Sarah Godlewski

Sarah Ann Godlewski (born November 9, 1981)[1] is an American businessperson and politician serving as the Wisconsin State Treasurer since 2019[2][3] She was elected in 2018, defeating Republican Travis Hartwig.[4][5]

Sarah Godlewski
36th Treasurer of Wisconsin
Assumed office
January 7, 2019
GovernorTony Evers
Preceded byMatt Adamczyk
Personal details
Born
Sarah Ann Godlewski

(1981-11-09) November 9, 1981
Eau Claire, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Max Duckworth
Children1
EducationGeorge Mason University (BA)
University of Pennsylvania (MPA)

A Democrat, Godlewski was the founder of the Save Our Fiscal Watchdog Committee,[6] a successful effort which defeated an April 2018 proposed amendment to the Wisconsin Constitution to remove the office of State Treasurer.[7][8][9] Godlewski led the statewide effort with former Republican State Treasurer Jack Voight.[10]

Early life and career

Godlewski was born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and is a graduate of Memorial High School, where she was class president. She attended college at George Mason University, where she studied Peace and Conflict Resolution and served as student body president. During that time, she helped to successfully lobby the Virginia Legislature to pass absentee ballot reforms.[11] Later, she attended the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia and was a Masters in Public Administration candidate at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, she was a National Security Fellow for Air War College and attended the Women's Campaign School at Yale University. Godlewski has also been involved as an interviewer with the Veterans History Project.

Godlewski with Hillary Clinton in 2016

During the 2008 and United States 2008 Presidential Elections, Godlewski served as the national finance council co-chair for Ready for Hillary and was the Wisconsin Women's Director for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential bid. Godlewski has also taught as an adjunct professor at George Mason University. Godlewski worked for Arapahoe County, Colorado from 2012 to 2016 as the Director of the Department of Strategy and Performance.[12][13] During that time, Godlewski served as a member of the Joint Taskforce on Veterans with PTSD which made recommendations to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the United States Congress. Godlewski worked for Booz Allen Hamilton on Strategy and Organization in Washington, D.C. and was a senior consultant at BearingPoint.

Godlewski's career has led her to work on community Microfinance in India, language and culture strategic planning for the United States Department of State, child protection initiatives in Belize, education reform and public health in Uganda,[14] and social policy work in Sweden. Godlewski worked for the U.S. Department of Defense before co-founding investment firm MaSa Impact.

Godlewski served on the board for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF and served as chairperson of the UNICEF Advocacy Committee. In addition to her leadership role with UNICEF, Godlewski served on the board for mOm Incubators,[15] the Arlington Academy of Hope, and George Mason University's School of Visual and Performance Arts. Godlewski has also been an investor with WE Capital.[16] In the past, Godlewski has helped to direct Women's Leadership programs for the Democratic National Committee.[17]

Treasurer of Wisconsin (2018–present)

Campaign

In April 2018, Godlewski announced her candidacy for State Treasurer.[18] Godlewski won a three-way primary despite only receiving 43% of the vote on August 14, 2018.[19] Her opponents were former television anchor Cynthia Kaump and former Treasurer Dawn Marie Sass.[20]

In the general election on November 6, Godlewski won the election with 51 percent of the vote.[21][22][23]

Tenure

After being elected, Godlewski received a memo from the Legislative Reference Bureau that identified 16 responsibilities that the State Treasurer should be doing but had neglected in recent years.[24] During the transition for Governor-elect Tony Evers, Godlewski was appointed to serve as a member of the Next Generation Workforce and Economic Development Policy Advisory Council.[25][26] In January 2019, Godlewski was unanimously elected to serve as chairwoman of the state Board of Commissioners of Public Lands.[27] She also began a task force on student loan debt in Wisconsin.[28] In August 2019, Godlewski and Governor Evers established a Retirement Task Force to create new investment options and expand awareness of retirement planning in Wisconsin.[29]

Personal life

Sarah's parents are retired public school teachers. Godlewski lives with her husband Max, their son, and rescue dog.

Notes
  1. "Thursday's birthdays" (November 9, 2017). POLITICO. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  2. "Sarah Godlewski: Executive Profile". Bloomberg. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  3. "Wisconsin Eye discussion on the merits of the State Treasurer's office". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  4. "US News and World Report".
  5. NBC15. "Democrat enters treasurer race after fighting to save office". Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  6. Godlewski, Sarah (March 15, 2018). "Vote 'No' on amendment to dump state treasurer". The Capital Times. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  7. Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau, "2015 Enrolled Joint Resolution 7: Constitutional Amendment Approved on First Consideration to Eliminate the Office of the State Treasurer," June 2016
  8. "Memorial grad sets up her own company, returns to Eau Claire and helps lead efforts to retain State Treasurer's office – Chippewa Valley Post". Chippewa Valley Post. March 31, 2018. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  9. Nichols, John. "John Nichols: Empower the state treasurer". madison.com. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  10. Bauer, Scott. "Wisconsin voters to decide on whether to eliminate state treasurer's office". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  11. Helderman, Rosalind (February 8, 2004). "Va. Students' Standards of Lobbying". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  12. "Creating a Strategy That Speaks to Everyone". www.td.org. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
  13. "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Arapahoe County hires new Director of Performance Management Sarah Godlewski will support and assist departments, elected offices with the County's Align Arapahoe initiatives and performance measures". Arapahoe County. December 18, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  14. Bahrampour, Tara (May 21, 2006). "Learning Experience After building a life in Arlington, Ugandan immigrant John Wanda decided to build something more ambitious – a school for his native village". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  15. "Innovators & Disruptors: The 2017 Tech 25". Washington Magazine. November 7, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  16. "Interview: Sarah Godlewski". iKnowPolitics. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  17. Smith, Hillary (October 12, 2016). "Panel discussion explores women's role in politics, impact of Clinton candidacy". The Spectator. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  18. Board, Shepherd Express Editorial (October 30, 2018). "Sarah Godlewski for Wisconsin State Treasurer". Shepherd Express. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
  19. Almukhtar, Sarah. "Wisconsin Primary Election Results". Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  20. "Wisconsin commission certifies election results". www.nbc15.com. Associated Press. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  21. "Wisconsin elections: Democrat Sarah Godlewski wins state treasurer race". Daily Tribune Media. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  22. WBAY. "Democrat Godlewski wins State Treasurer's office". Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  23. Younge, Gary (November 29, 2018). "The new wave of Democrats owes a huge debt to people power | Gary Younge". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
  24. "Future state treasurer faces tough challenges". TMJ4. December 4, 2018. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  25. staff, Madison365. "Evers and Barnes Announce Next Generation Workforce and Economic Development Policy Advisory Council". Madison365. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  26. Milwaukee, Urban. "Governor-elect Tony Evers and Lt. Governor-elect Mandela Barnes Announce Next Generation Workforce and Economic Development Policy Advisory Council". Urban Milwaukee. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  27. staff, Leader-Telegram. "Godlewski to chair Public Lands board". Leader-Telegram. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  28. Dohms, Elizabeth (July 12, 2019). "Task Force On Student Loan Debt To Continue Despite Funding Being Removed From Budget". Wisconsin Public Radio. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  29. Kirwan, Hope (August 22, 2019). "Wisconsin State Treasurer, Governor Launch Retirement Task Force". Wisconsin Public Radio. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
Political offices
Preceded by
Matt Adamczyk		 Treasurer of Wisconsin
2019–present		 Incumbent
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