Rebecca S. Skillman (born September 26, 1950) is an American politician who served as the 49th Lieutenant Governor of

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, from 2005 to 2013. She is a member of the Republican Party.

Early life and career

Skillman is a native of

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

, Lawrence County, Indiana. An alumna of Indiana Wesleyan University, she began her career in politics in 1977 when she was elected to the office of Lawrence County Recorder. Eight years later she was elected as County Clerk. Skillman served as President of the Association of Indiana Counties.

State senate

In 1992, after 16 years as an elected official in Lawrence County, Skillman was elected to the Indiana State Senate, where she represented all or part of

Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...

, Monroe,

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, and

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

Counties. Rising quickly through the leadership, she became Majority Caucus Chair, the first woman in history to serve in the Senate Republican leadership. During her 12 years in the Senate, she led the charge to include the state's small towns and rural communities in its economic development agenda. There, she authored plans for development in distressed counties and for the revitalization of downtown areas.

Lieutenant governor

Mitch Daniels Mitchell Elias Daniels Jr. (born April 7, 1949) is an American academic administrator, businessman, author, and retired politician. A Republican, Daniels served as the 49th governor of Indiana from 2005 to 2013. Since 2013, Daniels has been pr ...

selected Skillman to be his running mate during the 2004 election. The ticket was elected over incumbent Governor

Joe Kernan Joe Kernan or Joseph Kernan may refer to: * Joe Kernan (baseball), 19th-century American baseball player * Joe Kernan (Gaelic footballer) (born 1954) * Joe Kernan (politician) (1946–2020), American politician * Joseph D. Kernan (born 1955), Uni ...

and incumbent Lieutenant Governor Kathy Davis and she took office in January. As Indiana's 49th Lt. Governor, Skillman held more legal duties than any other Lt. Governor in the country. Upon taking office in 2005, Skillman also served as the Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development under the state's Department of Agriculture and Office of Community Rural Affairs. She managed five state agencies in total, and administered more than $1 billion in programs. Other agencies under Skillman's direction as Lt. Governor included the Office of Energy Development, the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, and the Office of Tourism Development. Additionally, she chaired the state's Counter Terrorism and Security Council, the intergovernmental entity responsible for homeland security, and served as President of the Indiana Senate. Skillman was also responsible for shepherding Governor Mitch Daniels's Administration's legislative agenda through the

Indiana General Assembly The Indiana General Assembly is the state legislature, or legislative branch, of the state of Indiana. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the Indiana House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Indiana Senate. Th ...

and served as President of the Senate.

Radius Indiana

Skillman currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of Radius Indiana, an eight-county economic development corporation in South Central Indiana. Prior to accepting the board chair position in 2017, she served as president and CEO, beginning in February 2013; during her tenure, Radius rose in prominence among economic development organizations in the state. She also served as the co-chair of the Indiana Bicentennial Commission, with former U.S. Congressman Lee Hamilton.

2012 election

Skillman had considered a run for Indiana Governor in 2012 but announced she would not due to a minor medical condition.

Personal life

Skillman and her husband Steve have a son, Aaron. Skillman is a member of the Church of Christ. In August 2010 Skillman earned an associate degree in business from

Indiana Wesleyan University Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) is a private evangelical Christian university headquartered in Marion, Indiana, and affiliated with the Wesleyan Church. It is the largest private university in Indiana. The university system includes IWU—Mari ...

References

External links

* * * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Skillman, Becky 1950 births Living people People from Bedford, Indiana Lieutenant Governors of Indiana Republican Party Indiana state senators Women state legislators in Indiana American members of the Churches of Christ State cabinet secretaries of Indiana Women in Indiana politics Indiana Wesleyan University alumni 21st-century American women