Shirley Nathan-Pulliam is an American politician from Maryland

Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

 and a member of the Democratic Party

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

.

Background

Nathan-Pulliam was born in Trelawny

Trelawny Parish, Jamaica

Trelawny is a parish in Cornwall County in northwest Jamaica. Its capital is Falmouth. It is bordered by the parishes of Saint Ann in the east, Saint James in the west, and Saint Elizabeth and Manchester in the south.-History:...

, Jamaica

Jamaica

Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...

 on May 20, 1939. She studied nursing at a number of schools before receiving her bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Maryland at Baltimore in 1980 and a Masters degree in Administrative Science from the Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins University

The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...

 in 1984. In addition to owning her own business, she has been a faculty associate in nursing for Johns Hopkins. Before being elected in 1994, Nathan-Pulliam was active with Democratic Party organizations at the state and national level, as well as with Planned Parenthood of Maryland

Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood Federation of America , commonly shortened to Planned Parenthood, is the U.S. affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and one of its larger members. PPFA is a non-profit organization providing reproductive health and maternal and child health services. The...

 and various professional nursing organizations. Nathan-Pulliam has received a number of awards for her advocacy on health care.

In the Legislature

Delegate Nathan-Pulliam is currently serving in her 4th term in the Maryland House of Delegates

Maryland House of Delegates

The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland, and is composed of 141 Delegates elected from 47 districts. The House chamber is located in the state capitol building on State Circle in Annapolis...

, representing Maryland's District 10 in Baltimore County

Baltimore County, Maryland

Baltimore County is a county located in the northern part of the US state of Maryland. In 2010, its population was 805,029. It is part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Towson. The name of the county was derived from the barony of the Proprietor of the Maryland...

. Nathan-Pulliam is a Deputy Majority Whip, a member of the Health and Government Operations Committee, and an active member of both the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland

Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland

The Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland is an American political organization composed of African Americans elected to the Maryland General Assembly...

 and of Women Legislators of Maryland.

Legislative notes

• voted for income tax reduction in 1998 (SB750)http://mlis.state.md.us/1998rs/votes/house/1229.htm
• voted in favor of increasing the sales tax whilst simultaneously reducing income tax rates for some income brackets - Tax Reform Act of 2007(HB2)http://www.mdchamber.org/docs/ss_hb2.pdf
• voted in favor of in-state tuition for illegal immigrants in 2007 - Higher Education -Tuition Charges -Maryland High School Students, 2007 (HB6)http://mlis.state.md.us/2007RS/votes/house/0690.htm

2006 General election results District 10

Voters to choose three:

Name	Votes	Percent	Outcome
Emmett C. Burns, Jr. Emmett C. Burns, Jr. Emmett C. Burns, Jr. is an American politician from Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party. He is currently serving in his 4th term in the Maryland House of Delegates, representing Maryland's District 10 in Baltimore County. Burns is currently a member of the Economic Matters...	29,140	34.2%	Won
Shirley Nathan-Pulliam	28,544	33.5%	Won
Adrienne A. Jones Adrienne A. Jones Adrienne A. Jones is the current Speaker Pro Tem of the Maryland House of Delegates, the first African American female to serve in that position in Maryland...	27,064	31.8%	Won
Other Write-Ins	370	0.4%