Senator Demuzio grew up on a family farm in Gillespie. She is a former small business owner and has volunteered for several organizations including the Carlinville Business and Professional Women, Carlinville Chamber of Commerce, and Carlinville Hospital Auxiliary, where she served as president of each of the three groups at various times.  She has also been involved with other organizations, including the PTA, the Illinois Hospital Association, the American Heart Association, and the Rotary Club and until very recently, she served as a Macoupin County Fair Judge.

Since 2004, she has served on the Blackburn College Board of Trustees. She is President of the Carlinville Public School Foundation and serves as a member of the board for Kemmerer Village, Catholic Charities, and the Carlinville Public Library. She is also actively involved in organizations such as Daughters of the American Revolution; Relay for Life; Jacksonville Kiwanis; and, the Macoupin County Democratic Women’s Organization.

Senator Demuzio has made it a priority to develop good education policy in Illinois.  In addition to her leadership as Vice-Chairperson of the Senate Education Committee, where she has championed mentoring programs for principals, preschool education, and more dollars for local schools, Senator Demuzio was named to the Illinois State Action for Education Leadership Project (IL-SAELP) Executive Committee, a bipartisan committee whose goal is improving student achievement statewide. For her efforts on behalf of education, she has been given the “All Award” from both Illinois Education Association Regions 6 and 45, and she was recognized by the Illinois Association of Regional School Superintendents Area 5 as a “Friend of Education.”

Senator Demuzio has also made it a priority to bring better healthcare opportunities to rural and underserved areas of the state.  In recognition of her work to improve healthcare for those residents of Illinois, she has been recognized by the Illinois Rural Health Association for her leadership on this issue.

Senator Demuzio’s impressive resume of committee assignments includes the Chairwoman of the State Government & Veterans Affairs, as well as the Vice-Chairwoman for the Human Services Committee and the Redistricting Committee.  She is a member of Agriculture and Conservation Committee; the Education Committee; the Subcommittee on Medicaid and Provider Rate Reform where she is the sub-chairwoman; the committee on Animal Welfare; and the Subcommittee on Coal Mining.
 
Senator Demuzio has two children with her late husband and four grandchildren.