Many educators find success in fields other than education, and many become accomplished in the political arena. One such teacher is Christie Vilsack, who is probably best known for being the former First lady of Iowa (1999-2007). This tireless educator is also an advocate for literacy and a politician in her own right.

Christie was born on July 9, 1950, in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. After she graduated from high school, she attended Kirkland College in Clinton, New York. It was there she met her future husband, Tom Vilsack, a promising law student. After her college graduation in 1972,the couple married and added two sons to their family.

Tom and Christie moved to Mount Pleasant in 1975.She began her career there as a teacher and a librarian. She taught language arts and journalism at the junior high school level for eighteen years, and then transferred to the high school level. She also taught English and journalism at Iowa Wesleyan College for six years. She earned a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Iowa in 1992. With this degree, Christie worked as a reporter and columnist for her local newspaper, the Mount Pleasant News.

Christie became First Lady of Iowa when her husband was sworn in as the state’s governor in 1999. During his first term, this enterprising former teacher created a statewide literacy program and raised money to provide a book to every kindergarten child in Iowa. In 2000, she inaugurated Iowa Stories 2000, an effort to promote reading and storytelling for Iowans of all ages. The $50,000 program was paid for by contributions from businesses and nonprofit organizations. As founder and president of the Vilsack Foundation, she partnered with the National Center for Family Literacy to promote media literacy with parents and their children.

After her husband left the governor’s office, he was appointed Secretary of Agriculture in the Obama Administration. In April, 2013, Christie joined the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) as the Senior Advisor for International Education. In this position, Christie will focus on children’s reading skills, work force development, and equitable access to education in crisis and conflict settings. USAID launched an agency-wide policy on education last year. The agency has helped a quarter million students with reading in Kenya, nearly a million in Mali, and 1.5 million in Egypt. Worldwide, the agency has provided tens of millions of textbooks and other teaching and learning materials to students in third-world countries.

Christie Vilsack.: a true chalkboard champion.

Many talented teachers are also accomplished in the political arena. This is certainly true of high school teacher James E. O’Neill, Jr., who also served in the House of Representatives for the state of Michigan.

James was born in Saginaw, Saginaw County Michigan, on May 26, 1929, and was a lifelong resident of that city. Saginaw is also the birthplace of Motown musician Stevie Wonder. James O’Neill earned his degrees from Central Michigan University and the University of Michigan. He served in the United States Army during the years of 1951 to 1953. In his younger years, he worked as a high school teacher and an elementary school principal in Hemlock Public Schools.

James was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives to represent the 85th District from 1967 to 1992, and the 95th District from 1993 to 1994. While serving in the Michigan State Legislature, he was a tireless advocate for schools and education, a respected source of information on school finance, and a key contributor to landmark changes made by legislation that established per-pupil student foundation grants for every school district in the state. “When you hear the old line that money will not buy a quality education, it’s almost always someone from a wealthy district,” he was expressed. “But if you talk about anything that would limit their money, they don’t want to hear it.” Today, this legislation is hailed by Democrats and Republicans alike as an innovative step toward improving equity among all state school districts. James was also a strong supporter of Saginaw Valley State University. He is credited with playing a critical role in securing much-needed state dollars for the college’s expansion. The arena in the Ryder Center on the campus was named in his honor in 1989. Highly respected, this talented politician and educator retired after twenty-eight years of dedicated service in the Michigan House. He was also a member of the American Legion and the NAACP.

This talented educator and politician passed away on December 31, 2002, at the age of 73.

Many a chalkboard champion has distinguished himself in fields other than education. One such educator is Robert P. Dettmer, a retired teacher who is a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives.

Bob was born in 1951 on a dairy farm in Faribault, Minnesota. He attended Bemidji State University, where he graduated in 1973 with his bachelor’s degree in health and physical education. He earned his master’s degree in education curriculum and instruction from the University of St. Thomas.

Following his college graduation, he accepted his first position as a teacher at Forest Lake High School in Minnesota, where he taught physical education and coached wrestling. He worked there until 2007, when he retired after thirty-four years in the profession.

During Bob’s tenure as Head Wrestling Coach, he accumulated a record of 399-144-2. This record ranks Bob 25th out of 321 high school wrestling coaches in the state of Minnesota. Bob also has received numerous awards as an athlete and as a coach. He was named the  NAIA National Wrestling Champion. He has also been inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame, the Bemidji State Hall of Fame, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame,and   the David Bartelma Wrestling Hall of Fame. He has also earned both High School and College Athlete of the Year awards. During his career as a wrestling coach, Bob has coached 15 individual state champions, 64 individual state place winners, 115 individual state participants, one state team champion, one fourth place, and one fifth place finish. He currently officiates high school wrestling matches for the Minnesota State High School League.

Bob is also a veteran, serving in the United States Army Reserve as a Chief Warrant Officer in the military intelligence branch. In November, 2001, he began a two-year tour of active duty supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. He also served during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was also an Army master fitness trainer for soldiers and taught many military courses for the Army. He was honored with his highest military award, The Legion of Merit, upon retirement from his twenty-five-year Army career. This award was given for exceptionally meritorious service to the United States while serving as Senior Intelligence Technician within the Military Intelligence Readiness Command.

In the Minnesota House of Representatives, Bob represents District 39A, located in the northeastern part of the Twin Cities Metro area. He was elected in 2006 to fill the open seat vacated by Representative Ray Vandeveer, who had made a bid for higher office that year. Bob was re-elected in 2008, 2010, and 2012. In the Minnesota House, this chalkboard champion focuses on the issues of education, health care reform, economic growth, transportation, veterans’ issues, and public safety.

Many times gifted and active educators find themselves immersed in the world of politics. This is certainly the case with Mary Jo Codey, an elementary schoolteacher who is also the former First Lady of New Jersey. Mary Jo served her state during the administration of her husband, Governor Richard Codey, from 2004 to 2006. Governor Codey took office upon the resignation of former New Jersey governor Jim McGreevey.

Mary Jo was born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, and was raised in West Orange. After her high school graduation, she enrolled in Caldwell College, where she earned first her bachelor’s and then her master’s degrees in elementary education. She has also earned certification as a learning disabilities teacher consultant from Seton Hall University.

Once her husband took office, Mary Jo taught part time. Simultaneously she served as the ambassador to the Governor’s Book Club, which encouraged reading and literacy skills among elementary school children. This position gave her an opportunity to visit schools all over the state and read aloud to children. She also worked tirelessly to promote awareness for women’s mental health issues, particularly post-partum depression, and breast cancer.

After her husband left office, Mary Jo accepted a teaching position at a private elementary school in West Orange, New Jersey.