Kathleen Vinehout (b.1958) is a former American politician, educator, and dairy farmer, best known for serving in the Wisconsin State Senate (2007–19.) She represented Wisconsin’s 31st Senate District, advocating for education, healthcare, and agricultural policy.
Born in Albany, New York, Vinehout grew up in Aurora, Illinois, in a family with military and healthcare backgrounds. She earned a B.S. in education from Southern Illinois University (1980,) an M.P.H. (1982,) and a PhD in Health Services Research (1987) from Saint Louis University. She later directed health administration programs at the University of Illinois at Springfield, focusing on state health policy and rural healthcare.
Vinehout transitioned to organic dairy farming, operating a 50-cow farm in Alma, Wisconsin, before entering politics. She was elected to the Wisconsin Senate in 2006, defeating Republican incumbent Ron Brown, and was re-elected in 2010 and 2014. She chaired the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Higher Education and co-chaired the Joint Committee on Audit.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Kathleen Vinehout
Treating mental illness saves all of us money. Take addiction. We heard testimony that for every dollar spent on addiction treatment, we save $7. That
—Kathleen Vinehout
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