Kristen Dexter
{{short description|American politician}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image = Rep. Dexter (3347472880) (3x4).jpg
| imagesize =
| caption = Dexter in 2009
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Kristen Dexter
| honorific-suffix =
| state = Wisconsin
| state_assembly = Wisconsin
| district = 68th
| term_start = January 3, 2009
| term_end = January 3, 2011
| preceded = Terry Moulton
| succeeded = Kathy Bernier
| party = Democratic
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1961|7|20}}
| birth_place = Hallock, Minnesota, U.S.
| birthname = Kristen Ann Gillie
| death_date =
| death_place =
| alma_mater = University of Wisconsin–River Falls
| occupation = metalsmith
| spouse = Donn Dexter
| children = 3
| residence = Altoona, Wisconsin, U.S.}}
Kristen Dexter (born July 20, 1961) is a Democratic Party politician and former member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, who represented the 68th Assembly District from 2009 to 2011.Wisconsin Blue Book 2009-1010, Biographical Sketch of Kristen Dexter, pg. 65 She defeated long-time incumbent Representative Terry Moulton in the November 2008 election. In 2010, she ran for re-election but was defeated by her challenger, Chippewa County Clerk Kathy Bernier.[http://www.weau.com/news/headlines/68th_Assembly_District_race_106462918.html 68th Assembly District race] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720015137/http://www.weau.com/news/headlines/68th_Assembly_District_race_106462918.html |date=2011-07-20 }}
Early life and career
File:Rep. Dexter swearing in (3346630817).jpg (right) ceremonially administering an oath of office to Dexter in 2009]]
File:Rep. Dexter State of State (3347471558) (3).jpg (left) in 2009]]
File:Wisconsin Farmers Union Convention (4362234275).jpg in 2010]]
File:Kristen_Dexter_Headshot.jpg
Dexter was born and raised in Hallock, Minnesota. A graduate of UW-River Falls, she is a metalsmith by trade. Dexter and her husband Donn Dexter, a neurologist at Mayo Clinic in Eau Claire, have three children.'Wisconsin Blue Book 2009-2010,' Biographical Sketch of Kristen Dexter, pg. 65
Dexter was elected to the Altoona Board of Education in 2002 and served for six years. She sat on the Educational Planning Council and Policy Committee for the school district. After helping Pat Kreitlow win election to the Wisconsin State Senate in 2006,[http://www.progressivemajority.org/candidate/kristen-dexter Progressive Majority-Kristen Dexter] Dexter worked as his Community Outreach Director. She has been a volunteer with the Girl Scouts, Meals on Wheels, the Eau Claire Municipal Band, and served on the Regional Steering Committee for Health Literacy Wisconsin.'Wisconsin Blue Book 2009-2010,' Biographical Sketch of Kristen Dexter, pg. 65
=Wisconsin Assembly (2009-11)=
During her time in the legislature, Dexter served as vice chair of the Assembly Education Committee, and chair of the committees on Public Health, Renewable Energy and Rural Affairs, and Rural Economic Development. Dexter authored bills to support rural school districts, and was awarded "Legislator of the Year" by the Schools Administrators Alliance and the Wisconsin Association of School Boards.{{cite web|title=About Kristen Dexter|url=http://www.dexterforsenate.com/about|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606130920/http://www.dexterforsenate.com/about|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 June 2012|website=Kristen Dexter for Assembly|accessdate=20 March 2018}} Dexter helped pass the 2009 state Equal Pay law that allowed women and others who have been discriminated against to seek fair compensation from their employer.
After her term in the legislature, Dexter served as the chair of the Eau Claire County Democratic Party.{{cite web|last1=Reiland|first1=Dan|title=Tammy Baldwin 1/5/12 file photo|url=http://host.madison.com/tammy-baldwin-file-photo/image_b5573d30-4b89-11e1-a409-001871e3ce6c.html|website=Madison.com|date=30 January 2012 |publisher=Associated Press Archives|accessdate=20 March 2018}} She later worked as the regional representative to U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin{{cite news|title=Identifying the problem|url=https://www.news-shield.com/image_bbd6fa9c-22e6-11e4-a26b-001a4bcf887a.html|accessdate=20 March 2018|publisher=Barron News-Shield|date=13 August 2014}} and became co-owner of a community kitchen space in Eau Claire.{{cite web|title=New Owners|url=http://forageeauclaire.com/news/2017/7/25/new-owners|website=Forage Eau Claire|accessdate=20 March 2018}} Dexter has been an organizer behind Chippewa Valley Restaurant Week in Eau Claire.{{cite news|last1=Macek|first1=Katy|title=Area chefs, businesses band together for Chippewa Valley Restaurant Week|url=http://www.leadertelegram.com/Entertainment/local-entertainment/2017/09/10/Area-chefs-businesses-band-together-for-Chippewa-Valley-Restaurant-Week.html|accessdate=20 March 2018|publisher=Leader-Telegram|date=10 September 2017}}
=Senate Recall (2012)=
Dexter unsuccessfully challenged Terry Moulton on the June 5 Senate Recall Election. She defeated "fake" Democratic candidate James Engel in the primary on May 8, 2012. Supporters of the recall submitted over 21,000 signatures on January 17, 2012. The Wisconsin Government Accountability Board voted unanimously on March 12 to order the recall, determining that at least 18,657 of the signatures were valid.http://gab.wi.gov/sites/default/files/Certificate%20of%20Sufficiency-Sen%2023.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160404161910/http://www.gab.wi.gov/sites/default/files/Certificate%20of%20Sufficiency-Sen%2023.pdf |date=2016-04-04 }} {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=110117 Follow the Money: Kristen Dexter 2008 campaign contributions]
- [http://www.opensecrets.org/wdc/cands.php?id=104590 Kristen Dexter campaign contributions at Wisconsin Democracy Campaign]{{Dead link|date=February 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dexter, Kristen}}
Category:University of Wisconsin–River Falls alumni
Category:People from Kittson County, Minnesota
Category:Politicians from Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Category:Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly
Category:Women state legislators in Wisconsin
Category:21st-century American women politicians