Gwen Walz is Minnesota’s 39th First Lady. She grew up and graduated of Ivanhoe High School. Alongside her three sisters, Gwen was raised by her parents, Val and Linn, who were educators and small business owners. She has received degrees from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter and Minnesota State University in Mankato. Gwen began her English teaching career in western Nebraska, where she met now-husband Tim Walz.
Throughout her career, Gwen has taught in public, alternative, and migrant schools. For more than two decades, Gwen served as an administrator/coordinator in the Mankato Area Public Schools.