Kathleen Riebe
Member of the Utah Senate
Assumed office
January 1, 2019
Preceded byBrian Zehnder
Constituency8th district (2019–2023)
15th district (2023–present)
Personal details
Political partyDemocratic
EducationHofstra University (BA)
Utah State University (MA)

Kathleen Riebe (/ˈriːbiː/ REE-bee[1]) is an American politician from Salt Lake City, Utah. She was a member of the Utah State Board of Education through 2018, and now represents Utah's 15th senate district in the Utah State Senate. Prior to redistricting she represented the 8th district.[2][3] On May 31, 2023, she announced to KSL News Radio that she was running in the 2023 Utah's 2nd congressional district special election.[4] She was nominated by the Utah Democratic Party to be their candidate in the general election.[5]

Education and career

In 1991, Riebe graduated from Hofstra University with a double major in Elementary Education and Sociology.[6] She has worked as a truck driver, bartender, and an Alta police dispatcher[7] and has taught outdoor education in New York, Georgia, New Jersey, and Maine. Riebe has taught in the Granite School District since 2001, where she is currently employed as an educational technology specialist.[8] She got a Master's and an Administrative Certificate in 2006 from Utah State University. She has an Educational Technology Endorsement from Southern Utah University. She has 2 children.[9]

Political career

In 2016, Riebe was elected to the Utah State Board of Education, defeating anti-common-core candidate Gary Thompson.[10] While on the State school board, she served on the board's Financial Literacy Committee; School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (STILA) Nominating Committee; Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Action Center; Underage Drinking Committee; and served as Co-Chair of the Finance Committee.[6] She took part in settlement negotiations when the Utah School Board was sued over the Professional Practices Advisory Commission, or UPPAC, for recommending harsher-than-necessary and often inconsistent discipline.[11]

Riebe secured the Democratic nomination for Utah Senate District 8 by defeating former candidate for U. S. Congress Kathie Allen at the Salt Lake County Democratic Convention on April 14, 2018, with 65% of the vote.[12]

On November 6, 2018, Riebe won the 2018 election for Utah Senate District 8, defeating incumbent Republican Brian Zehnder with 56% of the vote.[7] Having been elected to the State Senate, she had to resign her State School Board seat mid-term.[13] Riebe sits on the Senate Education and Transportation Committees.[14][15]

After redistricting in 2022, Senator Riebe’s district changed to the 15th District. She was elected Minority Whip in January 2023.[16]

External links

References

  1. ^ "Sen. Riebe Video". Facebook. October 8, 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  2. ^ "Utah State and House election results". November 7, 2018.
  3. ^ Romboy, Dennis (November 2, 2018). "Utah House, Senate races to bring new faces but GOP still firmly in control". Deseret News.
  4. ^ Aerts, Lindsay. "Candidates starting to line up as potential replacement for Rep. Stewart". KSL News Radio. Bonneville International. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  5. ^ "Kathleen Riebe nominated by Utah Democrats for special congressional election," The Salt Lake Tribune, June 28, 2023/
  6. ^ a b "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart.
  7. ^ a b "At least 3 women pick up seats in UT legislature". November 8, 2018.
  8. ^ "Murray's senate and house seats solidly Democrat as voters turn out in droves | Murray Journal". www.murrayjournal.com.
  9. ^ "Utah State Board of Education".
  10. ^ "Board of Education candidate pledges to quit campaign if Common Core was developed by Utah teachers". The Salt Lake Tribune.
  11. ^ "The state panel that investigates teacher misconduct cases is accused of pushing for unfair punishments. Now it faces an audit". The Salt Lake Tribune.
  12. ^ "Salt Lake County Democrats aim for unity at convention, where several candidates were glad they'd collected signatures to reach the primary ballot". The Salt Lake Tribune.
  13. ^ "The shuffling slows at the Utah State Board of Education, but its longest continuously serving member lost her bid for re-election". The Salt Lake Tribune.
  14. ^ "Utah House and Senate announce new committee assignments for 2019 session". Utah Policy. December 5, 2018.
  15. ^ "Utah Legislative Committee Information". le.utah.gov.
  16. ^ "Rep. Karen Kwan elected to replace Karen Mayne’s Utah Senate seat," ABC4Utah, Jan. 17, 2023
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