Background/Objectives
As the first Hispanic woman elected to Congress with a public service career that spans nearly four decades, Ileana brings institutional knowledge, expertise, and experience across diverse domestic and international affairs policy matters.
Throughout her Congressional career, in her various roles on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, including as Chair, she led on pressing foreign policy issues, including championing the advancement of freedom and democracy for all; fighting Islamist extremism; supporting and strengthening the U.S. – Israel partnership; supporting free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea; imposing sanctions on human rights violators in Venezuela; and fighting against tyranny and oppression, particularly in her native homeland of Cuba.
Ileana also served on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and was a member of the CIA Subcommittee and the National Security Agency and Cybersecurity Subcommittee.
Ileana earned a doctorate from the University of Miami, Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees from Florida International University, and an Associate’s degree from Miami Dade College. She began her career as a Florida certified teacher, and then founded, and served as the principal of, a private bilingual elementary school. She is married to Dexter Lehtinen, former US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and a decorated Vietnam combat veteran. They have four adult children and nine grandchildren.
In 2019, Ileana joined Akin as a Senior Advisor and serves on boards of varied non-profit organizations that share her passion for foreign affairs policy issues and mentorship of future generations of leaders.