Sue Schafer
Encyclopedia
Sue Schafer is an educator and legislator from the U.S. state
of Colorado
. Elected to the Colorado House of Representatives as a Democrat in 2008, Schafer represents House District 24, which encompasses the cities of Wheat Ridge
, Edgewater
, and Arvada
.
, Schafer holds a bachelor's degree in secondary education
from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a master's degree in counseling from the University of Colorado at Boulder
and a doctorate in education from the University of Northern Colorado
. She also holds a principal's license from Colorado State University
.
She has taught social studies and French in Denver
public schools, worked as a counselor in Omaha Public Schools
and at Skagit Valley Community College in Mt. Vernon, Washington, and spent two decades as the curriculum director and accreditation manager for the Colorado Department of Education
. She has served on the Executive Board of the Colorado High School Activities Association, won the Contribution Award from the Colorado Congress of Foreign Language Teachers, and the Distinguished Service Award from the Colorado Art Education Association. Most recently, Schafer has worked as an educational consultant for low-performing schools.
Schafer has been a member of the Wheat Ridge Senior/Community Center Advisory Committee, the Wheat Ridge 2020 Urban Renewal Planning Committee, the League of Women Voters
, and Wheat Ridge Congregational United Church of Christ.
She served as a legislative intern in the Colorado House of Representatives in 2006 and has been both a precinct captain and the chair of the Democratic Party in the 24th district for eight years.
Schafer, a lesbian
, has two daughters and lives in Wheat Ridge, Colorado
with her partner. She is one of four openly LGBT
members of the Colorado General Assembly
, alongside Rep. Mark Ferrandino
(D–Denver), as well as Sens. Pat Steadman
(D–Denver) and Lucía Guzmán
(D–Denver).
Director Dave Ruchman in the contested Democratic primary in August, winning by only 29 votes, with 50.29% of ballots cast; the race was not decided until several days after the primary election.
Schafer faced Republican Cheryl Palm in the November 2008 general election. Schafer's candidacy was endorsed by the Denver Post, the Golden Transcript
, and the Wheat Ridge Transcript
. She easily won the general election with 62 percent of the votes cast and took office on January 7, 2009.
Schafer's first bill of the 2009 session, a measure requiring that flight schools train pilots in both takeoff and landing procedures, passed the state house unanimously.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. Elected to the Colorado House of Representatives as a Democrat in 2008, Schafer represents House District 24, which encompasses the cities of Wheat Ridge
Wheat Ridge, Colorado
The City of Wheat Ridge is a Home Rule Municipality located in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Wheat Ridge is a western suburb of Denver. The Wheat Ridge Municipal Center is approximately west-northwest of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver...
, Edgewater
Edgewater, Colorado
The City of Edgewater is a Home Rule Municipality located in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Edgewater is located on the northwest side of Denver, in the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population is 5,170...
, and Arvada
Arvada, Colorado
The City of Arvada is a Home Rule Municipality located in Jefferson and Adams counties in the Denver metropolitan area of the U.S. State of Colorado. Olde Town Arvada is located northwest of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver...
.
Biography
Born in Portland, MainePortland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
, Schafer holds a bachelor's degree in secondary education
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a master's degree in counseling from the University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
and a doctorate in education from the University of Northern Colorado
University of Northern Colorado
-Organization:The University of Northern Colorado offers 100 undergraduate programs and more than 100 graduate programs. The university has a satellite campus in Denver, Colorado...
. She also holds a principal's license from Colorado State University
Colorado State University
Colorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...
.
She has taught social studies and French in Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
public schools, worked as a counselor in Omaha Public Schools
Omaha Public Schools
Omaha Public Schools is the largest school district in the state of Nebraska. This public school district serves a diverse community of more than 46,000 students at over 80 elementary and secondary schools in Omaha, Nebraska...
and at Skagit Valley Community College in Mt. Vernon, Washington, and spent two decades as the curriculum director and accreditation manager for the Colorado Department of Education
Colorado Department of Education
The Colorado Department of Education is the state education agency of Colorado. It is headquartered in Denver....
