Tag Archives: Teacher Politicians

Wyoming teacher and politician Matilda Hansen

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High school teacher Matilda Hansen also served her community in the Wyoming House of Representatives. Photo credit: Wyomingnews.com

Many fine educators have also served their community as capable politicians. One of these is Matilda Hansen, a high school teacher who also served in the Wyoming House of Representatives.

Matilda was born on September 4, 1929, near Paullina, Iowa. As a young girl, she attended one-room schools in northwest Iowa. As a teenager, she graduated from Scattergood Friends High School in 1948.

After her high school graduation, Matilda earned her Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from the University of Colorado, Boulder, in 1963. She earned her Master’s degree in Geography from the University of Wyoming in 1970. She then taught high school at Englewood High School in Colorado from 1963 to 1965, and served as the Director of the Albany County Adult Learning Center in Laramie, Wyoming, from 1966 to 1978.

Later, Matilda was elected on the Democratic ticket to represent District 13, Albany County, in the Wyoming House of Representatives. She served there from 1975 to 1995. While there, she served on various committees, including Juvenile Affairs; Children, Families, and Social Services; Health and Human Resources; Rules; Judiciary; Administrative Rules; Lien Laws; and Appropriations. Matilda’s most notable legislative work addressed education and women’s issues. In addition, she was the driving force for the creation of the Wyoming Territorial Park in Laramie, Wyoming. She was the first woman to serve 20 consecutive years in the House, completing her term as Assistant Minority Floor Leader in 1994.

For her work in the classroom and in the community, Matilda earned several accolades. In 1963, she was named a General Electric Fellow in Economics for High School Teachers. She also garnered the award for Public Citizen of Year by the Wyoming Association Social Workers for 1980-1981.

This Chalkboard Champion passed away on August 19, 2019, in Laramie, Wyoming, at the age of 89.

California’s Carol Liu: Former educator and politician

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California’s Carol Liu, a former middle school and high school history teacher, also earned success in the political arena. Photo credit: California Competes.

Many times professional educators who have left the classroom go on to earn success in the political arena. One of these is California’s Carol Liu, a former teacher who has also served as a lawmaker.

Carol was born on Sept. 12, 1941, in Berkeley, California. Her father was an immigrant from China, and her mother was a fourth generation Californian. As a young woman, Carol attended San Jose State College, where she earned her Bachelors’ degree in 1963. She earned an Administrative Credential from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1982.

After she earned her teaching degree, Carol taught history at the junior high and senior high school level in the Richmond Unified School District. Her career as an educator spanned from 1964 to 1978. From 1975 to 19778, she also served as the Executor Director of the Richmond Federation of Teachers.

Once she left the teaching profession, Carol earned success in the political arena. First, she was elected to the City Council of La Canada Flintridge, a small city near Pasadena. She served there from 1992 to 2000. During these years, she served two terms as the city’s mayor. Next, she was elected on the Democratic ticket to the California Sate Assembly, where she represented the 44th District from 2000 to 2006. In the Assembly, Carol served on the Blue Ribbon Commission on Higher Education and on the National Commission on Accountability in Higher Education.

Last, Carol was elected to the California State Senate, where she represented the 25th District from 2008 to 2016. As a Senator, Carol served on the Legislative Advisory Committee of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. She chaired several committees and caucuses during her tenure, including the Assembly Higher Education Committee, the Assembly Select Committee on Adult Education, and the Senate Education Committee.

All her life, Carol has been a strong proponent of increasing access to higher education, as well as to career and technical education. Among her most important legislative work was SB 1143, which created the task force that led to the California Community College Student Success Act. Win addition, she was responsible for the enactment of SB 110, the Crime Victims with Disabilities Act of 2010. The bill, which assures that abuse and neglect of the elderly and people with disabilities are prosecuted as crimes, was passed unanimously by the legislature and signed into law by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Kudos to Carol Liu: a true Chalkboard Champion.

Della Au Belatti: Former teacher, member of Hawaii’s House of Reps Della Au Belatti

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Former teacher and current member of Hawaii’s state House of Representatives Della Au Belatti. Photo credit: Della Au Belatti.

Many talented educators also pursue a career in politics. One of these is Della Au Belatti, a high school teacher from Hawaii who has been elected to serve in her state’s House of Representatives.

Della, a Filipino American, was born on March 14, 1974, in Manoa, Hawaii. As a young woman, she garnered a position as an intern in the officer of US Senator Daniel Akaka. Akaka himself was an educator before his election to the US House of Representatives. Della worked in the Senator’s office from 1993 to 1996. During these years, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in History at Princeton University in 1996. She completed the requirements for her student teaching program at Trenton Central High School in Trenton, a public school located in New Jersey, also in 1996. She later earned a law degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law connected with the University of Hawaii, Manoa (2003).

