Barbara Notestein (born April 14, 1949) is an American social worker from

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

who served as a member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

and is now executive director of Safe and Sound, a

crime prevention Crime prevention is the attempt to reduce and deter crime and criminals. It is applied specifically to efforts made by governments to reduce crime, enforce the law, and maintain criminal justice. Studies Criminologists, commissions, and research b ...

organization.

Background

Notestein was born on April 14, 1949, in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

, and grew up in

Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin Whitefish Bay is a village in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 14,954 at the 2020 census. History In the early 19th century when the first white settlers arrived, the Whitefish Bay area was controlled by Native Am ...

. She is a graduate of

Whitefish Bay High School Whitefish Bay High School is a comprehensive public secondary school located in the village of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, United States. Enrollment is 947 students, in grades 9 through 12. The school newspaper, the ''Tower Times'', and the school ...

. She earned a B.A. from

Beloit College Beloit College is a private liberal arts college in Beloit, Wisconsin. Founded in 1846, when Wisconsin was still a territory, it is the state's oldest continuously operated college. It is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest and has ...

in 1971, and an

M.S.W. The Master of Social Work (MSW) is a master's degree in the field of social work. It is a professional degree with specializations compared to Bachelor of Social Work (BSW). MSW promotes macro-, mezzo- and micro-aspects of professional social wor ...

in 1975 from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. Notestein was a

VISTA Vista usually refers to a distant view. Vista may also refer to: Software *Windows Vista, the line of Microsoft Windows client operating systems released in 2006 and 2007 *VistA, (Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture) ...

volunteer, became a

social worker Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...

, and worked eight years for the Hunger Task Force of Milwaukee, eventually becoming its director.

Public office

From 1983-1984, Notestein (a member and former president of the National Women's Political Caucus of Milwaukee and member of the N.O.W. was a member of the Wisconsin Women's Council. She was first elected to the Assembly in 1984 as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

from the newly renumbered

12th 12 (twelve) is the natural number following 11 and preceding 13. Twelve is a superior highly composite number, divisible by 2, 3, 4, and 6. It is the number of years required for an orbital period of Jupiter. It is central to many systems ...

ormerly 4thAssembly district (basically the East Side of Milwaukee) to succeed fellow Democrat

Barbara Ulichny Barbara Lynn Ulichny (born June 10, 1947) is an American attorney, women's rights activist, and retired Democratic politician. She was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate for 8 years (1985–1993) after serving six years in the State Ass ...

, who was successfully pursuing election to the Wisconsin State Senate. Notestein narrowly defeated

gay rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, , 3 ...

activist Leon Rouse in the Democratic

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Works * ...

(1740-1657 in a three-way race), but carried the

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

easily, with 15,606 votes to 8137 for Republican C. William Jordahl. In later years, she faced no serious challenge in the primary or general elections, even after

redistricting Redistribution (re-districting in the United States and in the Philippines) is the process by which electoral districts are added, removed, or otherwise changed. Redistribution is a form of boundary delimitation that changes electoral dist ...

changed the boundaries of her own district (now the 19th District) to the south; in some general elections, her only challenge came from candidates of the Taxpayer's Party. From 1991-1994 she was Assistant Majority Leader. She chose not to seek re-election in 1998, citing in part the frustration of minority status since 1994 for Assembly Democrats, and was succeeded by fellow Democrat Jon Richards. Notestein was appointed by President Clinton to serve in his administration as Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration Midwest Regional Office.

Safe and Sound

Notestein was executive director of Safe and Sound for 10 years. Notestein was honored by the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

in 2011 as a White House Champion of Change.The White House-Champions of Change
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Notestein, Barbara Politicians from Madison, Wisconsin Politicians from Milwaukee Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Women state legislators in Wisconsin Beloit College alumni University of Michigan School of Social Work alumni 1949 births Living people Whitefish Bay High School alumni 21st-century American women