State Senator Gretchen Whitmer was first elected to the State Senate in March of 2006.  Previously she served as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from 2000 to 2006.  In the Senate, she serves on five standing committees: Health Policy (Ranking Democrat); Agriculture, Forestry and Tourism; Local, Urban and State Affairs; Judiciary; Gaming and Casino Oversight.
     Senator Whitmer was born in Lansing and has spent most of her life in East Lansing.  She earned a BA degree in Communications and ultimately her law degree, Magna Cum Laude, from Michigan State University.
     As a State Representative, Whitmer served as the Ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee for four years. Prior to her election to the Michigan House of Representatives, Whitmer was a corporate litigator specializing in administrative and regulatory law with the firm Dickinson Wright in Lansing, Michigan.  She practiced administrative law before the Ingham County Circuit Court and the Michigan Public Service Commission. 
     She holds memberships with the State Bar of Michigan,Ingham County Bar Association, Women’s Economic Club, The National Caucus of Environmental Legislators and the Ingham County Democratic Party.
      Senator Whitmer lives in East Lansing with her husband, Gary Shrewsbury, and their daughters, Sherry and Sydney.