Margherita Cogo (born 2 October 1951) was the first woman to be

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of the Italian autonomous region of

Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol it, Trentino (man) it, Trentina (woman) or it, Altoatesino (man) it, Altoatesina (woman) or it, Sudtirolesegerman: Südtiroler (man)german: Südtirolerin (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = Official ...

and also the region's first Vice President.

Biography

Margherita Cogo was born in 1951 in

Tione di Trento Tione di Trento (german: Taun, ''Teyen'' or ''Tillen'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in Trentino in the northern Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about west of Trento. Tione di Trento borders the following municipalitie ...

, Italy. She graduated from the

University of Padua The University of Padua ( it, Università degli Studi di Padova, UNIPD) is an Italian university located in the city of Padua, region of Veneto, northern Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from B ...

with a degree in philosophy and then married and had two children. Cogo began her career as a humanities teacher in a local middle school and later taught literature. In 1985 she was elected to serve on the City Council of Tione, as a candidate from the Italian Socialist Party. She was re-elected in 1990 and then in 1993 was appointed as Mayor. Two years later, when mayoral races became elected positions, Cogo ran for the position and was elected. That same year, she became President of the

Valli Giudicarie 200px, Territory of Giudicarie (green) in Trentino province (gray) Giudicarie (also ''Val Giudicarie'' and ''Valli Giudicarie'', german: Judikarien) is an area of Western Trentino, northern Italy, which includes the upper courses of the rivers ...

District Health Committee and in 1997 joined the Executive Council of the Consortium of Trentino Communes, dealing with culture and health issues of the area. During her terms as Mayor, she was particularly interested in infrastructure development. In 1998, she was elected to the

Regional Council of Trentino-Alto Adige The Regional Council of Trentino-Alto Adige ( it, Consiglio regionale del Trentino-Alto Adige; german: link=no, Regionalrat Trentino-Südtirol; lld, Consei dla Region Trentin-Südtirol) is the legislative assembly of the autonomous region of ...

and in 1999 became the first woman

of the

Region. Her term was faced with ethnic conflicts and she worked for their resolution, through initiatives to ensure the autonomy of the region and reform the electoral codes. In 2002, she resigned her presidency and returned to her seat in the assembly. There, she focused on education, equality initiatives, and state welfare programs and health policies. In 2003, she was re-elected and became the first female Vice President of the region and the Councillor of Culture. In that capacity, she worked to create the Museo della scienza (Museum of Science) (MUSE) and spearheaded a major multi-year project, focused on researching and recovering cultural heritage centered on the Great War. The project aimed at restoration of monuments and buildings in the region, such as Fort Cadine, the Loggia del Romanino at

Buonconsiglio Castle Buonconsiglio Castle ( it, Castello del Buonconsiglio) is a castle in Trento, northern Italy. History The castle originated from a fortified building that was erected in the 13th century next to the city's walls. This first building was called ...

, the Malga Palazzo Nature Reserve at Scanuppia, the Ruatti Mill at

Rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

, the Torre Vanga in Trent and the Venetian Bastion Monument in the Bondo cemetery in

Riva del Garda Riva del Garda (''Rìva'' in local dialect) is a town and ''comune'' in the northern Italian province of Trento of the Trentino Alto Adige region. It is also known simply as ''Riva'' and is located at the northern tip of Lake Garda. History Riv ...

, as well as establishing museums throughout the area. In 2008, she was re-elected to the post, but did not stand for renomination in 2013. In 2014, she became the President of the Scuola Musicale Giudicarie (Giudicarie Music School).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cogo, Margherita Italian Socialist Party politicians Democrats of the Left politicians Presidents of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol 20th-century Italian politicians 1951 births Living people People from Trentino Members of the Regional Council of Trentino-Alto Adige 20th-century Italian women politicians Women legislators in Italy 21st-century Italian politicians 21st-century Italian women politicians