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A native of La Crosse, Wisconsin, Ron Kind was first elected to represent the people of western Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional district in November 1996.
He currently is a member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, and the Resources Committee. In addition to serving on the full Committees, Kind holds seats on Education's Reform and 21st Century Competitiveness Subcommittees, as well as the Agriculture's General Farm Commodities and Risk Management Subcommittee. Rep. Kind is also the Senior Democrat Member on the Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee for the Resources Committee.
Ron Kind was born and raised in western Wisconsin. He is the third of five children born to Greta and Elroy Kind and the fifth generation to live here. Greta formerly worked as the Assistant Director of Personnel in the La Crosse School District. Elroy had a 35-year career as a telephone repairman and union leader at the La Crosse Telephone Company.
Ron attended public schools in La Crosse and became a standout student-athlete in high school football and basketball. He accepted an academic scholarship to Harvard University, where he graduated with honors in 1985. While attending Harvard, Ron worked during the summer with Senator William Proxmire in Washington. There he helped investigate wasteful abuses of taxpayer money which provided the basis for some of the Senator's famous "Golden Fleece" awards.
Ron went on to receive his Master's Degree from the London School of Economics and his Law Degree from the University of Minnesota. He practiced law for two years at the law firm of Quarles and Brady in Milwaukee.
In September of 1995, Ron announced his intention to run for the Third Congressional District seat being vacated by 16-year incumbent Representative Steve Gunderson. More than a year later, the La Crosse native won a difficult five-person race for the Democratic nomination and went on to defeat Republican nominee Jim Harsdorf 52% to 48%. He was reelected in 1998 and again in 2000.
The Third Congressional District includes sixteen counties along the Mississippi River in western Wisconsin . It stretches from the Illinois border in the South to the Minneapolis-St. Paul suburbs in the North. The major cities in the district include La Crosse and Eau Claire.
Since being elected to Congress, Ron has focused his attention on issues of fiscal responsibility, agriculture, education, campaign finance reform and protection of the Mississippi River. In addition to his responsibilities on the Education and Workforce and Resources Committees, Kind is co-founder of the Upper Mississippi River Congressional Caucus and is a member of the New Democratic Network.
Ron and his wife Tawni continue to live in his hometown of La Crosse. Tawni is an official court reporter for the County Court system. The Kind's have two sons, Johnny, who was born August, 1996, and Matthew, who was born in May, 1998.
The Kinds have remained active in their community and are members of the Immanuel Lutheran Church. Ron is a member of the La Crosse Optimists Club, and a leader in the Boys' and Girls' Club and the La Crosse YMCA. He is also on the Board of Directors for Coulee Council on Alcohol or Other Drug Abuse. Tawni organizes the annual Congressional Art Competition for high school artists in western Wisconsin.
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