First Lady Kathryn Burgum
Kathryn Burgum became First Lady on December 15, 2016, when her husband Governor Doug Burgum was sworn in as the 33rd Governor of North Dakota.
As First Lady, Kathryn’s priority is supporting and developing initiatives to eliminate the shame and stigma of the chronic disease of addiction in North Dakota’s communities. Her key initiative, Recovery Reinvented, has reached over 20,000 people across the state, country, and internationally through five statewide events, an Innovate Recovery Competition, and the Youth Ending Stigma Challenge.
In long-term recovery for 21 years, she shares her personal experience and encourages others to do the same to normalize the conversation around the disease of addiction. She is spreading the word that addiction is a chronic disease and not a choice or moral failing. Under Kathryn’s leadership, North Dakota pioneered the first-ever statewide stigma survey in 2018 to evaluate the baseline attitudes citizens hold toward addiction and recovery. Through her collaboration with statewide partners and the North Dakota Behavioral Health Division, the state has experienced an 11% reduction in stigmatized attitudes according to a 2021 follow-up study.
Her advocacy work has enabled her to partner with advocates, experts in the field, and stakeholders nation-wide including the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Surgeon General, the Addiction Policy Forum, and the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation where she serves on the board of trustees. Kathryn plays an active role in supporting the Office of Recovery Reinvented as the chair of the Advisory Council.
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Resources
Download a bio packet of Kathryn Burgum
- Biography
- Low Resolution Photo