Sen. Nicole Poore represents the 12th Senate District, which includes most of New Castle and Bear, all of Delaware City and communities south of the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal, including Whitehall, Bayberry and others.
Raised in New Castle’s Jefferson Farms community, Poore graduated from St. Elizabeth’s High School in 1990 and later earned an associate degree in criminal justice from Delaware Technical Community College and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Wilmington University.
Poore joined her brother in building a successful healthcare staffing startup that was later sold to Welsch Carson, one of the largest investment firms in the United States. She then became a senior client services manager for Agile 1, where she handled workforce solutions for the DuPont Co. Her professional and volunteer experience also includes serving as a member of the Delaware Juvenile Justice Advisory Board, volunteer work with the Rape Crisis Center and a stint as Exceptional Care for Children’s director of development. She is currently the president of Jobs for Delaware Graduates, a nonprofit that helps students connect with sustainable, skills-based career opportunities.
Poore’s interest in government policy began after the birth of her oldest son Nicholas, who was diagnosed cerebral palsy. Her activism in the special needs community led to a successful 2012 bid for state Senate over an incumbent. Following her unchallenged bid for reelection in 2016, Poore was selected to serve as Senate Majority Whip by her peers. The Senate Democratic Caucus then chose her to become Senate Majority Leader in 2019.
Poore currently chairs the Senate Elections & Government Affairs Committee, serves as vice chair of the Senate Executive Committee, Senate Labor Committee and the Senate Health, Children and Social Services Committee. She also sits on Legislative Council, the Senate Rules & Ethics Committee and the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.
She and her husband Billy live in New Castle with their three children.