Karlee Provenza

Karlee Provenza was born in Pueblo, Colorado.[1] Provenza earned a B.A. in psychology from the University of Northern Colorado in 2013, an M.A. in experimental psychology from the University of Wyoming in 2016,[2] and a Ph.D. from the University of Wyoming in 2020.[1] Her career experience includes working as an educator, waitress, private investigator, and professional photographer.[1]

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am the daughter of disabled parents, the product of a working-class family, a fierce advocate for my community, and an expert in the American legal system. In 2021, I completed my Ph.D. at the University of Wyoming where I have been an educator and research scientist in experimental legal psychology since 2014. I dedicated my life to seeking equitable justice in our legal system and this dedication to justice is also why I have advocated for transparency and accountability of local officials as the co-founder and executive director of Albany County for Proper Policing.

As your current Wyoming House Representative for House District 45, I have served on the Judiciary Committee, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Select Committee, the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust Fund, and have been involved in various projects aimed at improving mental health and juvenile justice in Wyoming.

Outside of my professional life, you can find me out enjoying our public lands!

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

During my past two years in office, I have advocated on behalf of my district inside and outside of the Wyoming Legislature. I worked with communities across Wyoming to advocate for affordable healthcare access for more than 25,000 Wyomingites. And, because of our efforts, Medicaid expansion passed the Wyoming House for the first time in over a decade. I am proud to have co-sponsored that legislation and I look forward to passing Medicaid expansion soon!It’s unacceptable to put state funds in a savings account while people can’t access healthcare, mental health services, and can’t afford to pay the grocery bill. But that is what the State Legislature does year after year. The people of Wyoming work hard just to get by, but they deserve more. While Wyomingites work themselves to the bone, lawmakers cut budgets because they don’t know what it is like to barely make ends meet. We have the leanest state budget in recent history, but we also have an estimated $2 billion in savings. I fight for working-class values and economically insecure people because I have been one.Every year, Wyoming spends millions of dollars investigating, prosecuting, and imprisoning people for making the personal choice to use substances responsibly or because they have a disease – substance abuse disorder. This infringement on personal liberties is ineffective in stopping substance abuse and it makes using substances more dangerous because people get those substances from unregulated distributors who are often involved in other criminal activities. We need to legalize, regulate, and tax these substances to reduce the burden on our justice system and to raise revenue for substance abuse treatment.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Our justice system needs serious reforms. Wyoming continues to use the prison system to “solve problems” when we know that prison fails to reform people and much of what we put people in prison for is ineffective and harmful to our society at large. We incarcerate people at higher rates than the rest of the country and we incarcerate more people every year while our prisons are at capacity and are severely understaffed. I’m invested in creating a justice system that works to reform and rehabilitate people so everyone can live and thrive in their communities, even if they have made mistakes in the past.

Wyoming is ranked low on legislative oversight, meaning that we are not adequately doing our job as the oversight body of the Executive Branch. Without meaningful oversight, state laws and policies aren’t examined in thoughtful enough ways to know whether or not our government as a whole is serving the people of Wyoming to the greatest extent possible. Wyomingites often feel like their government operates more like a system of good ol’ boys and less like an agency with the sole purpose of serving the people. I am invested in creating a government that is transparent and accessible to the public in more meaningful ways so that it can truly serve the people of Wyoming.

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Video submitted to BallotpediaReleased August 17, 2020

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm the product of a working-class family that struggled to make ends meet. I know what it's like to struggle paycheck to paycheck and not have health insurance. Despite the obstacles that come with growing up in poverty, I have earned multiple college degrees, and will finish my doctorate in Psychology and Law this fall.

As a research scientist and educator, I have taken my research and knowledge and applied it to my community advocacy efforts as the executive director of Albany County for Proper Policing. I have educated and worked with anyone from high school students to prominent legal scholars. Under my leadership, ACoPP has become an effective, grassroots, advocacy organization aimed at promoting police reforms through civilian oversight boards of law enforcement and providing spaces for public education on policing.

But I am more than my accolades, I'm also an outdoor enthusiast who enjoys mountain biking, gardening, skiing, and wildlife photography - which has been featured in NPR and used as promotional material for Wyoming Public Media. I am marrying the love of my life this summer and together we have a cat, Grampaw, and a dog, Crow Jane.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

It's not enough to have good ideas or to simply propose smart policy decisions - lawmakers have done this and have failed far too often. We need proven community leaders who have demonstrated their ability to build powerful coalitions, inspire communities, and advocate for the people of Wyoming.The good old boys and their powerful lobbyists have fought all attempts to raise revenues and wages, leaving Wyoming's working-class without good paying jobs and bearing the burden of our state's economic shortfall. We need lawmakers who are more interested in fighting for better jobs, wages, and healthcare for our working class than they are about profits for lobbyists and corporate CEOs. We need to legalize marijuana and stop spending money to investigate, prosecute, and imprison people for cannabis and minor non-violent offenses.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I have had a passion for Justice my entire adult life - it's why I have pursued a Ph.D. in trying to improve the legal system and it's why I fight for those who are often forgotten because they're poor or society hasn't deemed them as important enough to care for. Everyone, at some point in their lives, will need someone to advocate for them, and I'm trying my best to make sure that everyone feels like they at least have me in their corner.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Elected officials should be transparent and accountable to their communities. It is critical to involve communities in the legislative process, whether that be through open communication, education, relational organizing, or contacting community leaders to ask them what their input is on specific legislation or proposals. Representation does not mean you get elected by your community and then make decisions alone - you have to keep involving the people you serve.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The September 11th terrorist attacks. I was 11 years old and in the 6th grade.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was chopping firewood for my parents when I was 7 years old, but I formally started working when I was 15 at a local swimming pool. I worked there for one summer.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Not necessarily. As we have seen in Wyoming, it's not enough to propose smart policy ideas or be in the legislature for ten years to be effective. We need state legislators that value and seek out input from their communities and will work on their behalf and with the values their constituents hold.

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

Severing our financial dependence on the mineral industry and surviving until we do. We are going to suffer greatly as our world transitions away from fossil fuels and experiences an economic downturn that is unprecedented due to COVID-19.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?

A relationship that is transparent and accountable to the people of Wyoming.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes. You can't get anything done by yourself. That being said, politics isn't about making friends, it's about serving our communities. I have absolutely no problem working with people that I may disagree with on 99% of issues as long as we can come together on one thing that will benefit our constituents.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

One that is transparent, involves community input, evidence-based practices, and is carried out using independent, non-partisan people who are not invested in the political process and will remain unbiased.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

I am a political anomaly when it comes to the Wyoming Legislature.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

I have no ambitions of running for national office or living in D.C.