Category: Governor / page 2

Maura Healey
Maura Healey


Maura Healey assumed office as governor of Massachusetts on Jan. 5, 2023, the state's first elected female governor and with Tina Kotek of Oregon, one of the first two openly lesbian women to be elected governor. Healey was born on February 8, 1971, at the Bethesda Naval Hospital. She graduated from Harvard College in 1992 with a degree in government. Co-captain of the Harvard Crimson women's basketball team, Healey spent two years playing professional basketball in Europe after college. In 1998, she earned a Juris Doctor from Northeastern University School […]
Kathy Hochul
Kathy Hochul


Kathy Hochul has served as governor of New York since 2021, assuming office following the resignation of Gov. Andrew Cuomo. In 2022, Hochul won election to the seat in the general election. Hochul is the first female governor of New York. Hochul was born August 27, 1958, in Buffalo, New York. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science from Syracuse University and completed her law degree at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. After graduating from law school, Hochul worked for a Washington D.C. law firm, then on Capitol […]
Nancy Hollister
Nancy Hollister


Nancy Hollister served as governor of Ohio from December 1998 to January 1999, the first and only female governor of Ohio. Hollister was born on May 22, 1949, in Marietta, Ohio. She received a bachelor's degree from Kent State University. Hollister first entered served in public office as a member of the Marietta City Council in 1980, and was elected mayor in 1984, serving until 1991, when she was appointed as the director of the Governor’s Office of Appalachia. She served as lieutenant governor from 1995-1998, then served briefly as […]
Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Sarah Huckabee Sanders


Sarah Huckabee Sanders assumed office as the governor of Arkansas on January 10, 2023. She is Arkansas's first female governor and, as the daughter of Mike Huckabee, governor of Arkansas from 1996-2007, the first woman to be governor of a state her father was governor of. Sanders was born on Aug. 13, 1982, in Hope, Arkansas. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Ouachita Baptist University in 2004. Sanders is a founding partner of Second Street Strategies, a consulting firm for Republican campaigns. She has also […]
Jane Dee Hull
Jane Dee Hull


Jane Dee Hull served as governor of Arizona from 1997-2003, the first woman to be elected governor of that state and the second to hold the office. Born on August 8, 1935, in Kansas City, Missouri, Hull earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education from the University of Kansas and a J.D. from Arizona State University. She worked as an elementary school teacher before entering politics. Hull served in the Arizona House of Representatives from 1979-1993, serving as the speaker of the House from 1989-1992. She served as secretary of […]
Kay Ivey
Kay Ivey


Kay Ivey has served as the governor of Alabama since 2017. She previously served at Alabama's lieutenant governor, and assumed office as governor following the resignation of her predecessor. She won a full term as governor in the 2018 election and re-election in 2022. Ivey was born October 15, 1944, and grew up in Camden, Alabama. She received a Bachelor of Arts from Auburn University in 1967. Following college, she worked as a high school teacher and a bank officer. Prior to entering politics, Ivey was a clerk for the […]
Laura Kelly
Laura Kelly


Laura Kelly assumed office as governor of Kansas on Jan. 14, 2019. Kelly was born January 24, 1950, in New York City. She earned a Bachelor of Science in psychology at Bradley University and a Master of Science in therapeutic recreation at Indiana University. Before entering politics, Kelly worked as a recreation therapist and as a director of recreation therapy and physical education. She was the executive director of the Kansas Recreation and Park Association from 1988-2004. Kelly served in the Kansas Senate from 2005-2019. Sources: Ballotpedia (n.d.). Laura Kelly […]
Madeleine Kunin
Madeleine Kunin


Madeleine Kunin is the first and only woman to have served as governor of Vermont, serving from 1985-1991. Kunin was born on September 28, 1933, in Zurich, Switzerland, and moved to the United States as a child in 1940. She holds a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Massachusetts and a Master of Science from the Columbia School of Journalism. Before seeking elective office, she worked as a journalist and a college professor. Prior to serving as governor, Kunin was lieutenant governor of Vermont from 1979-1983 and a […]
Lourdes "Lou" Leon Guerrero
Lourdes "Lou" Leon Guerrero


Lourdes "Lou" Leon Guerrero assumed office as governor of Guam on Jan. 7, 2019, Guam's first female governor and the first Pacific Islander woman to serve as a state or territorial governor in the United States. Leon Guerrero was born in Guam. She earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing from California State University, Los Angeles in 1973 and a Master of Public Health from UCLA in 1979. Prior to her political career, Leon Guerrero worked in healthcare as a nurse, nursing director and director of operations, and then served […]
Linda Lingle
Linda Lingle


Linda Lingle was Hawaii's first female governor, serving from 2002-2010. Lingle was born on June 4, 1953, in St. Louis, Missouri. When she was 12 years old, her family moved to Southern California. She received her bachelor's degree in journalism from California State University, Northridge in 1975. After college, Lingle followed her father to Hawaii where she worked as a public information officer for Hawaii Teamsters and Hotel Workers Union in Honolulu, then moved to Molokai and founded Molokai Free Press, a community newspaper. Lingle served on the Maui County […]