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Sarah Godlewski

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Sarah Godlewski
31st Secretary of State of Wisconsin
Incumbent
Assumed office
March 17, 2023
Appointed byTony Evers
GovernorTony Evers
Preceded byDoug La Follette
36th Treasurer of Wisconsin
In office
January 7, 2019 – January 3, 2023
GovernorTony Evers
Preceded byMatt Adamczyk
Succeeded byJohn Leiber
Personal details
Born
Sarah Ann Godlewski

(1981-11-09) November 9, 1981 (age 43)
Eau Claire, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseMax Duckworth
Children1
EducationGeorge Mason University (BA)
University of Pennsylvania
WebsiteCampaign website

Sarah Ann Godlewski (born November 9, 1981)[1] is an American businesswoman and politician serving as the 31st secretary of state of Wisconsin since March 2023. She was previously the 36th state treasurer of Wisconsin (2019–2023).[2][3][4][5]

Godlewski was a candidate in the Democratic primary for the 2022 United States Senate election in Wisconsin before dropping out of the race in July 2022.

Early life and education

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Godlewski was born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and graduated from Memorial High School in 2000.[6] She completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in peace and conflict resolution from George Mason University.[7] She also completed a certificate in public treasury management from the National Institute of Public Finance and Pepperdine School of Management, was a national security fellow at the Air War College, and attended the University of Virginia Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership as well as the Executive Master of Public Administration program at the University of Pennsylvania.[8]

Career

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Godlewski has worked in philanthropy. Projects included education reform and public health in Uganda.[9] Between 2004 and 2012, Godlewski worked for defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton.[10]

Godlewski with Hillary Clinton in 2016

Godlewski worked for Arapahoe County, Colorado, from 2012 to 2016 as the director of the Office of Strategy and Performance.[11][12] During that time, Godlewski was a member of the Joint Task Force on Veterans with PTSD which made recommendations to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the United States Congress.

In 2015, Godlewski co-founded investment firm MaSa Impact with her husband Max Duckworth.[13][14] They first met in 2013 on a regional volunteer board of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.[15]

In 2016, Godlewski was the director of Women's Outreach for Wisconsin in Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. Godlewski caucused for Clinton in Colorado in March 2016. She did not vote in the general election in Wisconsin, because she was unsure of whether she qualified as a resident, according to a spokesperson.[16]

Godlewski served on the board for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF and served as chairperson of the UNICEF Advocacy Committee. Godlewski served on the board for mOm Incubators,[17] 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.[18]

Wisconsin state treasurer

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Campaign

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In February 2018, Godlewski led a campaign coalition opposing a ballot measure that would have eliminated the office of the state treasurer.[19] Voters rejected the measure, voting to retain the state treasurers office by a 62 to 38 percent margin.[20] In April 2018, Godlewski announced her candidacy for state treasurer.[21] Godlewski won a three-way primary on August 14, 2018, receiving 43.5% of the vote.[22] Her opponents were former television anchor Cynthia Kaump and former Treasurer Dawn Marie Sass.[23]

Godlewski raised over $700,000 for her campaign, while Travis Hartwig, her Republican opponent, raised less than $13,000.[24] Godlewski and her husband contributed over $300,000 to her own campaign.[25] She won the general election with 50.9% of the vote, to Hartwig's 46.8%.[26][27][28] She took more of the vote share than the newly elected Democratic governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general and flipped 9 counties that went for Trump.[29]

Tenure

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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.[30] 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.[31][32] In January 2019, Godlewski was unanimously elected to serve as chairwoman of the state Board of Commissioners of Public Lands.[33] The state Board of Commissioners of Public Lands voted to lift a GOP mandated gag order prohibiting staff from discussing or considering the material risk of climate change to state investments.[34] 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.[35] In February 2021, the task force presented its results to Governor Evers. Its recommendations include five proposals: WisconsinSaves, 401(K)ids, Emergency Savings, Incentivize Participation, Interactive E-Commerce Portal.[36] In March 2020, Godlewski created the Treasurer's Homeowners Task Force.[37] In her role as the chair of the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands, she released an additional $5.25 million to aid in virtual learning on top of a record $38.2 million to public school libraries.[38]

2022 U.S. Senate election

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Main article: 2022 United States Senate election in Wisconsin § Democratic primary

On April 14, 2021, Godlewski announced her campaign for the United States Senate to represent Wisconsin in the 2022 election.[39] She was endorsed by EMILY's List, a Democratic political action committee (PAC) that seeks to elect pro-choice women.[40]

Godlewski's investments in 14 pharmaceutical companies drew scrutiny from a reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel due to her attacks on big pharma in advertisements for her Senate run. Godlewski's campaign responded that the stocks had all been sold by early 2022 and she had not been involved in routine investment management.[41]

Godlewski dropped out of the race in July 2022 prior to the August 2022 Democratic primary and endorsed Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes.[42]

Wisconsin secretary of state

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In a surprise announcement on March 17, 2023, Governor Tony Evers announced that the recently re-elected secretary of state, Doug La Follette, would retire after forty years in office, and Evers was immediately appointing Godlewski to serve out the term expiring in January 2027.[43]

