Northeastern Illinois University’s December 2024 Commencement speaker will be former Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County Iris Y. Martinez.
The ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 15 at Credit Union 1 Arena, 525 S. Racine Ave., in Chicago. Tickets are required and made available only to graduates and their guests. The ceremony will be livestreamed at neiu.edu/commencement.
Martinez’s time as an elected official began on Jan. 8, 2003, when she was sworn in as the first Latina elected to the Illinois State Senate, representing the people of the 20th Legislative District. She made history once again by serving as Assistant Majority Leader from 2007-2008, a position never before held by a Latina. Martinez was named Majority Caucus Whip in 2013 and became Assistant Majority Leader again in 2018. On Nov. 3, 2020, Martinez was elected as the first Latina Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, the largest of the 24 judicial circuits in Illinois as well as one of the largest unified court systems in the world.
Martinez earned her bachelor of arts degree from Northeastern (’09 Nontraditional Degree Programs, University Without Walls) and was honored by the University earlier this year as the 2024 Distinguished Alumna, the highest honor the University bestows upon a graduate. She earned her degree while serving as a State Senator and raising her daughter, Jacklyn Nicole.
“Iris is a fierce advocate for affordable housing, expanding access to healthcare, improving care for seniors and differently abled populations, and education,” said Northeastern President Katrina E. Bell-Jordan. “She fought for the Grow Your Own Illinois initiative to support individuals who want to teach in or near their home communities and has supported the Golden Apple Scholars Program in Illinois to prepare aspiring educators to effectively teach in Illinois schools-of-need. Iris championed a law allowing people who are not comfortable speaking or understanding English, as well as those who have trouble hearing, to get assistance from an interpreter in a courtroom. She also spearheaded a law to ensure that all healthcare facilities treating Medicaid patients in managed care plans develop and implement language services.”
In her tenure as Clerk, Martinez prioritized modernizing court operations through technology, enhancing transparency and safeguarding the public during the COVID-19 pandemic. She championed legislation to protect the identities of child and adult victims of sex crimes and played a pivotal role as one of the founding members of Illinois Unidos, uniting over 200 Latino leaders to combat the spread of COVID-19.
Among her many accomplishments, Martinez served as President of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators, and is formerly the 4th Congressional District State Central Committeewoman for the Democratic Party of Illinois, the City of Chicago’s 33rd Ward Democratic Committeeperson, and Chairwoman of the Hispanic Caucus for the Democratic National Committee.
Iris Y. Martinez
