FIRST LADY CARLA MARKELL'S BIOGRAPHY

Carla Markell became First Lady of Delaware when her husband, Governor Jack Markell, was sworn into office on January 20, 2009. As First Lady, Mrs. Markell looks forward to continuing her work on behalf of at-risk children. A mentor to several youth over the last decade, she personally has seen how the commitment of a caring adult can make a real difference in their lives. She believes that mentoring as well as an exposure to the arts and sports can transform the lives of young people.

Mrs. Markell is a native of Newark, Delaware, where she and the future governor were high school classmates She graduated from the University of Delaware with a major in human resources and early childhood education. Mrs. Markell's professional life was spent primarily in the area of corporate training and human resources. Most recently, she worked in the outplacement field, assisting employees and corporate executives in making the transition from downsized companies to new career opportunities. Prior to that, she worked for a chemical dependency treatment center as an executive in marketing, community relations, and employee awareness education.

The first lady has served on the board of directors for Delaware Theatre Company (DTC), which honored her in 2007 with its Stephen Daniel Faulk Volunteer Award. More recently, she and Governor Markell co-chaired the Weekend of Volunteer Service, held in lieu of an inaugural ball. Since their launch of the state's volunteer web site, www.betterdelaware.org, Delawareans have logged more than 30,000 hours of volunteer service.

Since assuming the role of First Lady, Mrs. Markell has worked with Friends of Woodburn, Delaware Public Archives, and Winterthur Museum and Gardens in the ongoing process to renovate Delaware's Governor's Home, Woodburn, free of taxpayer money. Numerous Delaware volunteers, private institutions and businesses have donated countless hours to this effort.

The first lady and Governor Jack Markell have been married for 19 years. They have two children, Molly (16) and Michael (14).