Kay Ivey

Kay Ellen Ivey (born October 15, 1944) is an American Republican politician who is the 30th and current Lieutenant Governor of Alabama, serving since January 2011. Ivey formerly served as the 38th Alabama State Treasurer.

Ivey was born in Camden, Wilcox County, Alabama on October 15, 1944. She graduated from Auburn University where she was a member of Alpha Gamma Delta. She has worked as a high school teacher, a bank officer and as Assistant Director of the Alabama Development Office. In 1982, Ivey had run unsuccessfully for State Auditor as a Democrat. She was Director of Government Affairs and Communications for the Alabama Commission on Higher Education from 1985 until 1998.

Ivey took office as state treasurer in 2003, after defeating Stephen Black, the grandson of former United States Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black, in the 2002 general election, by a margin of 52–48%. In 2006, Ivey was re-elected over Democrat Steve Segrest by a 60–40% margin. She was the first Republican elected state treasurer since Reconstruction.

As Treasurer, Ivey put the sources of state’s billions of dollars in tax revenue, as well as the state's total expenditures, online for public view. She updated the office's technology, trimmed the payroll and adopted private-sector management techniques. As a result, Treasurer Ivey saved the taxpayer nearly five million dollars in administrative costs during her term.

As Treasurer, Ivey also oversaw the near complete financial collapse of the Prepaid Affordable College Tuition (PACT) program. Under this program tens of thousands of Alabaman families were assured by the State that their investment in the program would guarantee their children 4 years of tuition at any state college.

Under the Alabama Constitution, Ivey was not eligible to seek re-election to a third term in 2010. Ivey's name surfaced in press speculation about gubernatorial candidates in 2010.

On June 24, 2009, Ivey announced her candidacy for governor at a series of events in Montgomery, Birmingham, Huntsville and Mobile, Alabama. However, on March 31, 2010, Ivey abandoned her run for governor and qualified to run for lieutenant governor. On June 1, 2010, Ivey won the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor over State Senator Hank Erwin and Daphne schoolteacher Gene Ponder.

On November 2, 2010, in a Republican sweep of statewide offices, Ivey defeated Democratic incumbent Lieutenant Governor Jim Folsom, Jr., who was seeking an unprecedented fourth term. Ivey won re-election as Lieutenant Governor, in November 2014.