Condensed Bio (PDF) of Terri McCormick

Terri McCormick’s Credentials

Letters to the Editor About Terri McCormick

What People Are Saying About Terri McCormick

Terri McCormick is a public policy and leadership innovator. She is the President of the McCormick Dawson CPG, Ltd., a marketing and public relations firm. Terri McCormick was a State Representative to the Wisconsin State Legislature from 2000 to 2006.

She is a National Truman Scholar nominee from the State of Wisconsin.  Terri represented the entire ‘University of Wisconsin System’ with this distinction as one of only two students chosen from the State of Wisconsin.

McCormick recently wrote a book about her experience as a public servant and included her thoughts on the direction the country is taking.  The book, titled What Sex Is a Republican? Stories From the Front Lines of American Politics and How You Can Change the Way Things Are offers all Americans an inspiring and personal message.  Terri instructs her readers to find integrity leaders to replace the career politicians infecting the political system to get back to the basic foundation laid by our country’s Founding Fathers.

Prior to being elected to the Wisconsin Assembly, serving from 2001 to 2007, Terri McCormick was intimately involved in the school choice movement and wrote Wisconsin’s innovative charter school laws.  The charter school laws Terri was involved in drafting now successfully serve over 25,000 students from across the state of Wisconsin.  After writing the laws, Terri went on to teach middle and high school students in the Appleton area.

Representative McCormick’s innovative work as a Wisconsin legislator has won numerous state and national awards including the Eisenberg Award from the Wisconsin Public Defender’s Office, the Scales of Justice Award from the Wisconsin State Bar, and the Best Practice Award from the Small Business Administration in DC.

Terri McCormick was a U.S. Delegate to the International Peace Institute at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario.  McCormick is a 2002 graduate of the Bowhay Institute in Legislative Leadership Development. She has taken doctorate level coursework in Public Policy and Public Administration. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree, magna cum laude, Political Science and European Studies from the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh, as well as a Master’s Degree in Administrative Leadership, highest honors, from Marian University in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. As a former classroom teacher, McCormick also holds an Education Certificate from Lawrence University in Appleton as well as credentials in graduate studies in Political Theory from the University of Windsor in Windsor, Ontario.

Representative McCormick and her husband live in the Town of Greenville in the greater Appleton area.  They have four children and are recently proud grandparents, as well.

W6140 LONG COURT • APPLETON, WI 54914 PHONE 920-997-3120
FAX 920-997-4298 • E-MAIL: TERRI@MCCORMICKDAWSON.COM

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2007-present: The McCormick Dawson CPG, Ltd. Appleton, WI

Founder and President

2000-2006: Wisconsin State Legislature Madison, WI

State Representative, 56th Assembly District

1998-2000: Leadership Solutions Institute Appleton, WI

Founder

1996-2000: Educational Consultants Ltd. Appleton, WI

Founder and President

1994-2000: Education Services Inc. Appleton, WI

Founder and President

1997-2000: Xavier High School. Appleton, WI

Government Affairs Instructor and Mock Trial Coach

1996-1997: St. Joseph Middle School Appleton, WI

Teacher/Consultant

1984-1986: Image Point Professional Point Milwaukee, WI

Program Director

1982-1983: University of Windsor Windsor, Ontario

Teaching Assistant

1981-1982: University of Wisconsin Whitewater Whitewater, WI

Residence Hall Director

1980: University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Oshkosh, WI

Director of Staff Development

1974-1980: Royal Knights Manitowoc, WI

Marquis Fond du Lac, WI

Phoenix Winter Guard Chilton, WI

Choreographer

1977: Fond du Lac Public Library Fond du Lac, WI

Library Assistant

EDUCATION AND *ADDITIONAL TRAINING

2007 Walden University Baltimore, MD

Doctorate Coursework in Public Policy and Management

2002 BOWHAY Institute Madison, WI

*Legislative Leadership Development

• Prestigious Leadership Certification by the Midwest Conference of the Council of

State Governments and the Robert M. Lafollette School of Public Affairs

2000 Marian University Fond du Lac, WI

M.A. Administrative Leadership, Highest Honors

• Administrative Licensure State of Wisconsin

1998 Education Policy Conference Washington D.C.

*Delegate

• U.S. Education Department Invitee to establish Charter School Grant Process

1994 University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Oshkosh, WI

*Graduate Coursework in Dyslexia and Assessment

1993 Fox Cities Chamber Leadership Institute Appleton, WI

*Invitee

• Chamber of Commerce certificate of Civic Leadership

1992 Lawrence University Appleton, WI

* Graduate

Education Certificate and Licensure

• Teaching Certificate 6-12 State of Wisconsin

1982 University of Windsor Windsor, Ontario

*Research on Great Lakes Commission

1980 University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Oshkosh, WI

B.S. Political Science, Magna Cum Laude

• Major in Political Science/Public Administration
• Minor in European Studies with an emphasis on the European Union

