Kristen Dexter (born July 20, 1961) is a Democratic Party politician and former 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 ...

, who represented the 68th Assembly District from 2009 to 2011. She defeated long-time incumbent Representative

Terry Moulton Terry Moulton (born July 19, 1946) is a former Republican member of the Wisconsin Senate, who represented the 23rd district from 2011 to 2019. He was previously a member of the Wisconsin Assembly, representing the 68th district from 2005 to 2 ...

in the November 2008 election. In 2010, she ran for re-election but was defeated by her challenger, Chippewa County Clerk

Kathy Bernier Kathleen M. "Kathy" Bernier (born April 29, 1956) is an American politician in Wisconsin who served as a member of the Wisconsin State Senate representing the 23rd district from 2019 to 2023. She previously was the Chippewa County, Wisconsin, C ...

Early life and career

Dexter was born and raised in

Hallock, Minnesota Hallock ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Kittson County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 906 at the 2020 census. History Hallock was platted in 1879. The city was named for Charles Hallock, an American writer. Hallock wa ...

. A graduate of UW-River Falls, she is a

metalsmith A metalsmith or simply smith is a craftsperson fashioning useful items (for example, tools, kitchenware, tableware, jewelry, armor and weapons) out of various metals. Smithing is one of the oldest list of metalworking occupations, metalworking o ...

by trade. Dexter and her husband Donn Dexter, a neurologist at

Mayo Clinic Mayo Clinic () is a Nonprofit organization, private American Academic health science centre, academic Medical centers in the United States, medical center focused on integrated health care, healthcare, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science ...

in Eau Claire, have three children. Dexter was elected to the Altoona

Board of Education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional area, ...

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 Patrick J. Kreitlow (born July 3, 1964) is an American politician, former broadcaster, and communications consultant. A Democratic Party of Wisconsin, Democrat, Kreitlow was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate, representing Wisconsin's 23rd Se ...

win election to the

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after those o ...

in 2006, Dexter worked as his Community Outreach Director. She has been a volunteer with the

Girl Scouts Girl Guides (or Girl Scouts in the United States and some other countries) are organisations within the Scout Movement originally and largely still for girls and women only. The Girl Guides began in 1910 with the formation of The Girl Guides ...

, Meals on Wheels, the Eau Claire Municipal Band, and served on the Regional Steering Committee for Health Literacy Wisconsin.

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. 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 Eau Claire County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 105,710. Its county seat is Eau Claire. The county took its name from the Eau Claire River. Eau Claire County is included in ...

Democratic Party. She later worked as the regional representative to

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

Tammy Baldwin Tammy Suzanne Green Baldwin (born February 11, 1962) is an American politician and lawyer serving since 2013 as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States senator from Wisconsin. A member of the Democratic Party (United Stat ...

and became co-owner of a community kitchen space in Eau Claire. Dexter has been an organizer behind Chippewa Valley Restaurant Week in Eau Claire.

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 The Wisconsin Government Accountability Board (G.A.B.) was a regulatory agency of the U.S. state of Wisconsin which administered and enforced Wisconsin law pertaining to campaign finance, elections, ethics, and lobbying. The board was composed of ...

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

References

External links

''Follow the Money'': Kristen Dexter 2008 campaign contributionsKristen Dexter campaign contributions at ''Wisconsin Democracy Campaign''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dexter, Kristen University of Wisconsin–River Falls alumni People from Kittson County, Minnesota Politicians from Eau Claire, Wisconsin Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Women state legislators in Wisconsin 1961 births Living people 21st-century American women politicians People from Eau Claire County, Wisconsin 21st-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature