Kitty Rhoades (née Richie) (April 7, 1951 – June 18, 2016) was an American politician. She served as a member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

, where she represented the 30th district, before serving as Secretary of the

Wisconsin Department of Health Services The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (WisDHS) is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of Wisconsin responsible for maintaining public health. It administers a wide range of services in the state and at state institutions, regulates hosp ...

Early life and education

Born in

Hudson, Wisconsin Hudson is a city in and the county seat of St. Croix County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 14,755. It is part of the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area. History Several Li ...

, Rhoades received a bachelor's degree from the

University of Wisconsin–River Falls The University of Wisconsin–River Falls (UW–River Falls or UWRF) is a public university in River Falls, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System. The campus is situated on the Kinnickinnic River in the ...

and a master's degree in education from

Illinois State University Illinois State University (ISU) is a public research university in Normal, Illinois, United States. It was founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University and is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teachin ...

Career

Rhoades worked as an educator, small business owner, and consultant. In 1998, she was elected to the

as a Republican. In the 1990s, Rhoades proposed the term ''Winnesota'' to describe Wisconsin's St. Croix and Pierce Counties, which border

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

and are within the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

'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." Rhoades retired from the state Assembly in 2010, and took a position with the administration of then-Governor Scott Walker in 2011 as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Health Services. In February 2013, following the resignation of Dennis Smith, she was appointed Secretary.

Death

Rhoades died on June 18, 2016, in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

from pneumonia.Kitty (Richie) Rhoades-obituary
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Electoral history

Wisconsin State Assembly (1998–2008)

References

External links

* ''Follow the Money'' - Kitty Rhoades
200820062004200220001998
campaign contributions
Campaign 2008
campaign contributions at ''Wisconsin Democracy Campaign'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Rhoades, Kitty 1951 births 2016 deaths People from Hudson, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–River Falls alumni Illinois State University alumni Businesspeople from Wisconsin State cabinet secretaries of Wisconsin Women state legislators in Wisconsin 21st-century American women politicians 20th-century American businesspeople Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly 21st-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature 20th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature 20th-century American women politicians