1977 University of Wisconsin Fond du Lac Fond du Lac, WI

A.A. Fine Arts

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

American Association of Public Administration

European Council of International Schools

Wisconsin State Assembly Economic Development Committee, Chair

Wisconsin State Assembly Judiciary Committee, Vice-Chair

Wisconsin State Assembly Speaker’s Task Force on Local Government Health Partnerships, Chair

Wisconsin State Assembly Education Reform Committee

Wisconsin State Assembly Insurance Committee

Wisconsin State Assembly Public Health Committee

Wisconsin State Assembly Transportation Committee

Wisconsin State Incentive Grant Committee

Wisconsin State Interpreter Committee

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

Board Member: Common Cause of Wisconsin

Member: Wisconsin Democracy Campaign

Board Member: Our World Matters an affiliate of Quality News Network , Monterey, CA

American Legion Auxiliary

District Citizen Advisory Council, Past Chairman

St. Pius X Parish, Member

Past Member of the Winnebago and Outagamie Counties Farm Bureaus

Wisconsin Charter School Association, Founder and Past President

AWARDS RECEIVED

2005-2006 Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation “Friend of Agriculture” Award

2005-2006 Wisconsin Builders Association “Friend of the Housing Industry” Award

2005 U.S. Small Business Administration “Best Practice” Award

2004 Wisconsin State Bar “Scales of Justice” Award

2003-2004 National Federation of Independent Business “Guardian of Small Business” Award

2003-2004 Wisconsin Counties Association “Outstanding Legislator” Award

2003-04 Dairy Business Association “Friend of the Wisconsin Dairy Industry” Award

2004 Wisconsin Grocers Association “Friend of Grocers” Award

2004 Wisconsin Builders Association “Friend of the Housing Industry” Award

2004 American Cancer Society Award

2003 Wisconsin Builders Association “Friend of the Housing Industry”

2003 Wisconsin State Public Defender Board “Eisenberg” Award

2002 Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce “Working for Wisconsin” Award

2002 Wisconsin Builders Association “Friend of the Housing Industry” Award

2001-2002 National Federation of Independent Business “Guardian of Small; Business” Award

2001-2002 Wisconsin Counties Association “Outstanding Legislator” Award

1997-1998 Appointed by Governor Thompson, State Standards Task Force on English and Language Arts

1980 U.S. Delegate to the International Peace Institute, Ottawa, Ontario

1977 University of Wisconsin System Candidate for Harry S. Truman Scholar

ARTICLES, BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS AUTHORED

McCormick, Terri. What Sex Is a Republican? Stories from the Front Lines of American Politics and how you can change the way things are. New York: I-Universe, Inc. 2009.

November 2006, The Post Crescent, Fox Cities, WI, “Republicans must remember election’s lessons” Commentary.

June 2004, Stateline Midwest (The Midwestern Office of the Council of State Governments), “Wisconsin Regulation Reform Opens Doors for Small Businesses.”

May 2004, Wisconsin Realtor Publication, “Legislative Update.”

November 2002, Wisconsin Association of Health Underwriters Publication, “Changing the Face of Health Insurance.”

November 2002, Wisconsin Counties Magazine, “A Right to Counsel: A Sacred Right-A Constitutional Guarantee.”

October 2001, Wisconsin Lawyer, “AB 444 Charts a Course for Justice in Any Language.”

May 2001, Wisconsin Counties Magazine, “And Justice for All.”

CONFERENCES, PRESENTATIONS AND INVITED LECTURES

Fall 2009, “Liberty Principles and Politics,” University of Chicago: Students for Liberty Midwest Conference. Chicago, Illinois

Fall 2008, “Building Power Minds,” Business and Professional Women/WI: Women Fall Development Conference. Appleton, Wisconsin

Spring 2007, Cambridge International Academies USA, Inc. Commencement Address. Appleton, Wisconsin

Spring 2006, University of Wisconsin-Fond du Lac Commencement Ceremony Address. Fond du Lac, Wisconsin

Summer 2004, “Leadership Development: Creative Policy Making and Innovative Solutions,” Midwest Legislator’s Conference. Des Moines, Iowa

Spring 2004, “Partnering with Academia for Effective Public Policy,” University of Wisconsin Faculty, Madison, Wisconsin

Winter 2004, “Bridging public policy, economic development, and educational opportunities,” Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Spring 2000, “Scotopic Sensitivity and the Effects of the Classroom,” Xavier H.S., Appleton, Wisconsin

Summer 1996, “Teacher Workshops on Dyslexia and Other Learning Differences,” Appleton, Wisconsin

Eighth District Needs New Representation

Peshtigo Times
March 27, 2010

Letter to the Editor:

The Eighth Congressional District should be of great concern to all of us being this is where we work and live. Being a small business owner in this district I meet and talk with many people every day. The majority of folks I talk with are opposed to Obamacare, the governmental takeover of health care or so called socialized medicine.

