MADISON, Wis. — Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Mary Kolar — who has held the position since being appointed in 2019 — will retire from state service next week, Gov. Tony Evers announced Thursday.
Kolar’s time as a public servant began in 1980 when she joined the United States Navy; she went on to serve on active duty for 28 years before retiring as a captain.
She also earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, master’s degrees in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College, and a master’s degree in adult education from the University of Rhode Island.
“Mary has been with us since Day One and has always been a fierce advocate for Wisconsin’s more than 300,000 veterans,” Evers said. “As a veteran herself, we have valued Mary’s insights and expertise to bolster supports and services to our nation’s heroes and their families, especially in her work as co-chair of our Blue Ribbon Commission on Veteran Opportunity. I wish Mary and her family well and want to share my sincere thanks for her decades of service to our state and country.”
Prior to her service in the Evers administration, Kolar represented downtown Madison on the Dane County Board of Supervisors from 2013 to 2019.
Kolar’s replacement will be announced in the coming weeks, according to Evers’ office.
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