Shontel Monique Brown (born June 24, 1975) is an American politician who has served as the U.S. representative for

Ohio's 11th congressional district Ohio's 11th congressional district encompasses portions of Cuyahoga County in Northeast Ohio, the Northeast part of the state—including most of the majority-black precincts in Cleveland. It has been represented by Shontel Brown since 2021. ...

since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Brown previously served as a member of the

Cuyahoga County Council The Cuyahoga County Council is the legislative branch of the government of Cuyahoga County in Ohio. Cuyahoga, along with Summit, is one of only two of Ohio's 88 counties not governed by a three-member commission. The council and county executi ...

, representing the 9th district. She won her congressional seat in a

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

on November 2, 2021, after Marcia Fudge resigned to become

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development The United States secretary of housing and urban development (or HUD secretary) is the head of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, a member of the president's Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture ...

Early life and education

Brown earned an Associate of Science degree in business management from

Cuyahoga Community College Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) is a public community college in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Founded in 1963, it is the oldest and largest public community college within the state. Tri-C schedules on the semester basis, and offers over 1,000 c ...

. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in organizational management from

Wilberforce University Wilberforce University is a private historically black university in Wilberforce, Ohio. Affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), it was the first college to be owned and operated by African Americans. It participates i ...

Career

Brown founded Diversified Digital Solutions, a marketing support company. She was elected to the

Warrensville Heights Warrensville Heights is a city located in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is an East Side suburb of Cleveland. The population was 13,789 at the 2020 U.S. Census. Geography Warrensville Heights is located at (41.438653, -81.523262). Ac ...

City Council in 2011, where she held office for three years. In

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, she was elected to the 9th District on the Cuyahoga County Council, succeeding Councilwoman C. Ellen Connally. Her district includes much of eastern Cuyahoga County, including Warrensville Heights,

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

, Shaker Heights,

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower * Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum ...

, and part of eastern

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U ...

. In 2017, she was elected chair of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party, defeating State Senator Sandra Williams and

Newburgh Heights Newburgh Heights is a village (United States)#Ohio, village in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,167 at the United States Census 2010, 2010 census. Geography Newburgh Heights is surrounded on three ...

Mayor Trevor Elkins. Upon taking office, Brown became the first woman and the first African American to serve as Cuyahoga County Democratic party chair. As a U.S. representative, Brown supported the Build Back Better Act.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2021 special

2022

Brown defeated

Nina Turner Nina Hudson Turner ( Hudson; born December 7, 1967) is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she was a Cleveland City Council member from 2006 to 2008 and a member of the Ohio Senate from 2008 until 2014. Turner was the Demo ...

in the May 3, 2022, Democratic primary for the

11th district 11 (eleven) is the natural number following 10 and preceding 12. It is the first repdigit. In English, it is the smallest positive integer whose name has three syllables. Name "Eleven" derives from the Old English ', which is first attested i ...

. She was endorsed by President Joe Biden and the

Congressional Progressive Caucus The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is a congressional caucus affiliated with the Democratic Party in the United States Congress. The CPC represents the most left-leaning faction of the Democratic Party. " e Congressional Progressive Caucu ...

; the Congressional Progressive Caucus had supported Turner in the Democratic primary for Ohio's 11th congressional district special election in 2021.

Committee assignments

* Committee on Agriculture * Committee on Oversight and Reform

Caucus memberships

Congressional Black Caucus The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) is a caucus made up of most African-American members of the United States Congress. Representative Karen Bass from California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the P ...

New Democrat Coalition The New Democrat Coalition is a caucus in the House of Representatives of the United States Congress made up of Democrats, primarily centrists, who take a pro-business stance and a moderate-to-conservative approach to fiscal matters. As of S ...

Electoral history

2022 Ohio's 11th congressional district election

2021 Ohio's 11th congressional district special election

References

External links

Congresswoman Shontel Brown
official U.S. House website
Campaign website
* , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Shontel 1975 births 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American politicians 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians African-American city council members in Ohio African-American members of the United States House of Representatives African-American women in politics Cuyahoga Community College alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio Female members of the United States House of Representatives Living people People from Warrensville Heights, Ohio Politicians from Cleveland Women city councillors in Ohio 20th-century African-American women Cuyahoga County Council members