Mary Kramer

H.E. Mary E. Kramer served in the Iowa Senate and was elected the President of the Senate in 1997.  In 2003 she was nominated and confirmed to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.

She began her career as a pianist, and worked as a teacher and school administrator. She became the Corporate Personnel Director for Younkers, Inc. and later joined Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield. During her tenure with the company she served as Vice President of Human Resources and Vice President of Community Investments. She holds Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from the University of Iowa.

Ambassador Kramer has served on the Board of the Directors for the State Legislative Leaders Foundation and was the Chairman of the Board for the Senate President’s Forum.  She currently serves as the Chair of the Des Moines Performing Arts Board of Directors  and of the Iowa Public Radio Board. She is the immediate past Chair of the Iowa Public Television Foundation.   She has served on many boards and commissions, including  The Des Moines Club, the Greater Des Moines Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Central Iowa, Brenton Bank, and Mercy Hospital.  A lifetime member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), she has received the Society’s highest national award.  In August 2009, Mary was inducted into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame and in 2015 was honored as a Distinguished Alumni of the University of Iowa.

Her first book, More Than a Walk on the Beach was published in the fall of 2010.  Her second book, An Unlikely Diplomat and her Diplomatic Daughter; Stories and Recipes for the Life You Want, is her newest publication.