1. Kathleen Marie Karpan was born on September 1,1942 and is an American politician who served as secretary of state of Wyoming from 1987 to 1995, and as the director of the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement from 1997 to 2000.
Kathy Karpan is the most recent Democrat to serve as Wyoming Secretary of State or any other statewide office aside from Dave Freudenthal's service as Governor from 2003 to 2011.
Kathy Karpan was born in Rock Springs, Wyoming, and grew up in both Rock Springs and Rawlins.
Kathy Karpan received bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Wyoming and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Oregon School of Law.
From 1979 to 1986, Kathy Karpan worked in the United States Department of Commerce and the office of the Wyoming Attorney General, and served as director of the Wyoming Department of Health and Social Services.
Kathy Karpan served as a campaign manager for Rodger McDaniel during the 1982 United States Senate election in Wyoming.
Kathy Karpan was the Democratic nominee in the 1994 gubernatorial and 1996 Senate elections, but lost both elections to Republicans Jim Geringer and Mike Enzi, respectively.
In 1997, Kathy Karpan was appointed by President Bill Clinton, whose presidential campaigns she had supported, to serve as the first female director of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement.
Kathy Karpan has continued to support Democratic presidential and state campaigns.
Kathleen Marie Kathy Karpan was born in Rock Springs, Wyoming, on September 1,1942, to Thomas and Pauline Kathy Karpan.
Kathy Karpan was the family's first child, with two younger siblings named Judy and Frank.
In 1960, Kathy Karpan graduated from Rawlins High School, and was offered a scholarship to the University of Wyoming College of Commerce and Industry.
Kathy Karpan earned her bachelor's degree in journalism in 1964.
Kathy Karpan protested against the dismissal of the Black 14 from the school's football team in October 1969.
Kathy Karpan finished her coursework, but could not select a topic for her thesis.
Kathy Karpan then worked in Canberra for several months, converting political stories from print media to broadcasting at the Australian capital.
In 1970, Roncalio regained his seat in the House of Representatives, and hired Kathy Karpan to be his chief of staff.
In 1978, Kathy Karpan graduated with a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Oregon School of Law.
From 1979 to 1981, Kathy Karpan worked as an attorney in the Economic Development Administration of the United States Department of Commerce.
Kathy Karpan first served as deputy director for congressional relations, then as the acting deputy legal counsel after passing the bar exam.
Kathy Karpan then served as an assistant attorney general in the office of the Wyoming Attorney General from 1983 to 1984, under Archie G McClintock.
Kathy Karpan's duties included representing the state's boards and commissions.
Kathy Karpan supported Senator Gary Hart during the 1984 Democratic presidential primaries, and served as a delegate for Hart to the Democratic National Convention.
Kathy Karpan reorganized the department's budget, and in response to a legislative budget reduction, eliminated 10 administrative positions to prioritize client-facing positions at the agency's county offices.
Kathy Karpan resigned on June 5,1986, to run for secretary of state.
Kathy Karpan won the Democratic nomination without opposition after spending $13,832.
Kathy Karpan was the defendant in Gorin v Karpan, a reapportionment case that required the state's legislators to be elected from districts of equal population, rather than by county.
Kathy Karpan faced no opposition in the Democratic primary and defeated Republican nominee Tom Zollinger after spending $56,441 against Zollinger's $24,745.
On November 1,1992, Governor Mike Sullivan and Kathy Karpan published a letter calling for Wyoming voters to support Clinton.
Kathy Karpan did not seek re-election in 1994, instead opting to run for governor.
On January 2,1995, Kathy Karpan was succeeded as secretary of state by Republican Diana Ohman.
In 1994, Kathy Karpan met with representatives of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to consider running in that year's Senate election.
Sullivan was considering running for the same seat, and Kathy Karpan indicated that she would not commit to running for any office until Sullivan made his own decision.
In 1995, Kathy Karpan was appointed to serve as interim Laramie County attorney to replace Roberta Coates, who resigned.
In 1996, a poll paid for by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee showed Kathy Karpan leading John Barrasso, Dan Sullivan, and Eli Bebout in that year's United States Senate election.
Kathy Karpan espoused conservative positions, including fiscal responsibility and a smaller role for the federal government.
Kathy Karpan ultimately lost to Enzi, who successfully associated Kathy Karpan with Clinton and gained votes from supporters of Bob Dole during that year's presidential election.
Kathy Karpan raised $927,949 in contributions and ended the campaign with a balance of $24,919.
On May 6,1997, Clinton, who had won reelection, selected Kathy Karpan to serve as director of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement.
Kathy Karpan took office on August 4,1997, becoming the first woman to hold that position.
Environmentalists accused Kathy Karpan of being too close to the mining industry.
On March 15,2000, Kathy Karpan recused herself as director and took several weeks of vacation time, while she applied to a job as head of the National Mining Association, a lobbying group for the mining industry.
Kathy Karpan indicated that she did not plan to return to political life.
The law office opened as Bagley, Kathy Karpan, Rose and White in November 2001.
Kathy Karpan supported Hillary Clinton during the 2008 Wyoming Democratic presidential caucuses and served as a Clinton delegate at the party's national convention.
Kathy Karpan again supported Clinton during the 2016 Democratic presidential primaries.