Chamber Luncheon featuring Olene Walker

Olene Smith Walker was Utah’s 15th Governor. She was sworn into office on November 5, 2003, shortly before her 73rd birthday, as Utah’s first, and, to date, only female governor. She is a member of the Republican Party.

Walker’s political background includes eight years in the state legislature including a term as Majority Whip. She served as the fourth Lieutenant Governor of Utah for the 10 years prior to becoming governor. She founded the Salt Lake Education Foundation and served as its director. She served as director of the Utah Division of Community Development. She has chaired the Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, the Utah State Housing Coordinating Committee, the Governor’s Commission on Child Care, and the National Conference of Lieutenant Governors.

She assumed the office of Governor of the State of Utah after former governor Mike Leavitt was nominated by President George W. Bush to lead the Environmental Protection Agency in 2003. Walker served as governor until the end of Leavitt’s term on January 3, 2005.

Shortly after becoming governor, she selected former State Representative Gayle McKeachnie to be her lieutenant governor. Olene Walker was the first female governor to be sworn in by a female Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court, Christine M. Durham.

The State of Utah operates the Olene Walker Housing Loan Fund which seeks to provide affordable housing throughout the state, renovate rural housing, protect tenets from landlords who seek to exploit them, and in other ways to provide livable housing options to low income residents of the state.

In May 2010 the Utah County Democratic Party gave Walker its first distinguished service award.

Walker received her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees from Brigham Young University, Stanford University, and the University of Utah respectively.  She is married to Myron Walker; they have seven children and 25 grandchildren.