References

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  1. ^ "Thursday's birthdays". No. 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. ^ "U.S. News & World Report".
  5. ^ NBC15. "Democrat enters treasurer race after fighting to save office". Retrieved April 12, 2018.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Johnson, Shawn (April 14, 2021). "Wisconsin Treasurer Sarah Godlewski To Run For US Senate". Wisconsin Public Radio. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  7. ^ Bauer, Scott (April 14, 2021). "Wisconsin Treasurer Godlewski launches US Senate bid". ABC News. Associated Press. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  8. ^ Wroge, Logan (August 12, 2018). "Candidate Q&A: State Treasurer Democratic Party". Associated Press. Wisconsin State Journal.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ Bice, Daniel. "Bice: U.S. Senate candidate Sarah Godlewski says she saved taxpayers 'tens of millions of dollars.' She just can't prove it". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  11. ^ "Creating a Strategy That Speaks to Everyone". www.td.org. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
  12. ^ "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.
  13. ^ "MaSa Partners Investor Profile: Portfolio & Exits | PitchBook". pitchbook.com. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  14. ^ "Wisconsin Treasurer Godlewski launches US Senate bid". ABC News. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  15. ^ "A Courtship for Children". UNICEF USA!. February 15, 2015. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  16. ^ Bice, Daniel. "Bice: U.S. Senate candidate Sarah Godlewski didn't vote in 2016 election despite working on Hillary Clinton campaign". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  17. ^ "Innovators & Disruptors: The 2017 Tech 25". Washington Magazine. November 7, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  18. ^ "Interview: Sarah Godlewski". iKnowPolitics. July 27, 2016. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  19. ^ Bauer, Scott (April 14, 2021). "Wisconsin State Treasurer Godlewski launches US Senate bid". AP News.
  20. ^ "Wisconsin Question 1, Elimination of State Treasurer Amendment, April 2018". Ballotpedia. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  21. ^ Board, Shepherd Express Editorial (October 30, 2018). "Sarah Godlewski for Wisconsin State Treasurer". Shepherd Express. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
  22. ^ Almukhtar, Sarah (August 14, 2018). "Wisconsin Primary Election Results". The New York Times. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  23. ^ "Wisconsin commission certifies election results". www.nbc15.com. Associated Press. December 3, 2018. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  24. ^ "You are being redirected..." www.wisdc.org. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  25. ^ "GODLEWSKI, SARAH - FollowTheMoney.org". www.followthemoney.org. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  26. ^ "Wisconsin elections: Democrat Sarah Godlewski wins state treasurer race". Daily Tribune Media. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  27. ^ WBAY. "Democrat Godlewski wins State Treasurer's office". Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  28. ^ 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.
  29. ^ Holbrook, Liz (July 21, 2021). "Wisconsin Senate Candidate Sarah Godlewski tours Merrill Manufacteur". 947JackFM.
  30. ^ "Future state treasurer faces tough challenges". TMJ4. December 4, 2018. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  31. ^ staff, Madison365 (December 7, 2018). "Evers and Barnes Announce Next Generation Workforce and Economic Development Policy Advisory Council". Madison365. Retrieved December 16, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  32. ^ 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.
  33. ^ staff, Leader-Telegram (January 19, 2019). "Godlewski to chair Public Lands board". Leader-Telegram. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  34. ^ Weihert, Sarah (February 11, 2019). "Board of Commissioners of Public Lands overturns gag order on climate change". Lake Mills Leader.
  35. ^ Kirwan, Hope (August 22, 2019). "Wisconsin State Treasurer, Governor Launch Retirement Task Force". Wisconsin Public Radio. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  36. ^ "State Treasurer Godlewski: Governor's Task Force Unveils Innovative, Bipartisan Proposals to Strengthen Retirement Security for Wisconsin Workers and Families | WisBusiness". February 11, 2021.
  37. ^ "State Treasurer Godlewski brings together Homeowners Task Force to help Wisconsinites buy homes and stay in them". Seehafer News. March 8, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  38. ^ "State Treasurer announces $5.25 million for public schools during COVID19". WEAU. April 15, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  39. ^ Bauer, Scott (April 14, 2021). "Wisconsin Treasurer Godlewski launches US Senate bid". AP News.
  40. ^ Glauber, Bill (June 29, 2021). "EMILY's List endorses Democrat Sarah Godlewski in 2022 Senate Race". Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  41. ^ Bice, Daniel. "Bice: Sarah Godlewski hates how much Big Pharma charges for drugs. But she didn't mind owning its stock". Journal Sentinel. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  42. ^ Greenwood, Max (July 29, 2022). "Sarah Godlewski ends Senate bid in Wisconsin, clearing path for Barnes". The Hill. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  43. ^ Beck, Molly (March 17, 2023). "Secretary of State Doug La Follette to retire, Gov. Tony Evers appoints Sarah Godlewski to post". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sarah Godlewski.
Party political offices
Preceded by
Dave Sartori
 Democratic nominee for Treasurer of Wisconsin
2018 		Succeeded by
Aaron Richardson
Political offices
Preceded by Treasurer of Wisconsin
2019–2023 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Secretary of State of Wisconsin
2023–present 		Incumbent
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