Dear Friends,

My name is Kaohly Vang Her. Born in Laos, my family came to the United States as refugees when I was four years old. I grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin, a paper town where my father worked at the local paper factory and my mother as a teacher’s aide.  As our family expanded, my parents worked multiple jobs to make ends meet.  There were periods of my life where my family struggled financially but my parents never gave up on the dream of what America could provide.  

As early as I can remember, my parents would say to me that the way out of poverty is through education.  My mother emphasized independence and my father on self-reliance.  My father said that there is no greater return in life than that which you receive from investing in your education.  My parents were right.  

I graduated from the University of Wisconsin Madison with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance, I have a Master of Business Administration from Northeastern University, and I am currently pursuing my Doctorate from the University of St. Thomas in Education Leadership.  My educational attainment led me to work in and hold leadership positions in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors.  I have been blessed to have a broad depth of experience and skills.

I am the mother of two beautiful and intelligent young women, the wife of a strong feminist man, the daughter of survivors of oppression and war, and a child of a community that decided I was worth investing in.  I believe that it is my turn to take all of that love, wisdom, and strength to pour back into my neighbors, my community, my city, and my state.

Education – Educating our children must be a priority. Kaohly will work to secure greater investments in early childhood education and fight to restore funding for public education to pre-recession levels.