. She has served on the Executive Board of the Colorado High School Activities Association, won the Contribution Award from the Colorado Congress of Foreign Language Teachers, and the Distinguished Service Award from the Colorado Art Education Association. Most recently, Schafer has worked as an educational consultant for low-performing schools.
Schafer has been a member of the Wheat Ridge Senior/Community Center Advisory Committee, the Wheat Ridge 2020 Urban Renewal Planning Committee, the League of Women Voters
League of Women Voters
The League of Women Voters is an American political organization founded in 1920 by Carrie Chapman Catt during the last meeting of the National American Woman Suffrage Association approximately six months before the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution gave women the right to vote...
, and Wheat Ridge Congregational United Church of Christ.
She served as a legislative intern in the Colorado House of Representatives in 2006 and has been both a precinct captain and the chair of the Democratic Party in the 24th district for eight years.
Schafer, a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, has two daughters and lives in Wheat Ridge, Colorado
Wheat Ridge, Colorado
The City of Wheat Ridge is a Home Rule Municipality located in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Wheat Ridge is a western suburb of Denver. The Wheat Ridge Municipal Center is approximately west-northwest of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver...
with her partner. She is one of four openly LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
members of the Colorado General Assembly
Colorado General Assembly
The Colorado General Assembly is the state legislature of the State of Colorado.-Constitutional definition:The Colorado Constitution establishes a system of government based on the separation of powers doctrine with power divided among three "departments": executive, legislative and judicial...
, alongside Rep. Mark Ferrandino
Mark Ferrandino
Mark Steven Ferrandino is a legislator in the U.S. state of Colorado and the Minority Leader of the Colorado House of Representatives. Appointed to the legislature in 2007, Ferrandino represents House District 2, encompassing south central Denver...
(D–Denver), as well as Sens. Pat Steadman
Pat Steadman
Patrick "Pat" Steadman is a legislator, attorney and former lobbyist from the U.S. state of Colorado. Steadman, a Democrat, was appointed to the Colorado Senate in May 2009 following the resignation of Jennifer Veiga...
(D–Denver) and Lucía Guzmán
Lucía Guzmán
Lucía Guzmán is a Colorado state legislator. Appointed to the Colorado Senate in May 2010, Guzmán represents Senate District 34 in Denver. She was elected to a full four-year term in November 2010.-Political career:...
(D–Denver).
2008 election
Sue Schafer narrowly defeated Denver Regional Transportation DistrictRegional Transportation District
The Regional Transportation District, or RTD, was organized in 1969 and is the regional authority operating public transit services in eight of the twelve counties in the Denver-Aurora-Boulder Combined Statistical Area in Colorado. RTD is governed by a 15-member, publicly elected Board of...
Director Dave Ruchman in the contested Democratic primary in August, winning by only 29 votes, with 50.29% of ballots cast; the race was not decided until several days after the primary election.
Schafer faced Republican Cheryl Palm in the November 2008 general election. Schafer's candidacy was endorsed by the Denver Post, the Golden Transcript
Golden Transcript
The Golden Transcript is the second oldest newspaper in Colorado, behind the Central City Register-Call. The Transcript is also the oldest media outlet of the Denver metropolitan area. It is published by Mile High Newspapers in Golden, Colorado....
, and the Wheat Ridge Transcript
Wheat Ridge Transcript
The Wheat Ridge Transcript Newspaper is a weekly newspaper that serves the community of Wheat Ridge, Colorado. The newspaper is owned by Mile high newspapers. Originally the Jefferson County Transcript, it has been published since 1982....
. She easily won the general election with 62 percent of the votes cast and took office on January 7, 2009.
2009 legislative session
For the 2009 legislative session, Schafer was named to seats on the House Education Committee and the House Local Government Committee.Schafer's first bill of the 2009 session, a measure requiring that flight schools train pilots in both takeoff and landing procedures, passed the state house unanimously.