Suzie Wrenn (born ) is an American public relations consultant who served as the chair of the

Virginia Democratic Party The Democratic Party of Virginia (DPVA/VA Dems) is the Virginia affiliate of the Democratic Party based in Richmond, Virginia. Historically, the Democratic Party has dominated Virginia politics. Since the 1851 Virginia gubernatorial election, th ...

from 1995 to 1998. She was the first woman to serve in the role.

Career

Wrenn worked as a policy and public relations aide in the

Carter Administration Jimmy Carter's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 39th president of the United States began with Inauguration of Jimmy Carter, his inauguration on January 20, 1977, and ended on January 20, 1981. Carter, a Democratic Party ...

. She was chief of staff to U.S. representative

Barbara Mikulski Barbara Ann Mikulski ( ; born July 20, 1936) is an American politician and social worker who served as a United States senator from Maryland from 1987 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she also served i ...

. Wrenn is a self-described

moderate Moderate is an ideological category which entails centrist views on a liberal-conservative spectrum. It may also designate a rejection of radical or extreme views, especially in regard to politics and religion. Political position Canad ...

. She worked as a public relations and government affairs consultant. Wrenn served a two-year term as the chair of the Fairfax County Democratic Party. During her tenure, two Democrats, including

Katherine Hanley Katherine Keith "Kate" Hanley (born March 5, 1943) is an American Democratic politician in Virginia currently serving as Secretary of the Fairfax County Electoral Board. She previously served as Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia from 20 ...

, won special elections, shifting the

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, sometimes abbreviated as FCBOS, is the governing body of Fairfax County, Virginia, a county of over a million in Northern Virginia. The board has nine districts, and one at-large district which is always oc ...

from seven to three Republicans to an even five to five split. In September 1995, Wrenn became chair of the

, succeeding

Mark Warner Mark Robert Warner (born December 15, 1954) is an American businessman and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Virginia, a seat he has held since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, Warner served as the 69th gove ...

. At the time of her selection, she had been active in politics for three decades. Wrenn was the first woman to serve in the role. During her tenure, the party lost the 1996 United States Senate election and three statewide races in 1997. Wrenn resigned on March 7, 1998.

Personal life

Wrenn was born in . She resided in

Great Falls, Virginia Great Falls is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population at the 2020 census was 15,953. History Colonial farm settlements began to form in the area as early as the late 1700s. Early on, the village ...

in 1995. She was based in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...

by 1998.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wrenn, Suzie 20th-century American women politicians Democratic Party of Virginia chairs Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Women in Virginia politics Year of birth missing (living people) 1940s births Carter administration personnel People from Great Falls, Virginia Politicians from Alexandria, Virginia Politicians from Fairfax County, Virginia American political consultants Political chiefs of staff United States congressional aides