Once she completed her internship with Senator Akaka, Della accepted a position as a Social Studies teacher at her alma mater, Maryknoll High School, in Honolulu. Maryknoll is a Catholic, co-educational high school. She taught there from 1996 to 2000.

In 2005, Della was elected on the Democratic ticket to the Hawaii State House of Representatives. She has represented District 24, which encompasses Makiki, McCully, Tantalus, Papakolea, Pawa‘a, and Manoa, since 2006. There she has served on several important committees, including Education; Higher Education and Technology; Economic Development; Labor and Tourism; Legislative Management; and the Select Committee on Covid-19 Economic and Financial Preparedness. She has also served as the Majority Leader since 2017. During her years as a legislator, Della has been involved with drafting and passing legislation that impacts families, children, and women. She is specifically interested in furthering marriage equality and reproductive health care rights for women.

For her tireless work in support of her state’s public library services, Rep. Belatti earned the Friends’ Mahalo Award. In addition, the former teacher was named a co-winner of the Amy C. Richardson Award in 2002.

To learn more about Della, see her page at the Hawaii State Legislature.

 

Jeannie Ritter: The Sp Ed teacher that became Colorado’s First Lady

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Jeannie Ritter, a former Special Education teacher, also served as the First Lady for the state of Colorado. During her tenure, she championed mental health awareness and reforms. Photo credit: Rose Community Foundation.

Many fine educators also serve their communities as public servants. One of these is Jeannie Ritter, who once served her state as the First Lady of Colorado, and a champion for mental health awareness and reforms.

Jeannie was born on June 14, 1958, in Arlington, Virginia. As the daughter of a US Navy Captain, the young girl moved frequently. She spent portions of her childhood in Texas, Georgia, California, Washington, Rhode Island, and North Carolina. She settled in Colorado in 1972. As a young woman, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Special Education from the University of Northern Colorado.

As a young woman, Jeannie served in the Peace Corps in Tunisia and later returned to Africa along with her husband as Catholic missionaries. She is also a former flight attendant and teacher. Her career as an educator spanned ten years, and she taught Special Education for students will severe challenges in Denver Public Schools.

In 2006, Jeannie’s husband, Bill Ritter, was elected Governor of Colorado on the Democratic ticket, and Jeannie became the state’s First Lady. She served in this capacity from Jan. 9, 2007, until Jan. 11, 2011. During her tenure, Jeannie helped raise awareness regarding mental health issues, confessing that her perspective on mental health was influenced by her training as a teacher for emotionally disturbed children and also by having an older sister who suffers from bipolar disorder.

Since her husband left office, Jeannie has remained active in the community serving on numerous boards and committees, including the Depression Center, CeDAR (Center for Dependency, Addiction and Rehabilitation), Rose Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees, the Colorado Coalition for Parity, the Governor’s Residence Preservation Fund, SIM Advisory Board, and Rocky Mountain PBS Board.

Congresswoman and former teacher Marge Roukema

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Former Social Studies teacher Marge Roukema represented New Jersey for 22 years in the United States House of Representatives. Photo credit: Public Domain.

Many fine educators go on to successful careers in politics. One of these is Marge Roukema, a high school Social Studies teacher who served in the US House of Representatives for 22 years.

Marge was born Margaret Scafati on Sept. 19, 1929, in Newark, New Jersey. As a teenager, she graduated from West Orange High School in West Orange, New Jersey. In 1951, Marge earned her Bachelor’s degree in History and Political Science from Montclair State College in Montclair, New Jersey. She also completed graduate courses at Rutgers University in Newark.

Once she earned her degree, Marge taught Social Studies in Ridgewood Public Schools. She also served as a member of her local Board of Education from 1970 to 1973.

In 1980, Marge was elected on the Republican ticket to serve in the US House of Representatives. She represented first the 7th district (1981-1983), and then the 5th District (1983-2003). In total, her tenure as a Congresswoman covered 22 years. While in Congress, the former teacher devoted herself to helping the underprivileged gain access to affordable housing, and she also worked for welfare reform, education reform, job training, and the enforcement of child support. In addition, she was a strong champion of the Family and Medical Leave Act. Her support for this legislation was due, in part, by her experiences with her 17-year-old son, Todd, and his battle with leukemia. Sadly, Todd succumbed to the disease in October, 1976.

Marge passed away from complications related to Alzheimer’s disease on November 12, 2014, in Wyckoff, New Jersey. She was 85 years old.