Tony Evers

Governor of Wisconsin

Tony Evers, a lifelong Wisconsinite, former public-school teacher and administrator, and proud University of Wisconsin–Madison alumnus, is the 46th governor of Wisconsin. He has dedicated his career to advocating for kids, serving the people of the state, and moving Wisconsin forward.

Evers was born and raised in Sheboygan County, where he graduated from Plymouth High School. Aspiring to a career in education, he earned bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees at UW–Madison, receiving his PhD in educational administration in 1986.

Evers began his career as an educator in 1976 as a teacher in the Baraboo School District. He was then a principal in the Oakfield and Tomah districts before serving as superintendent of schools in Oakfield and Verona and administrator of the Cooperative Educational Service Agency in Oshkosh.

For eight years, he was the second-ranking official in the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Evers was elected three times to the nonpartisan constitutional office of state superintendent of public instruction, leading DPI from 2009 to 2019.

In 2018, Evers won his first term as governor and was reelected in 2022. As governor, he has championed tax relief benefiting Wisconsin families and businesses, initiated improvements to thousands of miles of roads, invested in public education, improved internet access around the state, and built a record-breaking budget surplus.

Believing the UW System is one of Wisconsin’s greatest assets, Evers signed legislation funding new and renovated facilities at UW–Madison, more state agricultural specialists through the Division of Extension, and grants for nurse educators who commit to teaching in Wisconsin. He has prioritized several important UW–Madison projects in his 2023–25 budget proposal, including a new, state-of-the-art College of Engineering building, an expanded facility for the School of Education’s Art Department, and critical campus infrastructure upgrades.

An avid Badger fan who also cheers on the Packers, Brewers, and Bucks at every opportunity, Evers enjoys popular Wisconsin pastimes like fishing, polka dancing, and playing Euchre.

For more than 40 years, he has been married to Kathy Evers, herself an educator, whom he first met in kindergarten. They are parents of three adult children and have nine grandchildren.