Born and raised in the western part of the county, she graduated from Wilmot Union High School and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. After working as a staff member for state Representative Cloyd Porter, she was elected to the state Assembly upon Porter’s retirement in 2000. She is the mother of two sons: Ian, a 2024 Wilmot Union High School graduate and a UW-Madison student, and Evan, a cur
rent student at Wilmot Union High School. During her more than two decades as a representative, she co-chaired the Joint Legislative Audit Committee and served as chair of the Assembly Ways and Means Committee. In April 2022, Kerkman was elected as Kenosha County Executive, becoming the first woman to serve in the position. As County Executive, Kerkman’s focus has been on public safety, infrastructure, and human services. Highlights in these areas include:
Funding for additional deputies, detectives, a data analyst and an internship program in the Sheriff’s Department. Support for the continued maintenance of county highways as well as road improvement projects in partnership with the state, local municipalities, and private developers. The strategic deployment of opioid settlement funds, the enactment of an innovative contract with Lake Behavioral Hospital, and the ongoing development of a state-of-the-art Human Services facility in the heart of the community.
