Anusha Thotakura
Member
District 6A
Anusha Thotakura began her career in education as a bilingual middle school math teacher, where she saw firsthand how systemic issues like housing, food and economic insecurity impacted her students. Driven to address these challenges on a larger scale, she transitioned to policy and advocacy. Thotakura is currently the Executive Director of Citizen Action/Illinois, the state's largest and oldest progressive policy and political coalition, where she leads campaigns to advance issues affecting working families. In addition to her professional work, she volunteers as a middle school Debate en Español coach through Chicago Debates.
Thotakura holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master’s degree in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
