Biography for Elizabeth Coulson

State Representative Elizabeth Coulson, of Glenview, Illinois, is currently serving her fifth term in the Illinois General Assembly. Coulson has received numerous awards for her work on issues and legislation affecting seniors, children and the disabled. Representative Coulson recently sponsored and helped pass Illinois' Abandoned Baby legislation that provides a safe haven option and immunity for a mother who might otherwise abandon her baby. She has also worked to expand Illinois' prescription drug programs for seniors and the disabled.

Coulson serves in the 94th General Assembly as Spokesperson on the Registration & Regulation Committee and as a member of the Elementary and Secondary Education Appropriations, Human Services Appropriations, Aging, Financial Institutions, Human Services and Fee For Service Committees. She also serves on the State's Joint Task Force on Illinois Immigrants and Refugees, the Senior Pharmaceutical Assistance Review Committee, the Early Learning Commission, the Early Intervention Legislative Advisory Committee, the Adequate Health Care Task Force, the Teen Poverty Task Force and the Illinois Children's Mental Health Partnership.

An alumna of Wellesley College and the University of Kansas (B.S. Education), Coulson holds an Advanced Certificate in Physical Therapy from Northwestern University Medical School, and a Master's Degree in Business Administration from Keller Graduate School of Management. A Ph.D. Candidate in the School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago in Health Policy and Administration, Coulson has been a physical therapist since 1977.

The Chicago Tribune in its endorsement called Rep. Coulson, “one of the easiest endorsement choices in the entire legislature. Smart, honest, independent, hard-working and respected on both sides of the aisle, Coulson is a moderate Republican whose genuine interest in public policy is revealed by her mastery of complex policy details...”

Representative Coulson resides in Glenview with her husband Bill Coulson, a business, copyright and trademark litigation attorney with the firm of Gold & Coulson in Chicago.