About Liane
Legislative Work
Senator Sorenson is in the State Senate representing the Sixth Senatorial
District and serves as the Senate Minority Whip. She was first elected to
the House of Representatives in 1992 and served as the Chair of the House
Education Committee. Elected to the Senate in 1994, she has served on
committees including: Joint Finance, Banking, Education, Health and Social
Services and the Executive Committee. During her tenure in the
legislature, she has sponsored legislation in the areas of education,
government effectiveness, domestic violence, health, genetic testing, and
finance. Senator Sorenson is the Past President of the Women's Legislative
Network of the National Conference of State Legislatures. She is the Chair
of the Criminal Justice Board of the Council of State Governments, Eastern
Region.
Professional Experience
Liane Sorenson also served for fifteen years as the Director of the Office
of Women's Affairs and the Executive Director of the Commission on the
Status of Women at the University of Delaware. As an administrator at the
University of Delaware, she worked to obtain equity for women students,
faculty and staff. Her office offered programs on women's issues, handled
gender equity complaints, and advocated for changes in policy and
procedures that would improve the status of women. As Executive Director
of the Commission on the Status of Women, she handled the administration
of this twenty-four person group that reported to the president of the
University of Delaware. She served as the Chair of the Women's Caucus of
the AAHE, the American Association of Higher Education.
Previously Liane worked as an elementary school teacher for 6 years. She
also worked for CHILD, Inc. as the Director of its statewide parent
education program, and as a counselor at CHILD Inc.'s battered women's
shelter.
Community Service and Leadership
Liane Sorenson has a number of community and professional affiliations
including:
- Chair of the Delaware Family Law Commission
- Board, American Cancer Society
- Board, Delaware Cancer Consortium
- Delaware Cancer Registry Committee
- Board, Domestic Violence Coordinating Council
- HJR 9 Task Force on Early Education and Full Day Kindergarten
- Junior League of Wilmington, Past President
- Newark Morning Rotary Club
- Agenda for Delaware Women, Past President
- Board, Hockessin Historical Society
- Board of the Newark Symphony Orchestra
- Board of Planned Parenthood of Delaware
- Trustee for SURJ, Stand Up for What is Right and Just
- International Women's Forum
- NCSL/Lance Armstrong Foundation National Cancer Survivorship Advisory Board
- Chair, Council of State Governments Eastern Region Criminal Justice Board
- HJR 9 Task Force on Early Education and Full Day Kindergarten
Senator Sorenson is the Chair of the Advisory Board of the Delaware Breast
Cancer Coalition and a member of the advisory boards for the Delaware
Aerospace Foundation, the Delaware Women's Conference, and the UD College
of Marine Studies.
Ms. Sorenson previously served on a number of groups including: The
Governor's Commission on Families; the Task Force for Permanency Planning
for Children Residing in Foster Care; Board of the YWCA; The Governor's
Focus on the First 60 Months Task Force; the Friends of the Hockessin
Library, past President; and Nursing Mothers, past President; and the
Board of the ACE Women in Higher Education, Delaware Chapter.
Honors and Awards
A number of groups have given Liane Sorenson awards in recognition of her
work. The list includes the Delaware Humanities Forum; the Domestic
Violence Project, Inc; the YWCA; Girls Inc. the Family and Workplace
Connection; the Delaware ACLU Foundation, the Delaware Parks and
Recreation Society; the Perinatal Association; the University of Delaware
Education Alumni Association; the Newark NAACP and the Delaware State Bar
Association. She was also inducted into the Hall of Fame of Delaware
Women, was selected for The Council of State Governments' Toll Fellowship
Program and is listed in Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in America, and
Who's Who in Education.
Education
Liane Sorenson received a Bachelor of Science in Education and Masters
Degree in Counseling, both from the University of Delaware. She is a
member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honorary Society.
Personal
Liane lives in Yorklyn, Delaware and is married and the mother of three
grown children.
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