Executive Vice President

2023-2025

A civil rights activist for over 40 years, Betty Magness was a Facilitator for the 1996 Democratic National Committee Training Academy and first African American elected State Chair of the Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization (IVI-IPO).

Currently, she is Co-Chair of Chicago Women Take Action (CWTA) and the Illinois Political Director of National Rainbow PUSH Coalition, as well as Vice Chair of Program for IVI-IPO. Betty is also a member of the Policy Council of Citizens Action Illinois.

In November 2020, Betty was awarded the “Spirit of 76” award from IVI-IPO. In June 2022, she received the inaugural Jane Adams Woman of Vision Award from the National Council of Jewish Women North Shore.

Betty has worked with the League of Women Voters for the past several years on voter registration. In January 2020, she represented the League at the Chicago in Focus program on the importance of the 2020 Census. Betty has served on the LWV Chicago Board of Directors since 2020. She previously served as Vice President of Citizen Engagement from 2021 to 2023.