First elected to the Michigan Senate in 2022, Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks is the first woman elected to hold this leadership position. The role of the senate majority leader (SML) encompasses several crucial tasks, such as naming committees and members, overseeing the day-to-day running of the Senate and the staff, as well as bigger items such as referring bills to committees and deciding what legislation will be brought to the floor for consideration.
SML Brinks represents the 29th Senate District in Kent County, including East Grand Rapids, Grandville, Kentwood, and Wyoming City, and portions of Grand Rapids Charter Township and Grand Rapids. She is the first woman to represent the City of Grand Rapids in the Michigan Senate since 1920.
Prior to her election in the Senate, she served three terms in the Michigan House of Representatives. Before her time in public office, SML Brinks was a caseworker, helping businesses and nonprofits improve workplaces and retain employees. Additionally, she’s worked as the director of a community-based corrections agency and a school paraprofessional.
SML Brinks graduated from Calvin College with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish with a concentration in sociology. She and her husband live in Grand Rapids and are the parents of three daughters.
If you want to keep up-to-date on the latest news from SML Brinks, you can find her on Facebook and Twitter.
