Sen. S. Elizabeth “Tizzy” Lockman represents the Third Senate District, which encompasses communities in central and west Wilmington and reaches into New Castle County to the South, including portions of Newport.
Raised in Wilmington’s Cool Spring neighborhood, Lockman graduated from Alexis I. duPont High School. She later earned a bachelor’s degree from New York University and a master’s degree in urban affairs and public policy from the University of Delaware.
Lockman entered community service in 2004 through Public Allies Delaware, where she served as program manager for Serviam Media’s Hearts & Minds Film Initiative. When her daughter enrolled in kindergarten at Joseph E. Johnson Elementary (formerly Highlands Elementary,) Lockman joined the Parent Teacher Association and served as the group’s president from 2010-2013.
From there, she was appointed to the Wilmington Education Advisory Committee by then Gov. Jack Markell and later served as vice chair of the Wilmington Education Improvement Commission, while also working as director of the Parent Advisory Council on Education (PACE) initiative at the Christiana Cultural Arts Center.
Lockman was elected to the Delaware Senate in 2018, becoming just the second African American woman elected to the General Assembly’s upper chamber. Sen. Lockman has served as Majority Whip since 2020.
Sen. Lockman currently serves as chair of the Senate Housing & Land Use Committee, chair of the Senate Rules & Ethics Committee, vice chair of the Senate Education Committee, and a member of the Senate Environment, Energy & Transportation, Executive and Legislative Council committees.
She also serves as co-chair of the Redding Consortium for Education Equity, which is tasked with spearheading the search for ways the Delaware Department of Education and the General Assembly can work together to improve outcomes for students in Wilmington and Northern New Castle County.
Sen. Lockman lives in Wilmington with her husband John, her infant son Jack and her daughter Sophie (when she comes home from college).
Family
Spouse: John; Children: Sophie and Jack
Education
Alexis I. duPont High School, Class of 1997; Bachelor’s degree, Film and Linguistics, New York University, 2006; Master’s degree, Urban Affairs and Public Policy, University of Delaware, 2015
Occupation
Adjunct professor, University of Delaware
Legislative Service:
Senate: 2018 - present; Senate Majority Whip: 2020 - present
Committees:
- Housing & Land Use, Chair
- Rules & Ethics, Chair
- Education, Vice-Chair
- Environment, Energy & Transportation, Member
- Executive, Member
- Legislative Council, Member
Legislative Highlights
Senate Bill 2 (S)
Sponsored by the two highest ranking Black legislators in the Delaware General Assembly, Senate Bill 2 marked the latest effort to add Delaware to a growing list of state that require residents to complete a firearm training course and obtain […]
Senate Bill 149 (S)
Nearly two years after the Delaware Legislative Black Caucus announced its Justice For All Agenda in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, Sen. Lockman sponsored legislation to remove systemic barriers that shield police officers from being held accountable when they […]
Senate Bill 90
Passed by the Senate during National Fair Housing Month, Senate Bill 90 sought to expand rental housing options for some of Delaware’s lowest wage earners, vulnerable seniors and people with disabilities. The legislation proposed eliminating a legal exemption that allows […]
Senate Bill 82 (S)
Completing a three-year effort to ease the burden on families required to navigate different school registration processes in different districts, Senate Bill 82 created a universal public school registration process for all 42 public school districts and charter schools in […]
