Delegate Michelle Maldonado

Michelle-Ann E. Lopes Maldonado is a Democratic member of the Virginia House of Delegates representing the 20th district in Northern Virginia, which includes parts of Prince William County and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park. She is the first woman and person of color to represent her district.

Born in Falmouth, Massachusetts in 1969, Maldonado comes from a distinguished family legacy. Her grandmother was the first Black principal in Cape Cod, and her family includes a Tuskegee Airmen instructor. She is of Cape Verdean descent, a daughter of Cape Verdean immigrants. Growing up in small towns across Massachusetts, Virginia, and Texas, she experienced food and housing insecurity, which shaped her commitment to equity and public service.

Maldonado has been recognized for her work with numerous honors, including "Woman of The Year," "Top Corporate Leader," a "2024 Impact Maker" by Virginia Magazine, and induction into the Golden Key International Honor Society. She and her husband, Roberto Maldonado Jr., a U.S. Air Force veteran and public school teacher, have lived in Manassas for over 20 years and have one son together.

Education

Maldonado graduated from Falmouth High School in 1987. She earned her undergraduate degree from Barnard College of Columbia University in 1991, majoring in Latin American studies and Spanish literature and language. She attended George Washington University Law School, earning her Juris Doctor in 1996, and was admitted to the bar in both Washington, D.C. and Virginia. She was the first woman in her family to earn a law degree.

Political Experience

Maldonado has served in the Virginia House of Delegates since 2022, initially representing the 50th district from 2022 to 2024 before transitioning to represent the 20th district. Her professional background includes work as a technology lawyer and tech leader, as well as a small business owner.

Within the General Assembly, she holds significant leadership roles. She founded and chairs the General Assembly's bipartisan and bicameral Technology & Innovation Caucus and chairs its AI work group subcommittee. She serves as Chair of the Affordable Housing Policy Committee for the House Democratic Caucus, Chair of the Judicial Subcommittee of the Courts of Justice, and Chair of the Insurance and Financial Institutions Subcommittee for Labor and Commerce. She also sits on the Joint Commission on Science and Technology and the Southern Region Education Board AI In Education Commission.

Additionally, Maldonado is a steering committee member for a national AI work group comprised of state legislators from around the country, establishing her as a nationally recognized leader in AI policy. She advocates for economic justice, supporting an increase in the minimum wage to $15 per hour based on the principle that no person should work 40 hours per week and remain in or near poverty.