Walorski, Jackie, 1963-

WALORSKI, Jackie, a Representative from Indiana; born in South Bend, St. Joseph County, Ind., August 17, 1963; graduated from James Whitcomb Riley High School, South Bend, Ind., 1981; B.A., Taylor University, Upland, Ind., 1985; journalist; philanthropist; member of the Indiana state house of representatives, 2004-2010; unsuccessful candidate for election to the One Hundred Twelfth Congress in 2010; elected as a Republican to the One Hundred Thirteenth and to the four succeeding Congresses (January 3, 2013-present).

<p>Jacqueline R. Walorski /wəˈlɔːrski/ (born August 17, 1963) is an American politician who has been the U.S. Representative for Indiana's 2nd congressional district since 2013. She is a member of the Republican Party, and she was a member of the Indiana House of Representatives, representing Indiana's 21st district, from 2005 to 2010. In 2010, Walorski won the Republican nomination for Indiana's 2nd congressional district, but narrowly lost in the general election to Democratic incumbent Joe Donnelly. In 2012, Walorski won the seat after Donnelly vacated it to run for the U.S. Senate.</p>

<p>Born in South Bend, Indiana on August 17, 1963, Walorski grew up with her two older brothers in the city's Gilmer Park neighborhood. Her mother, Martha C. (née Martin), worked as a meat cutter at a local grocery store, and her father, Raymond B. Walorski, worked as a firefighter and owned an appliance store. She has Polish and German ancestry. As a child, she attended Hay Elementary School and graduated from Riley High School in 1981. She then attended Liberty Baptist College from 1981 to 1983, and graduated from Taylor University, receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in communications and public administration in 1985.</p>

<p>Walorski began her career as a television reporter for WSBT-TV, a CBS affiliate in South Bend, from 1985 to 1989, and was the executive director of the St. Joseph County Humane Society from 1989 to 1991. Walorski was appointed as the director of institutional advancement at Ancilla College in 1991, a position she held until she was appointed as the director of membership at the St. Joseph County Chamber of Commerce in 1996. She later worked as the director of annual giving at Indiana University South Bend from 1997 to 1999.</p>