Michelle Kaufusi (born October 14, 1966) is an American politician serving as the 45th and current Mayor of

Provo, Utah Provo ( ) is the List of cities and towns in Utah, fourth-largest city in Utah, United States. It is south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the largest city and county seat of Utah County, Utah, Utah County and is home to Bri ...

since 2017. She is a member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa * Republican Party (Liberia) *Republican Party ...

Early life and education

Kaufusi was born and raised in

. Kaufusi is a member of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

. Her mother is also a member of the church, and father left the family when she was six. She graduated from Provo High, where she served in student government and earned an academic scholarship to BYU. She studied at

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...

where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography.

Career

After graduating from college, she moved to Pennsylvania to join her husband, who she had married a few months earlier, who was then playing for the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

. Her first two children were born in Pennsylvania. They then spent a few years in Salt Lake City while her husband studied at and coached at the

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

. They returned to Provo in 2002. Prior to her election as mayor, Kaufusi served as a member of the Provo School Board for six years. On February 7, 2020, former Governor

Jon Huntsman Jr. Jon Meade Huntsman Jr. (born March 26, 1960) is an American businessman, diplomat and politician who served as the 16th Governor of Utah from 2005 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the Ambassador of the United States t ...

announced Kaufusi as his running mate in the

2020 Utah gubernatorial election The 2020 Utah gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 2020, to elect the governor of Utah, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate and elections to the United States House ...

. In the Republican primary, Huntsman was narrowly defeated by Spencer Cox.

Personal life

Kaufusi is married to

Steve Kaufusi Sitiveni P. Kaufusi (born October 17, 1963 in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga) is a former American football defensive lineman in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1988-1990. College career Kaufusi also played college football at ...

who was formerly the defensive line coach for

. Her son,

Bronson Kaufusi Bronson Kaufusi (born July 6, 1991) is an American football tight end who is a free agent. He played college football at BYU. Early years Kaufusi attended Timpview High School in Provo, Utah. He had 70 tackles and 9.5 sacks as junior and 19 t ...

, was a tight end for the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the t ...

while her other son,

Corbin Kaufusi Corbin Kaufusi (born April 12, 1993) is an American football offensive tackle for the Memphis Showboats of the United States Football League (USFL). He played college football at BYU. Early years Kaufusi attended Timpview High School in Provo, ...

, played basketball and football at BYU and played for the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's Nationa ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaufusi, Michelle 21st-century American politicians Women mayors of places in Utah Living people Mayors of Provo, Utah Brigham Young University alumni Latter Day Saints from Utah Utah Republicans 1966 births 21st-century American women politicians