Nancy Rodkin Rotering
Nancy Rodkin Rotering is serving her fourth term as Mayor of Highland Park, Illinois. A longtime public servant and attorney with more than 35 years of experience, she began her legal career at McDermott Will & Emery in Chicago.
Mayor Rotering is widely recognized for her leadership on gun violence prevention and community resilience. In 2013, she led the passage of a local assault weapons ban that withstood legal challenges all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Following the tragic 2022 mass shooting in Highland Park, she guided the community through its grief and recovery. In 2023, after nearly a decade of advocacy, she played a key role in securing Illinois’ statewide ban on assault weapons.
She has also been a leading voice in advancing inclusion and combating hate. She spearheaded Highland Park’s year-long, city-wide Campaign Against Bullying in 2015 and brought the Hate Has No Home Here initiative to the city in 2016, resulting in the adoption of its Statement Against Hate, affirming its commitment to being an open, inclusive, and welcoming community.
Mayor Rotering serves on numerous regional and national boards. She is a Mayoral Adviser to the Strong Cities Network, a global coalition of more than 290 cities addressing hate, extremism, and polarization, and is a frequent speaker on these issues. She recently completed a term as Chair of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, representing Chicago and 274 surrounding communities. She also serves on the Board of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, is a member of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and is a past President of the Northwest Municipal Conference. In 2015, she founded the North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic, where she previously served as Chair.
In addition to her public service, Mayor Rotering is an adjunct lecturer in social policy at Northwestern University, where she was named Outstanding Instructor in 2022 by the School of Education and Social Policy.
Mayor Rotering holds a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School, an M.B.A. from Northwestern University, and a B.A. in Economics from Stanford University. She and her husband, Rob, have four adult sons.
