on the Rise Award in 2012.
Representative West is heavily involved in his community. He is an ordained minister and an active member of his church. He's the founder of the Share the Warmth - Rockford, which provides warm articles of clothing for the homeless each year. He served as a community member for the Education Committee for the Rockford Public School Board and the Rockford Park District Foundation. He also served on the boards for the Community Action Agency, Rockford Area Arts Council and Rockford Association for Minority Management (RAMM). In 2014, the Register Star recognized Representative West as one of the 14 to Watch in 2014 for his community activism.
Representative West recently worked at Rockford University as the Director of Career Development since 2013. He is also an award-winning music composer and founder of TheWESTMelodies.
Representative West is married to Leslie and has a daughter, Brein McKenzie.