Kitty Rhoades
Kitty Rhoades (née Richie) (April 7, 1951 – June 18, 2016) was an American politician. She was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly who represented the 30th Assembly district and subsequently served as Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
Born in Hudson, Wisconsin, Rhoades received a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin–River Falls and a master's degree from Illinois State University. Rhoades was an educator, small business owner, and consultant. In 1998, she was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly as a Republican.[1]
In the 1990s, Rhoades proposed the term Winnesota to describe Wisconsin's St. Croix and Pierce Counties, which border Minnesota and are within the U.S. Census Bureau's Minneapolis-Saint Paul Metropolitan Area. According to Rhoades, "I still call my area Winnesota. We are in Wisconsin, but it sure is hard to remember it."[2]
Rhoades retired from the state Assembly in 2010,[3] and took a position with the administration of Gov. Scott Walker in 2011 as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Health Services.[4] Following the resignation of Dennis Smith, she was appointed Secretary.[5] Rhoades died on June 18, 2016, in Madison, Wisconsin from pneumonia.[6][7]
References
- ↑ Wisconsin Blue Book 2007-2008, Biographical Sketch of Kitty Rhoades, p. 39.
- ↑ Bill Glauber (February 18, 2006). "Welcome to Minnesota: Twin Cities workers find comforts of home in St. Croix, Wisconsin's fastest-growing county". The Milwaukee Journal. Archived from the original on 2007-08-14. Retrieved 2007-10-11.
- ↑ Rhoades Retires From Wisconsin Assembly
- ↑
- ↑ Andy Rathburn, "Gov. Walker appoints Kitty Rhoades to top Wisconsin health post". St. Paul Pioneer Press. February 22, 2013.
- ↑ Wisconsin health services secretary Kitty Rhoades dies at 65
- ↑ Kitty (Richie) Rhoades-obituary
External links
- Follow the Money - Kitty Rhoades
- Campaign 2008 campaign contributions at Wisconsin Democracy Campaign