Diana Rauner
Diana Mendley Rauner is the president of the Ounce of Prevention Fund, a non-profit in Chicago.[1] She is the wife of former Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner. She served as First Lady of Illinois from 2015 to 2019.[2]
Diana Rauner | |
---|---|
First Lady of Illinois | |
In role January 12, 2015 – January 14, 2019 | |
Governor | Bruce Rauner |
Preceded by | Patricia Blagojevich (2009) |
Succeeded by | M. K. Pritzker |
Personal details | |
Born | Diana Elizabeth Mendley New York City, New York, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Lewis Ingall
(m. 1989; div. 1991) |
Children | 3 (with Rauner) 3 stepchildren[1] |
Alma mater | Yale University Stanford University University of Chicago |
Early life
Rauner was born and raised in New York City, where she was the youngest of three children in a Reform Jewish home.[1] She attended Yale University, where she was also a champion fencer.[3] She received her MBA from Stanford University, and her PhD in development psychology from the University of Chicago.
First Lady of Illinois (2015-2019)
Rauner is a Democrat, but in 2014 when her husband Bruce Rauner, a Republican, became the Republican nominee for governor of Illinois in the 2014 Illinois gubernatorial election, Rauner appeared in a TV ad for her husband saying "I'm a lifelong Democrat, but enough is enough and the Democratic politicians in Springfield have got to be controlled and I know that is what my husband will do as governor."[4]
On July 18, 2016, Rauner announced a $15 million renovation project for the Illinois Executive Mansion, with the funding being raised privately.[5][6] The work was planned to be completed by the Illinois bicentennial in 2018.[5]
Other activities
She serves as president of the Ounce of Prevention Fund, an early-learning advocacy organization.[7] In June 2016, The Ounce of Prevention joined a lawsuit fund with other social organizations against her husband, the governor, and various state agencies; the lawsuit demanded payment for services rendered by the agencies many of which had not received payment for over a year.[8]
References
- Manchir, Michelle (December 27, 2014). "Diana Rauner, Illinois' Next First Lady, To Stay Focused on Early Education". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
- "First lady Diana Rauner focuses on her husband, IL children". WLS-TV. February 17, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
- Merrion, Paul (April 21, 2014). "The Good Wife's Dilemma". Crain's Chicago Business. 37 (16). Retrieved October 9, 2015.
- Lachman, Samantha (April 7, 2014). "Bruce Rauner's Wife Says She's A Democrat, But Mostly Gives To GOP Candidates". The Huffington Post. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
- Kamin, Blair (July 18, 2016). "Illinois' First Lady Unveils $15 Million Plan to Renovate Crumbling Executive Mansion". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
- "Private Funds to Cover Executive Mansion Repairs". Rock River Times. July 21, 2016. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
- New York Times: "City to Add Pre-K Efforts in Poor Areas Next Year" By AL BAKER September 24, 2012
- New York Times: "Illinois: Governor’s Wife Runs Fund Suing Him Over Budget" June 8, 2016