Biography
Susana A. Mendoza is the Illinois Comptroller, a truth-telling fiscal watchdog, and the first Hispanic independently elected to statewide office in Illinois.
A primary architect of Illinois’ financial turnaround, she eliminated a staggering $16.7 billion bill backlog, secured 10 credit upgrades, and transformed state transparency.
Illinois Comptroller
Elected to her third term as the state’s Chief Fiscal and Accountability Officer, Mendoza was the state’s top vote getter, earning the highest number of votes of any candidate in the 2022 General Election.
Historic Transparency: Authored the Debt Transparency Act and spearheaded the Truth in Hiring Act to ensure honest, accurate budgeting.
Financial Turnaround: Eliminated a historic $16.7 billion backlog of unpaid bills, bringing the vendor payment cycle from a strangling 210 days to well under 30 days—the fastest in over 20 years.
Rainy Day Fund Restoration: Championed the growth of the state’s Rainy Day Fund from $48 thousand to $2.4 billion on her watch.
Fiscal Health: Her leadership helped secure 10 full credit upgrades for Illinois and earned her the historic endorsement of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce.
Saving Taxpayer Dollars: She has focused on paying down debt service early, saving taxpayers millions in interest payments.
Chicago City Clerk
Before her statewide role, Susana made history as the first woman elected as Chicago City Clerk.
She modernized the archaic vehicle sticker program into a Year-Round Sales system, eliminating the hours-long lines, generating millions in new revenue, and earning Harvard University’s 2015 “Bright Idea Award”.
Under her leadership, Chicago became one of the first large cities in America to ban the sale of puppies, kittens, or bunnies sourced from puppy mills. Many tried before her, but failed. She got it done.
State Representative, Civic & International Service
Susana served 6-terms in the Illinois House of Representatives. Starting as the youngest member of the 92nd General Assembly, she built a reputation for bipartisan governance and was recognized for her leadership in social services, education, and animal welfare.
One of her proudest achievements was passing legislation to create the free school breakfast program for K-12 elementary schools in Illinois.
She is a co-founder of the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus and a member of the HOPE (Hispanas Organized for Political Equality) Binational Fellowship Program. She is an active member of the Chicago Economic Club and a proud Aspen Institute Rodel Fellow.
Since 2002, she has served in the U.S. Department of State’s Professional Speakers Program, where her advocacy for democracy has reached the global stage, including serving as an international observer for the 2010 Iraqi elections in Baghdad.
Elected to her third term as the state’s Chief Fiscal and Accountability Officer, Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza was the state’s top vote getter, earning the highest number of votes of any candidate in the 2022 General Election.
Family Life & Personality
Susana was born in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood to Mexican immigrant parents.
She resides in Chicago’s Portage Park neighborhood with her husband, David, and their 13-year-old son, who attends public school in Chicago.
She is a foodie, a former collegiate soccer player, an avid snowboarder, and occasionally skydives.