Gayle Edlund Wilson (born November 24, 1942) is an American business professional, community activist, and the former First Lady of California (1991–1999). She is married to former California Governor and Senator

Pete Wilson Peter Barton Wilson (born August 23, 1933) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 36th governor of California from 1991 to 1999. A member of the Republican Party, he also served as a United States senator from California betw ...

, with whom she has two sons. As an activist, Wilson has concentrated her efforts on improving early childhood health and encouraging children in the areas of math and science. Wilson competed in the 1960 National Science Talent Search and is a member of the Society's Honorary Board.

First Lady of California

As California's First Lady, Wilson worked to further her husband's goals of promoting early childhood education. She also helped establish a merit-based California state summer school for math and science, now known as COSMOS.http://www.ucop.edu/cosmos Each summer this four-week residential program located on four

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Franci ...

campuses serves over 600 high school aged students.

Post Sacramento

Wilson currently serves as a member of the board of directors of Gilead Sciences, Inc. and the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

and Sanford-Burnham Institute for Medical Research, and she is the chairman of the Advisory Board and primary fundraiser for

COSMOS The cosmos (, ) is another name for the Universe. Using the word ''cosmos'' implies viewing the universe as a complex and orderly system or entity. The cosmos, and understandings of the reasons for its existence and significance, are studied in ...

. She is a former member of the board of ARCO as well as of the

Center for Excellence in Education The Center for Excellence in Education (CEE) is an American private nonprofit organization that seeks to help academically outstanding high school and college students achieve successful careers in science and technology and fulfill leadership r ...

. Wilson is a past president of the

Junior League The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. (Junior League or JL) is a private, nonprofit educational women's volunteer organization aimed at improving communities and the social, cultural, and political fabric of civil society. With ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

as well as a founding member of the San Diego chapter of ARCS ( Achievement Rewards for College Scientists). As a young woman Wilson earned national recognition as one of the top 40 finalists of the

Westinghouse Science Talent Search Westinghouse may refer to: Businesses Current companies *Westinghouse Electric Corporation, the company that manages the Westinghouse brand, with licensees: **Westinghouse Electric Company, providing nuclear power-related services ** Westingho ...

(now the Intel Science Talent Search). She then furthered her academic career at Stanford University, where she earned a degree in biology and a

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

key. Since 2011, Wilson has been on the selection committee for the

GE Reagan Scholarships General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energy, ...

. Wilson has two sons and one grandchild.

References

External links

Forbes Profile of Gayle WilsonGilead Sciences Profile of Gayle Wilson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Gayle 1942 births Living people People from Phoenix, Arizona First Ladies and Gentlemen of San Diego First Ladies and Gentlemen of California Stanford University alumni American health activists Activists from California California Republicans