Mary Kramer
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Mary E. Kramer was also an Iowa teacher and a school administrator. She also has experience as a musician, mother, volunteer activist, business executive, political leader, and ambassador. She served as an Iowa State Senator for 13 years. During the last seven of those years, she served as presiding officer of the Senate, President of the Iowa Senate. Mary Kramer was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as Chair of the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars in 2002. In 2003, the President nominated her to serve as the United States Ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, where she served until her retirement in 2006. Prior to that, Kramer spent 18 years at Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield, joining the company as its first woman officer, first as Vice President of Human Resources, then as Vice President of Community Relations. She served as the Personnel Director for Younkers, Incorporated. Her leadership, mentoring and negotiation skills have been widely recognized. She is a lifetime member of the Iowa Society for Human Resource Management and was presented the National Society's highest award in 1996.
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Throughout the years, through her political, business and volunteer activities, she has been passionate and tireless in supporting women and children, particularly as mentor and coach as well as in providing leadership and support for women in the workplace. She was inducted into the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame in 2009. Recently, she volunteered her time to serve as an advisor to the Iowa Senate on workplace culture.
Mary leads discussion throughout the state of Iowa on civility and the importance of actively listening to achieve better outcomes. In the book she co-wrote with her daughter Krista Kramer Hartman, An Unlikely Ambassador and her Diplomatic Daughter, Mary outlines the things in life that have made her so successful, many of which reflect her commitment to lifelong learning: Listening; Giving back, and paying it forward; Gaining skills to create opportunities; Practicing to create continuous improvement—and the list goes on.
Mary Kramer is truly a lifelong learner who has had an impact on lifelong learners and lifelong learning at the community, state, and national level. We are very excited to welcome Mary into the 2018 Lifelong Learner Hall of Fame.
Mary leads discussion throughout the state of Iowa on civility and the importance of actively listening to achieve better outcomes. In the book she co-wrote with her daughter Krista Kramer Hartman, An Unlikely Ambassador and her Diplomatic Daughter, Mary outlines the things in life that have made her so successful, many of which reflect her commitment to lifelong learning: Listening; Giving back, and paying it forward; Gaining skills to create opportunities; Practicing to create continuous improvement—and the list goes on.
Mary Kramer is truly a lifelong learner who has had an impact on lifelong learners and lifelong learning at the community, state, and national level. We are very excited to welcome Mary into the 2018 Lifelong Learner Hall of Fame.