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Gwen Walz

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Gwen Walz
Walz in 2019
39th First Lady of Minnesota
Assumed Role
January 7, 2019
GovernorTim Walz
Preceded byMary Pawlenty (2011)
Personal details
Born
Gwen Whipple

(1966-06-15) June 15, 1966 (age 58)
Glencoe, Minnesota, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Tim Walz
​
(m. 1994)​
Children2
EducationGustavus Adolphus College (BA)
Minnesota State University, Mankato (MA)

Gwen Walz (née Whipple; born June 15, 1966) is an American educator and public school administrator. She is the 39th and current First Lady of Minnesota as the wife of Governor Tim Walz. Her husband was the Democratic Party candidate for vice president in the 2024 United States presidential election.

Prior to her husband's election as Governor of Minnesota, Walz worked for over two decades in the public school system as an English teacher. Her first teaching job was in Alliance, Nebraska, where she met her future husband and fellow educator, Tim Walz. In 1996, she and Walz moved to her native Minnesota where they both taught in the Mankato public schools. Retiring and moving to Saint Paul when her husband became governor in 2019, she is the only first lady in Minnesota's history to have an office in the Minnesota State Capitol. Walz oversees a policy portfolio focusing on education, corrections, and gun control legislation.

Early life and education

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Gwen Whipple was born in 1966 in Glencoe, Minnesota and was raised in Ivanhoe, Minnesota.[1][2] She is the daughter of Val and Linnea "Linn" (née Wacker) Whipple.[3] Her father worked as an insurance agent who owned Whipple Insurance Agency in Ivanhoe MN, as well as a basketball coach. Her mother was a Physical Education teacher and served as the community education director for a school district.[4] She has two younger sisters Karrie Duncan and Heidi Ohlmann.[5][6]

She earned a bachelor of arts degree at Gustavus Adolphus College and a master's degree at Minnesota State University.[7]

Career and public life

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After graduating from college, Walz relocated to western Nebraska and began a career as an English teacher.[5] From 2004 to 2018, she was the assessment coordinator for the Mankato Area Public Schools.[6][8] Walz joined Augsburg University in 2019 as a special assistant to the president Paul C. Pribbenow working twenty hours a week on various projects, including one that helped train East African immigrant teachers.[9][2] In 2019, she worked on government relations and public service career projects for students at Augsburg University.[10]

Together with her husband, Walz established Educational Travel Adventures Inc., an organization that offered annual trips for students to China.[1] She has worked with the Bard Prison Initiative to help incarcerated people afford higher education opportunities.[8][11]

Walz became First Lady of Minnesota upon her husband taking office as governor in 2019. She has had an active and public role in shaping state policies.[10] Walz has given public speeches in favor of restoring voting rights to convicted felons, which Minnesota did under her husband's administration in 2023, and has advocated for gun control legislation.[12][13] She is the only First Lady of Minnesota to have an office in the Minnesota State Capitol.[14] Walz manages a policy portfolio including education and corrections.[9]

In 2024, her husband was announced as the Democratic vice presidential candidate for the 2024 United States presidential election.[5][1] Had Harris and her husband won the election, Walz would have become Second Lady of the United States.[15]

Walz is on the board of the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games.[16]

Personal life

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Walz is Lutheran.[17] She married Tim Walz on June 4, 1994, when both were working as teachers.[1] They have two children.[18] She underwent intrauterine insemination before giving birth to their daughter and first child, Hope, in 2001; a second child, Gus, followed in 2006.[19][20][21]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Blackburn, Piper (August 6, 2024). "Who is Gwen Walz, the wife of Harris' new running mate?". CNN. Archived from the original on August 6, 2024. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Ross, Jenna; Hutton, Rachel (2024-08-06). "Who is Gwen Walz? A mom, a teacher and an adviser to her husband". www.startribune.com. Archived from the original on 2024-08-07. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  3. ^ "Obituary for Vera L. Wacker". Hantge McBride Hughes Funeral Chapels and Crematory - Dobratz, Dalin, Egesdal, Hauser, Paul. Archived from the original on 2024-08-06. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  4. ^ Feitelberg, Rosemary (2024-08-06). "A Closer Look at Tim Walz's and His Wife Gwen's Interests and Style". WWD. Archived from the original on 2024-08-06. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  5. ^ a b c "First Lady Gwen Walz". Office of Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan. Archived from the original on August 6, 2024. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Bernstein, Joseph (2024-08-14). "Gwen Walz, the Coolheaded, Ultracompetent Political Spouse". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
  7. ^ "Governor Tim Walz's Wife Gwen Walz Is Key to His Success". Town & Country. 2024-08-20. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
  8. ^ a b Sforza, Lauren (August 6, 2024). "Who is Gwen Walz? She could be next second lady". The Hill. Nexstar Media Group. Archived from the original on August 6, 2024. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Coolican, J. Patrick (2019-02-09). "Minnesota's first first lady since 2010, Gwen Walz is taking on a big role". www.startribune.com. Archived from the original on 2024-08-06. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  10. ^ a b Bettin, Anthony (2024-08-06). "Who is Gwen Walz, Minnesota's first lady and wife of VP candidate Tim Walz?". CBS Minnesota. Archived from the original on 2024-08-06. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  11. ^ Ramaswamy, Swapna Venugopal. "Tim Walz's wife Gwen, a former teacher, is a 'champion' of college behind bars". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
  12. ^ "From NRA ally to adversary: Gov. Tim Walz track record on guns highlights policy evolution". MPR News. 2024-08-14. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
  13. ^ "Gwen Walz lends support to felon voting rights push". MPR News. 2019-02-07. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
  14. ^ Callaghan, Peter (2019-09-25). "A power map of Gov. Tim Walz's top staff". MinnPost. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
  15. ^ Kemp, Danny. "Gwen Walz, Would-be 'Second Lady', In Spotlight Amid Fertility Row". www.barrons.com. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
  16. ^ "Tim Walz is a 'regular guy' Renaissance man — and that matters". www.advocate.com. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
  17. ^ Bernstein, Joseph (2024-08-14). "Gwen Walz, the Coolheaded, Ultracompetent Political Spouse". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
  18. ^ Wang, Amy B; Rodriguez, Sabrina (6 August 2024). "Tim Walz's journey from high school football coach to VP candidate". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  19. ^ Campuzano, Eder (August 6, 2024). "Who is Tim Walz? Minnesota's governor and Kamala Harris' running mate, explained". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 2024-08-06. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  20. ^ Lakritz, Gabbi Shaw, Talia. "Meet the family of Tim Walz, Kamala Harris' VP pick". Business Insider. Retrieved 2024-08-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  21. ^ Harmon, Amy (2024-08-19). "Walz Family Fertility Journey Ran Not Through I.V.F. but Another Common Treatment". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
[edit]
Honorary titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Mary Pawlenty 		First Lady of Minnesota
2019–present 		Incumbent
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