A native Floridian, born and raised in Tavares, Mae Hazelton is a “working” retiree with over 34 years of Federal Civilian Service and three years of active duty in the US Army.

Mae co-founded a grassroots civic engagement initiative, “All About the Ballots” geared toward increasing voter participation and overall civic engagement in Black communities. The goal is to educate, empower and engage on the power of the vote and the importance of local civic engagement. She is a leader in the Lake County Black Women’s Roundtable. She is a member of Friendship CME Church Tavares, Criterion Civic Club Inc, the Lake County Democratic Black Caucus, the Democratic Veteran’s Caucus and Lake County Voices of Reason. She is an active participant in the 2020 Unitarian Universalist Church Social Justice series, a founding member of the organization Pathways to Racial Healing and a frequent contributor to the Tavares group, Bringing Everyone Together To Embrace Race Relationships (BETTER). . Her hobbies include community activism, mentoring youth through her church board of Christian Education, reading, and fiction writing.

She is an experienced Human Resource professional with 30 years of experience with the US Office of Personnel Management, the Pentagon, Army Headquarters, Major Army Commands, and various operational level activities. In May of 2021, the Centers for Disease Control tapped into her talents to work virtually for the Office of the Director, Client Services under the Human Resources Office.
Among her achievements, Mae is the recipient of the Meritorious Civilian Service Award is the third highest award granted by U.S. Army Commanders, Major General and above or equivalent. She was also a 2021 finalist in the Orlando Sentinel’s Central Floridian of the Year for her work in the two-year fight against relocating a Confederate statue to Lake County.

Mae’s immediate family includes her 90-year-old father, Samuel Rahming, and a special nephew Nick. One of her favorite quotes is, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King.