Schedule a Speaking Engagement With Leah Vukmir
State Representative Leah Vukmir has served in the Wisconsin Assembly since her election in 2002. She is Chair of the Assembly’s Committee on Health & Health Care Reform, and also served as Chair of the Assembly's Committee on Education Reform during her first two terms.
Vukmir’s background is in public health, but she has also focused on issues related to K-12 educational policy and education reform. She is a Registered Nurse and Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner; she received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Marquette University in 1980, and a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Wisconsin - Madison in 1983. She is a nationally certified pediatric nurse practitioner with over 25 years of nursing and teaching experience at St. Mary's Medical Center and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. Vukmir is also the former President of Parents Raising Educational Standards in Schools (PRESS), a statewide organization committed to raising academic standards and increasing parental involvement in the school reform process. In 1998, the Center for Education Reform in Washington, D.C., presented her with the “Unsung Hero” award for her grassroots school reform efforts.
As a legislator, Vukmir has been a strong supporter of school choice. In 2006, she co-authored legislation that allowed 22,500 Milwaukee students to attend a school of their choice. The enactment of this legislation marked the successful conclusion of a three-year legislative battle to expand the cap on Milwaukee ’s Parental Choice Program, making school choice in Milwaukee a national model for reform.
