Catherine L. "Cathy" Stepp (' O'Donnell; born August 17, 1963) is an American government administrator and former

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or again ...

politician. She is the city administrator of

Branson, Missouri Branson is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. Most of the city is situated in Taney County, Missouri, Taney County, with a small portion in the west extending into Stone County, Missouri, Stone County. Branson is in the Ozarks, Ozark Mountains. ...

, and previously served as regional administrator (midwest) of the

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...

under President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of ...

. Earlier, she was secretary of the

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) is a government agency of the U.S. state of Wisconsin charged with conserving and managing Wisconsin's natural resources. The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board has the authority to set policy ...

in the cabinet of governor Scott Walker, and served four years in the

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

, representing

Racine County Racine County (, sometimes also ) is a county in southeastern Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, its population was 197,727, making it Wisconsin's fifth-most populous county. Its county seat is Racine. The county was founded in 1836, then a p ...

Biography

Stepp was born in

Kenosha, Wisconsin Kenosha () is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the seat of Kenosha County. Per the 2020 census, the population was 99,986 which made it the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, Keno ...

, and graduated from Oak Creek High School in

Oak Creek, Wisconsin Oak Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located in Milwaukee County, it sits on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan and is located immediately south of Milwaukee. The city is one of the fastest growing in Milwaukee County and all ...

, in 1981. After marrying, she joined the home-building firm of her husband, known as First Stepp Builders, in

Racine, Wisconsin Racine ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River. Racine is situated 22 miles (35 km) south of Milwaukee and approximately 60 ...

, and became co-owner of the company. Through the business community, she rose in prominence in local affairs, and in 2000 she was appointed by Governor

Tommy Thompson Tommy George Thompson (born November 19, 1941) is an American Republican politician who most recently served as interim president of the University of Wisconsin System from 2020 to 2022. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served a ...

to the state's Natural Resources Board, which oversees the

. In 2002, Stepp successfully challenged Democratic Senator Kimberly Plache for Plache's

-based State Senate seat. From 2003 until 2007, Stepp served as a Republican in the

, representing the 21st Senate district. Stepp was only the second Republican to win an election in the Racine County Senate district in the previous 50 years. She announced in 2005 that she would not run for re-election in 2006, saying she wanted to devote more time to her family. She was succeeded by Democrat

John Lehman John Francis Lehman Jr. (born September 14, 1942) is an American private equity investor and writer who served as Secretary of the Navy (1981–1987) in the Ronald Reagan administration where he promoted the creation of a 600-ship Navy. From 2 ...

. In January 2011, Governor Scott Walker appointed Stepp to be his Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). During her tenure, Stepp rolled back environmental oversight and regulation. In August 2017, it was announced that Stepp would be resigning to become a deputy administrator of the

. Stepp supported Trump at rallies in Wisconsin, and has questioned the existence of climate change. Stepp resigned from the EPA in January 2020, and moved to

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, where she worked for a clean water non-profit and an

ecological restoration Restoration ecology is the scientific study supporting the practice of ecological restoration, which is the practice of renewing and restoring degraded, damaged, or destroyed ecosystems and habitats in the environment by active human interrupt ...

company. She was hired as city administrator of

, in 2022.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Senate (2002)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Republican Primary, September 10, 2002 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 5, 2002

References

External links

Official page (City of Branson)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stepp, Cathy 1963 births Living people Politicians from Kenosha, Wisconsin People from Branson, Missouri Republican Party Wisconsin state senators Women state legislators in Wisconsin Businesspeople from Wisconsin State cabinet secretaries of Wisconsin 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Trump administration personnel