Sarah Godlewski
Sarah Ann Godlewski (born November 9, 1981)[1] is an American businesswoman and politician who has served as Wisconsin state treasurer since 2019.[2][3] She was elected in 2018, defeating Republican Travis Hartwig.[4][5] On April 14, 2021, she announced her campaign in the Democratic primary for the 2022 United States Senate election in Wisconsin.
Sarah Godlewski | |
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36th Treasurer of Wisconsin | |
Assumed office January 7, 2019 | |
Governor | Tony Evers |
Preceded by | Matt Adamczyk |
Personal details | |
Born | Sarah Ann Godlewski November 9, 1981 Eau Claire, Wisconsin, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Max Duckworth |
Children | 1 |
Education | George Mason University (BA) |
Website | Official website Campaign website |
Early life and career
Sarah Godlewski was born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and graduated from Memorial High School. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in peace and resolution studies from George Mason University, where she was student body president.[6] While in college, she lobbied the Virginia Legislature to pass absentee ballot reforms.[7] Later, she attended the University of Pennsylvania's Fels Institute of Government, but did not complete her degree. In April 2021, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Godlewski does not have a master's degree in public policy from the University of Pennsylvania despite several publications and websites claiming she had the degree.[8] Godlewski has responded that she never told anyone she has a master's degree, or ask for corrections because she did not see the claims. [9]
Career
Godlewski's career has led her to work on community microfinance in India, language and culture strategic planning for the United States Department of State, child protection initiatives in Belize, education reform and public health in Uganda,[10] and social policy work in Sweden. Between 2004 and 2012, Godlewski worked for the defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton.[11] During her political campaigns, she has regularly claimed that she saved taxpayers $20 million in her role at Booz Allen Hamilton, but has not provided evidence of doing so. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel "gave Godlewski a month to find data or documents that would verify her oft-stated claim about saving those shipyards full of taxpayer dollars." Her campaign said "it believes there are government records that would confirm Godlewski's assertion about the tax savings. But some of those records may be classified or restricted."[12] Several of Godlewski's former colleagues came forward during the investigation to confirm that while verifying the claims would require access to documents that are not publicly available, her estimate of taxpayer savings sounds accurate based on the work she was doing.[13]
Godlewski taught as an adjunct professor at George Mason University between 2004 and 2009.
She was a National Security Fellow for Air War College and attended the Women's Campaign School at Yale University. Godlewski has also been involved as an interviewer with the Veterans History Project.

Godlewski worked for Arapahoe County, Colorado from 2012 to 2016 as the director of the Office of Strategy and Performance.[14][15] During that time, Godlewski served as a member of the Joint Task Force on Veterans with PTSD which made recommendations to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the United States Congress.
In 2015, Godlewski co-founded investment firm MaSa Impact with her husband Max Duckworth,[16] a multimillionaire investor from Maryland.[17] They first met in 2013 on a regional volunteer board of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.[18]
In 2016, Godlewski served as the director of Women's Outreach for Wisconsin in Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. Godlewski caucused for Clinton in Colorado in March 2016, but she did not vote in the general election. Five years later, her campaign for US Senate said she didn't register to vote because she was unsure if she met Wisconsin's residency requirements, though in fact she did.[19] In the past Godlewski has also helped to direct Women's Leadership programs for the Democratic National Committee[20]
Godlewski served on the board for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF and served as chairperson of the UNICEF Advocacy Committee. Godlewski served on the board for mOm Incubators,[21] the Arlington Academy of Hope, and George Mason University's School of Visual and Performance Arts. Godlewski has also been an investor with WE Capital.[22]
Campaign
In April 2018, Godlewski announced her candidacy for state treasurer.[23] Godlewski won a three-way primary on August 14, 2018, receiving 43.5% of the vote.[24] In the general election she took more of the vote share than the newly elected Democratic governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general and flipped 9 counties that went for Trump.[25] Her opponents were former television anchor Cynthia Kaump and former Treasurer Dawn Marie Sass.[26]
Godlewski raised over $700,000 for her campaign, while Travis Hartwig, her Republican opponent, raised less than $13,000.[27] Godlewski and her husband contributed over $300,000 to her own campaign.[28] She won the general election with 50.9% of the vote, to Hartwig's 46.8%.[29][30][31]
Tenure
After being elected, Godlewski received a memo from the Legislative Reference Bureau that identified 16 responsibilities that the State Treasurer should be doing but had neglected in recent years.[32] During the transition for Governor-elect Tony Evers, Godlewski was appointed to serve as a member of the Next Generation Workforce and Economic Development Policy Advisory Council.[33][34] In January 2019, Godlewski was unanimously elected to serve as chairwoman of the state Board of Commissioners of Public Lands.[35] The state Board of Commissioners of Public Lands voted to lift a GOP mandated gag order prohibiting staff from discussing or considering the material risk of climate change to state investments.[36] In August 2019, Godlewski and Governor Evers established a Retirement Task Force to create new investment options and expand awareness of retirement planning in Wisconsin.[37] In February 2021, the Task Force presented its results to Governor Evers. Its recommendations include five proposals: WisconsinSaves, 401(K)ids, Emergency Savings, Incentivize Participation, Interactive E-Commerce Portal.[38] In March 2020, Godlewski created the Treasurer's Homeowners Task Force.[39] In her role as the chair of the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands, she released an additional $5.25 million to aid in virtual learning on top of a record $38.2 million to public school libraries.[40]
2022 U.S. Senate election
On April 14, 2021, Godlewski announced her campaign in the 2022 United States Senate election in Wisconsin. Godlewski has said that she is running to help support small businesses, fight climate change, raise the minimum wage, lower prescription drug costs, reform the criminal justice system and get rid of the Senate filibuster.[41] She has been endorsed by EMILY's List, a Democratic political action committee (PAC) that seeks to elect pro-choice women.[42] In January 2022, Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin opined that Godlewski may be the best chance for Democrats to beat Ron Johnson in 2022.[43]
References
- "Thursday's birthdays". No. November 9, 2017. POLITICO. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
- "Sarah Godlewski: Executive Profile". Bloomberg. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
- "Wisconsin Eye discussion on the merits of the State Treasurer's office". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
- "US News and World Report".
