Former English teacher Gwen Walz currently serves as the First Lady of Minnesota, and is married to the running mate of Vice President Kamala Harris, a candidate for the office of President of the United States. Photo Credit: Augsburg University

Sometimes an outstanding educator finds herself thrust into the arena of public service. This is certainly true of Gwen Walz, who is currently serving as the First Lady of the state of Minnesota. She is married to Tim Walz, who is the running mate of Vice President Kamala Harris, a candidate for the office of President of the United States.

Gwen was born in Glencoe, Minnesota, on June 15, 1966. Gwen was born into a family of educators. Her father was a physical education teacher and coach. Her mother served as the community education director for a school district. As a young woman, she earned her Bachelor’s degree from Gustavus Adolphus College, a liberal arts college located in St. Peter, Minnesota. She earned her Master’s degree from Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Once she completed her education, Gwen moved to Nebraska where she accepted a position as an English teacher. That’s where she met and married her husband, Tim. In fact, the two teachers shared a classroom! In 2004, the couple moved back to her native state of Minnesota. There she and Tim both became teachers at Mankato High School. Later she worked as an assessment coordinator for Mankato Public Schools, and she taught in alternative and migrant schools. She remained in that position until 2018. In 2019, she worked at Augsburg University on government relations and public service career projects for students.

In addition, Gwen and her husband founded Educational Travel Adventures, Inc., an organization that offered students trips to China. She has also worked through the Bard Prison Initiative to help incarcerated people pay for college courses.

Gwen Walz: A true Chalkboard Champion.