Denise Juneau

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Denise Juneau
File:Kg070715-9 TWITTER SMALL.jpg
Personal details
Born (1967-04-05) April 5, 1967 (age 56)
Oakland, California, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Residence Helena, Montana
Alma mater Montana State University,
Bozeman

Harvard University
University of Montana,
Missoula
Profession Teacher and Attorney

Denise Juneau (born April 5, 1967) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Montana elected as the State Superintendent of Public Instruction.[1] The State Superintendent of Public Instruction heads the Montana Office of Public Instruction. A member of the Democratic Party, Juneau is the first American Indian woman to be elected to statewide executive office in Montana.[2][3][4] She is an enrolled member of the Mandan and Hidatsa tribes, and descendant of the Blackfeet Tribe.[5][6]

On November 4, 2015, Juneau announced her candidacy for the United States House of Representatives in the 2016 Congressional Election, against one-term incumbent Ryan Zinke.[7]

Early life and education

Juneau was born in Oakland, California.[8] She attended Montana’s public education system from elementary school through higher education and worked in Montana public schools through most of her professional career. Juneau attended Head Start and first grade in Billings, Montana while her parents completed their undergraduate degrees–both in education. The family then moved to Juneau's father’s hometown of Browning, Montana, where her parents were teachers, and she graduated from Browning High School.[9] At Montana State University – Bozeman, Juneau received a Bachelor’s Degree in English. She went on to the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she completed her Master of Education Degree.[10] Juneau then attended the University of Montana Law School, completing her J.D. in 2004.[10]

In November 2015, Juneau confirmed she had twice been arrested for driving under the influence while a college student.[11]

Early career

Denise Juneau's teaching career began in New Town, North Dakota on the Fort Berthold Reservation. Juneau's mother, Montana state Senator Carol Juneau,[12] grew up in that area, and Juneau is an enrolled member of the Three Affiliated Tribes. The Mandan and Hidatsa tribes are a part of the combined nations, known as the Three Affiliated Tribes. Juneau's first teaching job included teaching English to every 9th and 10th grader in the school, as well as coaching the speech and debate team.

Prior to running for public office, Juneau worked at the Montana Office of Public Instruction as the Director of Indian Education where she oversaw the implementation of Montana's constitutionally-mandated Indian Education For All program to deliver education in the public schools on Montana's American Indian heritage.[13][14]

Following law school, she was a law clerk for Montana Supreme Court Justices Jim Regnier and Brian Morris, then went on to work as an attorney for a national law firm that specialized in Federal Indian law.[10]

Political career

In 2008, Juneau ran for Superintendent of Public Instruction. She first won a four-way Democratic primary in June.[15] In the November general election, the final vote tally was 234,483 for Juneau (51%), 201,091 (43.7%) for her GOP opponent, Elaine Sollie Herman, and 24,236 (5.3%) for Libertarian candidate Donald Eisenmenger.[16]

In 2012 she ran for reelection against Republican Sandy Welch. Juneau won for a second term.[17] Due to term limits, she will be ineligible to run again in 2016.

Juneau had been named as a possible candidate for Senator Max Baucus' (D-Montana) seat which will be vacated upon his retirement in 2014, but on August 5, announced she would not run.[18]

On Nov. 4, 2015, Juneau announced her candidacy [19] for Montana's lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Accomplishments

Since Juneau took office in 2009, Montana's graduation rate increased 4.7 percent, while the dropout rate decreased 1.3 percent.[20] Juneau also oversaw the development of Montana's "Schools of Promise Initiative", an $11.5 million three-year project aimed at improving the state's persistently lowest-performing schools.[21]

In 2009, Montana's leadership in Indian Education was recognized when Juneau was named Educator of the Year by the National Indian Education Association.[3][5][22][23]

In 2010, Carroll College awarded Juneau an Honorary Doctorate.[24] Also in 2010, Juneau launched "Graduation Matters Montana", a statewide program to help students "graduate from high school prepared for college and the workforce".[25]

Juneau gave a speech at the 2012 Democratic National Convention in which she praised U.S. President Barack Obama for emphasizing schools.[26]

In 2015, Juneau was awarded the Alumni Council Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education, from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.[27] She also received the National Education Association's Leo Reano Memorial Award.[28]

References

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  2. Montana under new management
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  4. Denise Juneau, NIEA member is Montana's new Superintendent of Public Instruction
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  9. Denise Juneau's official bio
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  12. Carol Juneau bio, MEA-MFT Website
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  16. 2008 Statewide General Election Canvass. Montana Secretary of State
  17. http://sos.mt.gov/elections/2012/2012_General_Canvass.pdf
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External links