First Lady Kathy Evers
First Lady Kathy Evers was born and raised in Plymouth, Wisconsin and met her future husband - Governor Tony Evers - in kindergarten. They had their first date at the junior prom and have been married for more than 40 years.
Kathy graduated from Plymouth High School and later received an associate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Fond du Lac. In a career spanning more than three decades, Kathy held IT management positions with private companies and provided computer software training and hardware technical support in Wisconsin public school districts, technical colleges, and in the private sector. She and the Governor lived and worked in various communities throughout Wisconsin including Tomah, Oakfield, Verona, Oshkosh, and Madison. She and the Governor have three adult children, all public-school graduates, and nine grandchildren.
Initiatives as First Lady:
Social and Emotional Learning and Mental Health: Along with work in a variety of policy areas as Wisconsin's First Lady, Kathy has undertaken two main initiatives. Focusing on the needs of Wisconsin children, their families and their caretakers, she has partnered with Wisconsin Office of Children's Mental Health (OCMH), the Department of Children and Families and the Department of Public Instruction to promote and enhance social and emotional learning efforts in Wisconsin. Expanding on that work throughout the pandemic, the First Lady has worked with OCMH to provide additional tools and strategies to children and their families to promote mental health and emotional well-being.
Dementia: Because of her special interest in working for people with dementia and their caregivers, Kathy and the entire staff at the Governor's residence, along with many of residence volunteer docents received dementia friendly training, and the residence is now - for the first time – officially designated a dementia-friendly site. She and the Governor have met with the leadership of the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Institute and the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center to discuss Wisconsin's preeminent research and service delivery methods, and together they are working in a variety of ways to enhance dementia-friendly efforts, research, and supports for individuals with dementia and their caregivers.
Other activities and interests: Last year, Kathy chaired the 19th Amendment Celebration committee to celebrate 100 years of votes for women and Wisconsin's role in the suffrage movement. This year, through her work as the chair of Wisconsin Executive Residence Foundation, she is heading the celebration of another centennial – the 100th anniversary of groundbreaking of the Executive Residence. In her spare time, Kathy is an avid pickleball player.