Mary Masters Kolar (born Mary Theresa Masters in 1958) is an American retired military officer and politician who is the Wisconsin Secretary of Veterans Affairs in the Administration of Governor

Tony Evers Anthony Steven Evers (born November 5, 1951) is an American educator and politician serving as the 46th governor of Wisconsin since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as Wisconsin's Superintendent of Public Instruction from 200 ...

Background and education

Secretary Kolar grew up in Wilton, Wisconsin. She earned a Bachelor's Degree in Marketing from the

University of Wisconsin–La Crosse The University of Wisconsin–La Crosse (UWL or UW Lax) is a public university in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Established in 1909, it is part of the University of Wisconsin System and offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. With 9,600 ...

, a

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in Adult Education from the

University of Rhode Island The University of Rhode Island (URI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. It is the flagship public research as well as the land-grant university of the state of Rhode Island ...

, and a Master's Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associat ...

. Secretary Kolar served 28 years on active duty for the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

from 1980 to 2008, retiring with the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. During her military career, she served in various command and staff positions across the nation, spending much of her time recruiting, training, educating and leading Sailors. Her nearly three decades of service in multiple states including Virginia, Florida, Rhode Island, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Georgia as well as Washington DC, enabled her to work with diverse groups of people and large organizations with multi-million-dollar budgets. Amongst the most rewarding for Kolar was as executive officer at the Navy's only boot camp witnessing, every week, thousands of recruits begin their Navy careers as Sailors. Secretary Kolar later worked as the Director of Public Operations for the

Madison Museum of Contemporary Art The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA), formerly known as the Madison Art Center, is an independent, non-profit art museum located in downtown Madison, Wisconsin. MMoCA is dedicated to exhibiting, collecting, and preserving modern and co ...

. Kolar has said that of her achievements in life, enabling six formerly homeless veterans to have employment during her time at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art is one she has been most pleased to have been able to do. Although her military service in uniform concluded in 2008, Secretary Kolar continued to serve Wisconsin's veterans community through membership and leadership of various veteran-focused organizations. She represented downtown

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

on the

Dane County Dane County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 561,504, making it the second-most populous county in Wisconsin. The county seat is Madison, which is also the state capital. Dane County is the ...

Board of Supervisors for six years (2013-2019), and worked extensively with the Dane County Veterans Service Office to ensure that veterans and their families received whatever assistance they needed. Secretary Kolar also oversaw multiple community-based organizations and was the vice president of the

Wisconsin Veterans Museum The Wisconsin Veterans Museum, located on Capitol Square in Madison, Wisconsin, United States, is dedicated to telling the stories of the veterans of the state of Wisconsin. The museum is composed of two galleries that chronicle the history of Wis ...

Foundation's Board of Directors.

Political career

Kolar was elected President of the Metropolitan Place Condominium Owners and served from 2009 to 2014. Kolar served on and was the Chairperson of the

Veterans Service Commission. She was elected to the

Dane County, Wisconsin Dane County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 561,504, making it the second-most populous county in Wisconsin. The county seat is Madison, which is also the state capital. Dane County is the ...

Board of Supervisors in 2013 and served until 2019. She also served three terms on the Wisconsin Counties Association Board of Directors. While on the county board, she served as Chair of the Zoning and Land Regulation Committee, Co-Chair of the City-County Liaison Committee, Vice Chair of the Dane County Housing Authority, Chair of the Healthy Farms Healthy Lakes Task Force, member of the Lakes and Watershed Commission, and member of the Cultural Affairs Commission. Kolar also served as the Vice President of the

Foundation. She continues to serve on the Board of Directors of the Dane County Veterans Treatment Court. In early 2019, Kolar was appointed by

Governor of Wisconsin The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's army and air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Wiscons ...

Tony Evers to serve as his Secretary of Veterans Affairs. She was confirmed by the

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after t ...

in October 2019. As Secretary of the

Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs The Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of Wisconsin that is responsible for veterans programs. The department is overseen by a secretary who is appointed by the governor after consulting with at least ...

(WDVA), Kolar serves as the chief advocate for the more than 350,000 veterans in Wisconsin and their families. She is also responsible for the leadership and management of the WDVA, including strategic and long-range planning initiatives that align with the department's vision. She is the first woman to serve in the role and has worked to expand the state's veterans services and programs to women. In August 2019, Secretary Kolar was elected District Vice President of the National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs.

Personal

Secretary Kolar's grandfather, father, and four brothers all served in the military. She is married to Scott A. Kolar, a former

officer.''Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers''
p. 77. Retrieved 2020-11-30. The couple have two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kolar, Mary 1958 births Living people University of Wisconsin–La Crosse alumni Military personnel from Wisconsin University of Rhode Island alumni Naval War College alumni Wisconsin Democrats State cabinet secretaries of Wisconsin