- NBC15. "Democrat enters treasurer race after fighting to save office". Retrieved April 12, 2018.
- Staff Writer (October 7, 2018). "Candidate QA: State Treasurer- S-CAR BA Alumna Sarah Godlewski". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
- Helderman, Rosalind (February 8, 2004). "Va. Students' Standards of Lobbying". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
- "Bice: State treasurer and likely U.S. Senate candidate Sarah Godlewski doesn't have a master's degree, after all". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. April 12, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
- "Bice: State treasurer and likely U.S. Senate candidate Sarah Godlewski doesn't have a master's degree, after all". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. April 12, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
- Bahrampour, Tara (May 21, 2006). "Learning Experience After building a life in Arlington, Ugandan immigrant John Wanda decided to build something more ambitious – a school for his native village". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
- Bice, Daniel. "Bice: U.S. Senate candidate Sarah Godlewski says she saved taxpayers 'tens of millions of dollars.' She just can't prove it". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
- Bice, Daniel. "Bice: U.S. Senate candidate Sarah Godlewski says she saved taxpayers 'tens of millions of dollars.' She just can't prove it". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- Bice, Daniel (May 24, 2021). "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel".
- "Creating a Strategy That Speaks to Everyone". www.td.org. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
- "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Arapahoe County hires new Director of Performance Management Sarah Godlewski will support and assist departments, elected offices with the County's Align Arapahoe initiatives and performance measures". Arapahoe County. December 18, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
- "MaSa Partners Investor Profile: Portfolio & Exits | PitchBook". pitchbook.com. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
- "Wisconsin Treasurer Godlewski launches US Senate bid". ABC News. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
- "A Courtship for Children". UNICEF USA!. February 15, 2015. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
- Bice, Daniel. "Bice: U.S. Senate candidate Sarah Godlewski didn't vote in 2016 election despite working on Hillary Clinton campaign". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- Smith, Hillary (October 12, 2016). "Panel discussion explores women's role in politics, impact of Clinton candidacy". The Spectator. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
- "Innovators & Disruptors: The 2017 Tech 25". Washington Magazine. November 7, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- "Interview: Sarah Godlewski". iKnowPolitics. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
- Board, Shepherd Express Editorial (October 30, 2018). "Sarah Godlewski for Wisconsin State Treasurer". Shepherd Express. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
- Almukhtar, Sarah. "Wisconsin Primary Election Results". Retrieved August 16, 2018.
- Holbrook, Liz (July 21, 2021). "Wisconsin Senate Candidate Sarah Godlewski tours Merrill Manufacteur". 947JackFM.
- "Wisconsin commission certifies election results". www.nbc15.com. Associated Press. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
- "You are being redirected..." www.wisdc.org. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
- "GODLEWSKI, SARAH - FollowTheMoney.org". www.followthemoney.org. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
- "Wisconsin elections: Democrat Sarah Godlewski wins state treasurer race". Daily Tribune Media. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
- WBAY. "Democrat Godlewski wins State Treasurer's office". Retrieved November 8, 2018.
- Younge, Gary (November 29, 2018). "The new wave of Democrats owes a huge debt to people power | Gary Younge". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
- "Future state treasurer faces tough challenges". TMJ4. December 4, 2018. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
- staff, Madison365. "Evers and Barnes Announce Next Generation Workforce and Economic Development Policy Advisory Council". Madison365. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
- Milwaukee, Urban. "Governor-elect Tony Evers and Lt. Governor-elect Mandela Barnes Announce Next Generation Workforce and Economic Development Policy Advisory Council". Urban Milwaukee. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
- staff, Leader-Telegram. "Godlewski to chair Public Lands board". Leader-Telegram. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
- Weihert, Sarah (February 11, 2019). "Board of Commissioners of Public Lands overturns gag order on climate change". Lake Mills Leader.
- Kirwan, Hope (August 22, 2019). "Wisconsin State Treasurer, Governor Launch Retirement Task Force". Wisconsin Public Radio. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
- https://www.wisbusiness.com/2021/state-treasurer-godlewski-governors-task-force-unveils-innovative-bipartisan-proposals-to-strengthen-retirement-security-for-wisconsin-workers-and-families/.
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(help) - "State Treasurer Godlewski brings together Homeowners Task Force to help Wisconsinites buy homes and stay in them". Seehafer News. March 8, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
- "State Treasurer announces $5.25 million for public schools during COVID19". WEAU. April 15, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
- Bauer, Scott (April 14, 2021). "Wisconsin Treasurer Godlewski launches US Senate bid". AP News.
- Glauber, Bill (June 29, 2021). "EMILY's List endorses Democrat Sarah Godlewski in 2022 Senate Race". Retrieved November 12, 2021.
- Rubin, Jennifer (January 25, 2022). "Sarah Godlewski Could be the best chance to rid the Senate of Ron Johnson". The Washington Post.