Candidate for Governor, Wisconsin

Contact Information

About

Vinehout, 53, was elected to the state Senate five years ago from a largely rural district in western Wisconsin.

Vinehout has been a passionate advocate of affordable health insurance and fair funding of schools. In her work on Joint Committee on Audit she oversaw audits that uncovered the overuse of expensive contractors; problems with accountability and transparency in state programs; unbudgeted expenses and rising state debt.

Vinehout has a background in education, agriculture and health care. She taught health administration for 10 years and spent another decade operating the family dairy farm.  While farming, Vinehout received many quality milk awards and was elected president of the Dairy Herd Improvement Association in Buffalo County.

Vinehout resides on the farm with her family. The farm is now certified organic and produces hay and grain.

Bio

Kathleen Vinehout, 53, came to politics relatively late in her career after spending 10 years running the family dairy farm and the 10 years before that teaching health administration to college students.

In her first run for public office, Kathleen was elected in 2006 to the state senate from a large, mostly rural district in the western part of the state. She was re-elected in 2010 and is serving her second four-year term.

In the senate, she has worked to make health care affordable, create health insurance exchanges for individuals, farmers and small businesses, bring more equity to school funding,  keep consumer protection provisions in our telecommunication laws, and improve the efficiency of state government operations.

Prior to being elected to the Senate, Kathleen was the primary operator of the family’s dairy farm near Alma. She received many quality milk awards and was elected president of the Dairy Herd Improvement Association in Buffalo County. The farm is now certified organic and produces hay and grain.

Before she and her husband started their dairy farm, Kathleen directed both graduate and undergraduate programs in health administration at the University of Illinois at Springfield. For ten years she was a member of the faculty and taught in the Health Services Administration and Women’s Studies Programs. Her focus was state health policy, health care organization, the history of health care reform and health problems facing rural communities.

Kathleen has experienced health care from all sides. Her first job was as a nursing assistant.  She has worked in staff and management roles in a variety of settings including a university medical center, primary care, acute care, home care and long term care. As a farmer she and her family spent nearly two years without health insurance.

Kathleen is active in her community. She serves on the Mississippi River Regional Planning Commission and the Mississippi River Parkway Commission. She is a member of the Alma Chamber of Commerce and served on the boards of the Buffalo County Agricultural Fair Association and the Buffalo County Farm Bureau. She has been a member of  the pastoral council of St. Lawrence Catholic Church, taught a weekly bible study class for eight years and is still a member of the church choir.

Kathleen is the eldest of five children. Both her parents served in the US Air Force. Her father was a member of the Laborer’s Union, her mother a registered nurse.