Biography of Kathleen Brown

On January 7, 1991, Kathleen Brown became California's 28th Treasurer. As the state's official banker, Brown is responsible for managing the state's $24 billion investment portfolio, administering bond sales to finance schools, parks, prisons, housing, health facilities and environmental programs.

Brown's election as Treasurer follows a career as a financial manager and public policy maker. She was elected in 1975 and reelected in 1979 to the Los Angeles City Board of Education, governing body of the nation's second-largest school district. She later served as a corporate attorney specializing in public finance. In 1987, Brown was appointed to the Los Angeles Board of Public Works, which oversees the city's vital infrastructure.

As Treasurer, Kathleen Brown saved taxpayer dollars by eliminating perks, streamlining her office's operation and maximizing returns on the state's investment portfolio to earn $4 billion for California taxpayers. Moreover, Brown has put California dollars to work for California through her CalVest investment program designed to pump up to $700
million into the state economy to help home buyers, farmers and small businesses.

Recently named Most Valuable Public Official at the state level for 1993 by City and State magazine, Brown has helped generate more than 175,000 new jobs through the sale of a record $12 billion in bonds. The sales were part of the state's first-ever bond sales management master plan put together by Brown to sell off $12 billion in bonds at lower interest rates.

As a board member of the California Public Employees' Retirement System and the California State Teachers' Retirement System, Brown has emerged as a leading national spokesperson on executive compensation reform and corporate responsibility. Brown has twice been elected co-chair of the National Council of Institutional Investors.

A fourth generation Californian, Brown, 48, is a graduate of Stanford University and Fordham University School of Law. She is married to Van Gordon Sauter, with whom she shares five grown children and three grandchildren.

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