Meet Sarah.
Fighting for Wisconsin’s Future
In 2018, Sarah led the bipartisan effort to beat the constitutional amendment aimed at removing the Office of the State Treasurer. Then, Sarah ran for that office and won. Sarah served as the State Treasurer of Wisconsin from 2019-2023. As State Treasurer she ended the Republican gag order on climate change and prioritized investing in renewable energy projects and led the investment of more than $299 million supporting over 451 projects in hundreds of communities across Wisconsin.
Appointed by Governor Evers as the 29th Secretary of State of Wisconsin, Sarah made history by becoming only the third woman to hold this esteemed position.
Sarah lives in Wisconsin with her husband Max, their son Hartley, cat Mac, and rescue dog, Tanner.
A Fighter for Working Families
Sarah is a fifth-generation Wisconsinite born in Eau Claire. Her parents were both public school teachers and proud union members. She learned early on that when you see something wrong, you stand up and do something about it.
Growing up in western Wisconsin, Sarah understands the struggles working Wisconsinites are facing and will fight to make progress on the kitchen table issues that matter most.
To help pay for college, Sarah waited tables at Pizza Hut and Bakers Square. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in peace and conflict resolution studies from George Mason University, where she was student body president. During that time, she helped to successfully lobby the Virginia Legislature to pass absentee ballot reforms, advocated for a measure to increase student financial aid by $16 million, and served as a student representative on a state higher education board.
After graduating college, Sarah led strategic planning and project management efforts for the Department of Defense as a consultant. Her time working with the Pentagon included developing language and culture capabilities for the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, improving Army readiness for FORSCOM, creating a medical services strategy for the Air Force Surgeon General, and addressing soldier morale for the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
Making a difference for Wisconsin
Flipped 9 Trump counties in 2018 and won by a larger margin than the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and the Attorney General
Ended the Republican gag order on climate change and prioritized investing in renewable energy projects
Led the investment of more than $299 million supporting over 451 projects in hundreds of communities across Wisconsin
Made a record breaking distribution of $65M to the Common School fund in 2024
Implemented a modernization program for the Secretary of State’s office to improve service delivery and increase transparency
Sarah’s work in national security and foreign affairs continued as she was a member of a Bipartisan Congressional PTSD Task Force – a group that provided recommendations on how DoD and VA can better support military members, veterans, and their families. Sarah was also part of the volunteer UNICEF Board where she was Co-Chair of the Advocacy Committee and supported numerous projects that addressed child poverty. During Sarah’s time with UNICEF, she was lucky to meet her husband Max who also served on the board. In addition, Sarah’s microfinance work in rural India was transformative. She saw firsthand how access to capital can strengthen communities, and help alleviate poverty while addressing gender inequalities. Her brief stint in India served as an inspiration that eventually led to her co-founding an impact investment firm, MaSa Impact. The portfolio is mission-driven and invests in renewable and clean energy, women-owned businesses, and agriculture in Wisconsin and around the world.
Sarah was a national security fellow with the Air War College and attended the Women’s Campaign School at Yale University. She has a Certificate in Public Treasury Management from the National Institute of Public Finance and Pepperdine School of Management. She attended the University of Virginia Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership and the University of Pennsylvania’s Executive Program for Public Administration.
Taking On Powerful Interests
In 2018, Sarah took on Scott Walker and Wisconsin politicians to stop them from eliminating the Office of the State Treasurer — a move that would have made Walker and future governors more powerful. Sarah stepped up and launched a bipartisan statewide campaign that highlighted the importance of maintaining critical checks and balances in our state’s finances. She brought Wisconsinites from every corner of the state together to stop Walker’s power grab.
Wisconsin voters chose to keep the State Treasurer’s office in a 62 to 38 percent margin — the kind of landslide victory that just doesn’t happen in Wisconsin.
After saving the office, Sarah decided to run for State Treasurer and won by a larger margin than the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and the Attorney General. She ran on a platform of restoring the office after years of neglect, ensuring transparency and accountability, protecting vulnerable communities, holding big corporations accountable, and more.
“Scott Walker was the most powerful political figure in Wisconsin, and Sarah Godlewski was a 37-year-old political unknown who had never held public office and who had spent most of her adult life crunching numbers as an expert in finance…she took on Walker and his Republican cronies at a time when most Democrats couldn’t be bothered to step up.”
Getting Things Done for Wisconsin
Sarah’s first major act after being elected was to lift a Republican gag order that prevented climate change from being considered when making decisions on the investment of over $1.3 billion in state assets. Under Sarah’s leadership, she ensured the state invested in renewable energy projects, broadband expansion, and supported Wisconsin small businesses — leading to record funding for technology and books in public schools.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Robin Vos and the Republican state legislature didn’t do anything for 300 days, and Ron Johnson was busy spreading dangerous conspiracy theories, so Sarah stepped up.
Under her leadership, millions of dollars in relief went to Wisconsin schools and communities. She led the first-ever special distribution of $5.25 million to address the remote learning challenges students and teachers were facing. Sarah started Take Root Wisconsin to help Wisconsinites buy, fix, and stay in their homes. Sarah worked with Governor Tony Evers to secure $92.7 million for struggling Wisconsinites at risk of losing their homes. Further, she was recognized for her leadership developing a child savings account program called 401(K)ids. As the State’s Chief Financial Officer, Sarah fostered taxpayer transparency by creating the first-ever taxpayer reports and a task force of local treasurers that developed a property tax portal to assist taxpayers.
As Secretary of State, Sarah Made a record breaking distribution of $65M to the Common School fund in 2024. She also implemented a modernization program for the Secretary of State’s office to improve service delivery and increase transparency.