Joyce Mason was born and raised in Chicago and has spent the last 23 years in Lake County, Illinois, where she currently lives with her two children. She has represented the 61st Legislative District in the Illinois House of Representatives since 2019 after being elected as the first Democrat to hold the seat. The district contains all or parts of Gurnee, Wadsworth, Lindenhurst, Lake Villa, Antioch, Winthrop Harbor, Beach Park, Zion, Old Mill Creek and Third Lake.
Joyce earned her BA in Communications at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and her MBA at Keller Graduate School of Management. Prior to becoming a full time legislator, Joyce had a long career in Human Resources, working in the corporate, non-profit, and consulting arenas. She also spent more than fifteen years writing curriculum and teaching graduate level courses at Keller Graduate School of Management. She has held her SPHR (Senior Professional in Human Resources) certification since 1999 and her SHRM-SCP (Senior Certified Professional) since 2015. She has been a Professional Member of the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) since 1998.
Joyce was part of the Edgar Fellows Class of 2019 and the Inaugural CSG (The Council of State Governments) Elevate Program in 2021. She is especially proud to have been part of the very first IDCCA Candidate Boot Camp, which inspired her to run for State Representative.
Joyce previously served as the Vice President of the Woodland District 50 Board of Education and has been a member of the Board of Directors of A Safe Place Lake County Crisis Center since 2014. Additionally, she has been an active volunteer for many years in classrooms and throughout her community supporting causes, organizations, and political candidates whose values align with hers.
