An advocate for children and families, Broome has worked hard to establish programs for neglected children. Early in her career, she attended a council on aging event hosted by a grandparent support group. Hearing about their experiences motivated her to seek legislation providing benefits to grandparents who had become legal caregivers for children. “In the backdrop of policy issues, it may not seem like a heavy hitter,” she says. “But it certainly has affected the lives of thousands of people.”
Along the way she’s also pushed tirelessly to rein in payday lending, fund arts education, improve social work practices and establish mental health courts. Facing term limits in the House, she successfully jumped in 2004 to the Senate, where she serves as president pro tem. What’s next for the first-ever African-American representative of her district? She plans to run for mayor of Baton Rouge in 2016.
MORE: Read about the Women in Government Leadership Program and the rest of the 2015 honorees.
