Representative Suzanne Ness was elected this past November to the 102nd General Assembly for the State of Illinois after serving 2 years on the McHenry County Board. As a State Representative for the region, Suzanne is committed to advocating for small businesses and working families, supporting good governance at all levels of government, and being a voice for the residents of the 66th district. Suzanne is a long-time resident of McHenry County and a founding owner of the firm Forward Effect Coaching. She has a Master’s in Organizational Management and an undergraduate degree in Communications. She lives in Crystal Lake with her husband Robert and their dog Oliver.

In her time on the Board Suzanne has worked to improve: staff/board relations, communication with constituents (she held 2 town hall meetings in 2019), ensure the preservation of services that protect vulnerable citizens, while also voting on a budget that reduced the tax levy by 10% for the third year in a row, and is helping foster a new era of stricter ethical guidelines for local elected officials. She participates in additional committees to improve Board communications, and a year-long WRAP, (Water Resource Action Plan) process to ensure the protection of our water supply.

Suzanne’s work experience and life experience has prepared her well for a life in public service. As a small business owner, she works with companies to develop employee skills, improve morale, strategically plan for the future, and build value driven organizations. She has helped build local business networking groups, and started a non-profit 7 years ago that brings the skill of coaching leaders to young teens. The program has continued to grow under her leadership and has become a community building enterprise as teens then mentor elementary school kids and volunteer at a local daycare.

She has 3 adult children, a daughter-in-law, and a granddaughter, many nieces and nephews and hopes that her work will lead to a brighter future for all of them.

Policy Priorities

• Current Legislation
(Photo of US Constitution)
• Ideas
• Committee Assignments