Ms. Mary C. "Christine" Heins earned a B.S. in theater in 1976 and a law degree in 1992, both from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She also holds a BSN from St. Louis University and is a registered nurse.

After completing her law degree studies, she clerked for the Honorable William A. Lewis of the Appellate Court of the State of Illinois, Fifth District. She is currently in private practice at the law firm of Wolff and Jones, which is a general practice with emphasis on real estate, estate planning and probate, administrative law, and trial work in state and federal courts. She is also an Administrative Hearing Officer for Jesse White, Secretary of State, Department of Administrative Hearings. She was recently approved by the State University Civil Service System Merit Board to serve on Discharge and Demotion Hearing Panels.

Ms. Heins serves on the Board of Directors of the Jackson County Humane Society, where she is treasurer, and is also a member of the SIU Alumni Association Board of Directors. She is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the Jackson County Bar Association. She currently serves as chapter advisor for the Alpha Gamma Delta Fraternity and is also a member of the City of Murphysboro Planning and Zoning Commission.

Other community affairs in which she is, or has been, involved include the following: Board of Trustees, St. Joseph Memorial Hospital, Murphysboro, Illinois; Board of Directors, Murphysboro United Way; College of Liberal Arts Alumni Society Board; Murphysboro Kiwanis; and Parish Council member at St. Andrew's Church in Murphysboro, Illinois.