Meet Cleo.

Cleo Fields can be described in one word, service. Cleo has served his fellow man for over three decades. A 1980 graduate of McKinley High School, Fields started his journey of service as the Class Vice-President. He would go on to Southern University and become Freshman Class President and Student Body President. In 1987, he earned his Juris Doctorate from Southern University Law Center.

 

Cleo took his strong educational and civic foundation and made history in 1987 when he was elected to the Louisiana Senate as the age of 24. He became the youngest person ever elected to the State Senate in Louisiana’s history and at the time, the youngest in the nation.

 

Fields took his experience of humble beginnings and a passion for people to effectuate change and mobilize citizens to get involved in their government. He impacted policy by establishing the Drug Free Zones near school campuses, creation of inner-city economic opportunities and being a voice for the voiceless.

 

This bold leadership was noticed not just in Senate District 14 but across the state and bolstered Cleo into a historic run for Congress. Cleo was elected to Congress in 1992 at the age of 29, the youngest member of the 103rd Congress.

 

Fields took his same tenacity and uncanny ability to build consensus to introduce the Delta Initiatives Act, the Stolen Guns Act, and Check Cashing Act of 1993. He secured funds for various projects and held numerous town hall meetings securing several Presidential Cabinet members to address his constituents concerns personally. He also created a Congressional Classroom for elementary through secondary school-age students. Noted for being the first of its kind in the country, the Congressional Classroom helped students develop leadership and self-esteem while understanding the governmental process. It is known today as the Louisiana Leadership Institute.

 

Cleo’s dedication to Louisiana and seeing her thrive, prompted him to make a historic run for Governor for Louisiana in 1995. Fields garnering of a place in the runoff, was the farthest an African American advanced in the gubernatorial election.

 

In 1996, Cleo returned home to develop his law practice, The Fields Law Firm. However, Cleo’s passion for service wasn’t extinguished, as he was re-elected to the State Senate in 1997-2012 and again in 2019. His time in the senate has allowed him to serve as Chair of the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus, Chairman of Education, Local and Municipal Affairs and Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee.

 

Cleo’s accolades during his time of service are vast but his greatest accomplishment is the thousands of students he has impacted through the Louisiana Leadership Institute. Through education, arts, music and cultural exposure, he has watched students change the world as adults.

 

Fields is married to his wife, Debra and they have two adult sons, Brandon and Christopher. Cleo is a long time member of the Mt. Pilgrim Baptist Church.