Rhonda Fields

Fields entered politics after her work as a victims' rights advocate in the wake of the murders of her son, Javad Fields, and his fiancée, Vivian Wolfe.

The two Colorado State University graduates were murdered on June 20, 2005, less than a week before Javad Fields planned to testify as a key witness in the murder of his best friend. In 2007 Gov. Bill Ritter appointed Rhonda Fields to the Colorado Commission on Criminal Juvenile Justice, where she worked on public safety and criminal justice issues. Fields also testified before the Colorado legislature on two successful bills, one strengthening the state's Witness Protection Programs, as well as the Javad Marshall Fields & Vivian Wolfe Witness Protection Act that is designed to develop better risk-assessment tools to elevate the safety and security of witnesses in criminal trials.{{cite web|last=Pols |first=Colorado |url=http://coloradopols.com/diary/13327/rhonda-fields-wins-hd42-democratic-nomination |title=Rhonda Fields Wins HD-42 Democratic Nomination |publisher=ColoradoPols.com |date= |access-date=2013-08-22}}

Fields serves on numerous boards, including the Safe 2 Tell Advisory Board and Voices of Victims. Her professional affiliations include Women in Government, the National Federation of Women Legislators, the Colorado Black Caucus, the National Council of Negro Women, the Urban League of Denver, the NAACP, Black Women for Political Action and Alpha Kappa Alpha, a sorority of African-American college-educated women.

In 2011, 5280 Magazine ranked Fields 37th on its list of the 50 "most powerful" people in the Denver Metro area, saying she has "gained the type of respect that politicians dream about." She also received the 2011 "Rising Star Award" of the Colorado Democratic Party, the 2011 Leadership for Healthy Communities Award from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Wilma Webb 2011 Co-Legislator of the Year presented by African American Voices, the 2011 Black Women for Political Action Award, the 2010 Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award and the Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce President's Courage Award.{{cite web|url=http://cohousedems.com/Colorado_House_Democrats/Representative_Rhonda_Fields.html |title=Representative Rhonda Fields (Aurora) |publisher=Cohousedems.com |date=2005-06-20 |access-date=2013-08-22}}

Fields is the founder of the [http://www.fieldswolfememorialfund.org/ Fields Wolfe Memorial Fund], a nonprofit, started in memory of her son Javad Fields and his fiancée, Vivian Wolfe. She has one adult daughter and four grandchildren. She is retired from United Airlines after 28 years of dedicated employment. Fields holds a Master's Degree from the University of Northern Colorado.

Rhonda Fields was elected to the Colorado State House three times, in 2010, 2012, and 2014. In 2016, she was elected to the Colorado Senate.Ballotpedia. [https://ballotpedia.org/Rhonda_Fields Rhonda Fields]. Viewed: 2017-01-14.

In 2010, State Rep. Karen Middleton withdrew from her re-election campaign in order to accept an out-of-state position. A Democratic vacancy committee then met to select a replacement candidate to appear on the November 2010 General Election ballot. Rhonda Fields was one of three candidates. She entered with the support of then-State House Speaker Terrance Carroll, incumbent Karen Middleton and she was nominated by the committee on the first ballot. She went on to win the District 42 seat, defeating Republican Sally Mounier.

{{Election box begin no change | title= Colorado State House District 42 General Election, 2010}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (US)

|candidate = Rhonda Fields

|votes = 7,102

|percentage = 60.62

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Republican Party (US)

|candidate = Sally Mounier

|votes = 4,614

|percentage = 39.38

}}{{Election box total no change

|votes = 11,716

|percentage = 100

}}

{{Election box end}}

In 2012, Fields was re-elected.

{{Election box begin no change | title= Colorado State House District 42 General Election, 2012}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (US)

|candidate = Rhonda Fields

|votes = 16,402

|percentage = 73.35

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Republican Party (US)

|candidate = Mike Donald

|votes = 5,960

|percentage = 26.65

}}{{Election box total no change

|votes = 22,362

|percentage = 100

}}

{{Election box end}}

On July 19, 2023, Fields, term-limited at the end of her current term, announced that she was running for the office of Arapahoe County commissioner, District 5. The position will be open because its incumbent is also term-limited.{{cite news |last=Case |first=Angela |date=July 19, 2023 |title=Colorado Sen. Rhonda Fields announces run for Arapahoe County commissioner |url=https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/local-politics/colorado-rhonda-fields-arapahoe-county-commissioner/73-2ade2f8c-1eee-4472-94f8-9a7b2addd927 |work=9News |location=Denver |access-date= July 20, 2023}}

Fields successfully sponsored nine bills and two joint resolutions in her first legislative session. To combat childhood obesity, she sponsored legislation to require 30 minutes of physical activity a day in Colorado schools. She also led legislation to authorize the Public Utilities Commission to create a tiered electricity rate for customers with medical conditions.

In the State House, Fields was assigned to the following committees:{{Cite web|url=http://www.leg.state.co.us/clics/clics2013a/directory.nsf/MemberDetailPage?OpenForm&district=42&chamber=house|title=Representative Rhonda Fields - Colorado House District 42|website=www.leg.state.co.us|access-date=January 22, 2021}}

• Local Government—Chair
• Economic Opportunity Poverty Reduction Task Force—Vice-Chair
• Education
• Health, Insurance & Environment

In 2023, Fields supported legislation that would ban assault weapons.{{cite web |title=Colorado Democratic lawmakers file "assault weapon" ban bill as gun groups promise legal action |website=CBS News |date=March 4, 2023 |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/colorado-democratic-lawmakers-file-assault-weapon-ban-bill/ |access-date=4 March 2023 |ref=34}}

{{Reflist}}

• [http://rhondafields.com Campaign website]
• [http://www.fieldswolfememorialfund.org/ Fields Wolfe Memorial Fund website]
• [http://leg.colorado.gov/legislators/rhonda-fields Legislative website]

{{Colorado State Senators}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fields, Rhonda}}

Category:Living people

Category:Democratic Party members of the Colorado House of Representatives

Category:Women state legislators in Colorado

Category:University of Northern Colorado alumni

Category:African-American state legislators in Colorado

Category:21st-century American women politicians

Category:Democratic Party Colorado state senators

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:21st-century African-American women politicians

Category:21st-century African-American politicians

Category:21st-century members of the Colorado General Assembly

Category:Politicians from Aurora, Colorado