Judy Martz

JUDY MARTZ was born in 1943 in Big Timber, Montana, to ranching parents. She graduated from Butte High School in 1961, and attended Eastern Montana College. She was a member of the 1963 U.S. World Speed Skating Team, and a member of the U.S. Olympic Speed Skating Team at the 1964 Winter Games. Martz was a field representative for U.S. Senator Conrad Burns from 1989 to 1995. She has been civically involved for years, serving as president of the Butte Chamber of Commerce in the early 1990s and vice-chair of the St. James Hospital Board of Directors. For more than 30 years, she and her husband Harry have owned and operated a commercial solid-waste business in Butte. As a small business owner, she became actively involved in local and statewide economic development issues. In 1996 she was elected with Governor Marc Racicot as Montana's first female lieutenant governor, and just four years later became the state's first female governor. While in office, Martz tackled many tough issues head-on. Her priorities included creating and retaining high-paying job opportunities for all Montanans, addressing appropriate tax reform policies in the state, and improving the education funding system for Montana's public schools. Her goal to ensure that Montana is "open for business" was carried into action by dedicated cabinet and staff members who shared her priorities. Martz recognized that one of the most important responsibilities of the state's chief executive officer is to manage the state's financial affairs. During the 2003 legislative session, the governor was successful in gaining passage of the first major personal tax reform in three decades. In 2002 Montana received the second-highest bond rating available to states from both Standard & Poor's and Moody's - the nation's largest rating agencies. To implement her economic development initiatives, Martz created the Office of Economic Opportunity during the 2001 legislative session. This office is tasked with promoting Montana businesses, attracting complementary businesses to the state, and developing Montana's workforce for better paying jobs. Martz and her husband Harry were married in 1965. They have two grown children - Justin and Stacey - and became grandparents on December 31,2003. Stacey and her husband, Abe Boomer, have a baby girl, Remy Clair.