Congressman Steve Kagen was one of the first politicians to promote the bill on the House floor during the vote last week. Congressional candidate Terri McCormick correctly called out Mr. Kagen for using his status as a physician to push Democrats to vote for this harmful legislation.

Terri McCormick has the name recognition having ran against Mr. Kagen in 2006. Her current polling numbers against Mr. Kagen are excellent. McCormick is the best suited and the only Republican candidate positioned to defeat Mr. Kagen this November. Do we really want to send another drone to Congress to support whatever new entitlement program the party chooses? Republican primary voters have the opportunity to take back our district for the people once and for all. Send McCormick to Congress to fight. She won’t go down without one.

DJ Johnson
Marinette

McCormick can help country create change

Appleton Post-Crescent
November 9, 2009

With all the enthusiasm for change, tea parties and government accountability, I hope the average citizen is getting ready to get involved in the political process. With mutual respect and a focus on issues, the debate can be educational and enlightening.

However, for the past few decades, our voices have been muted by special interests and large organizations because they have the financial power.

What have expensive campaigns and special interests given the citizens of this country? A government so big that it isn’t transparent. A government not accountable to the taxpayer but groups that siphon its money. A government that cannot manage its own programs and debt but thinks it can run business better than the private sector.

And big government’s solution was to allow failed organizations to run pretty much as they were when they collapsed. Was anyone held accountable for these businesses’ failures and huge economic impact on the taxpayer?

The challenges that lie before this country are not insurmountable, but we, as individual citizens, need to take action. We need to voice our opinions respectfully. We need to support candidates who want to stand by us as individual citizens, not beholden to special interests. We need to provide these candidates with financial support.

I want to support candidates who understand our freedoms are based on our Constitution and amendments. I want to support candidates who show they can stand up to special interests and keep the citizens’ interests first and foremost. I want to support a candidate who also looks at the facts and gathers information to make wise decisions that benefit all citizens, not just a few.

That’s why I’m wholeheartedly encouraging Terri McCormick to run for Congress. I encourage others who know Terri to pledge their support. Together, we can create change.

Deb Matz
Appleton

Vets know McCormick stands up for them

Appleton Post-Crescent
October 13, 2009

I served in Vietnam and know what it takes to honor the people of this country. Like all veterans, we have put service over self and country and over family probably more often than we should.

That’s why I’m taking a leap here and calling on one of our leaders to come join us in the fight to take back our congressional seat. With all due respect, this isn’t about political party affiliation. It’s about getting the right man, or in this case, the right woman for the job.

We need a congressional representative who knows what it is to fight and what it  is to hang in there when the going gets tough.

That is what Terri McCormick did for all of us as a representative in the state Assembly. We counted on her to stand against her own party in 2006 so that we could finally get the property tax exemption for combat disabled vets that the rest of the country had. Terri didn’t flinch. She stepped into the line of fire  and took it for us.

We weren’t asking for ourselves. We were asking for the veterans who were coming  after us, the men and women coming home more banged up than at any other time – those without arms, legs and eyes who can’t work anymore.

In these hard economic times, we need Terri McCormick more than ever.

We need her to join us again in the fight for better jobs and better housing. I know she will figure out how to get us there.

I have never heard her say, “I’m taking the easy way. I’m running for office because it’s owed me.” No, Terri has always taken the hills that are the hardest to climb, and that is why we need her now.

Bob Everson
Appleton

Terri McCormick signed the Citizens Against Government Waste House Earmark Reform Pledge because she is opposed to the current earmarking process that allows Members of Congress to “bring home the bacon” and tax citizens of other districts for pork-barrel projects in their own district.

Representative McCormick also signed the Americans for Tax Reform Taxpayer Protection Pledge because she opposes higher taxes and more government spending.

McCormick signed the Tenth Amendment Center pledge to vote in favor of the Tenth Amendment. In response, Michael Boldin of the Tenth Amendment center said, “Kudos, Terri, on taking a firm stand in support of the Constitution! We’ve listed your pledge and campaign information at www.tenthamendmentcenter.com.”

Additionally, Terri McCormick signed the Americans for Prosperity No Climate Tax Pledge. In doing so, McCormick pledged to “oppose legislation relating to climate change that includes a net increase in government revenue.” The pledge is found at NoClimateTax.com. McCormick received praise from the grassroots free-market group Americans for Prosperity for signing this pledge.