Lori Otter is the First Lady of Idaho. She has been in the office since January 1, 2007 as her husband, Butch Otter, succeeded Jim Risch as Governor of Idaho. Formerly, Otter was a beauty queen, or Miss Idaho USA, and a basketball and volleyball coach for high school students.
Early Life and Education
Lori Otter was born in 1967 in Pensacola, Florida. Raised by her parents in Idaho, Otter went to Kimberly High School for early education. Then, she joined College of Southern Idaho for English literature and Boise State University for an undergraduate degree in education. Later, Otter entered Northwest Nazarene University for post-graduate studies in curriculum and instruction.
Personal Life
Lori Otter is married to Governor Butch Otter since 2006. The couple hasn’t had any babies yet, but Butch has four children and six grandchildren from his previous marriage.
Career
Prior to entering College of Southern Idaho, Lori Otter was an active member of 4-H and Future Farmers of America. As she graduated, she started teaching physical education at a school in Arizona. At some point, Otter moved to Idaho for her teaching jobs and started coaching girls basketball and volleyball teams as well. Having spent 12 years in the education sector, Otter decided to take a break by pursuing Master’s degree at Northwest Nazarene University.
Completing the post-graduate course, Otter returned to the education sector as a school administrator and worked in the position for two years. She had to leave to join her husband Butch Otter as First Lady of Idaho. Interestingly, Butch and Lori married each other just a few months before taking Idaho Governor’s Mansion.
As First Lady of Idaho, Lori Otter has uninterrupted time in the service of Idaho residents, especially children. As a member of the St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center Foundation, Otter advocated for the provision of qualitative health care via ‘philanthropy, volunteer leadership, and stewardship of charitable gifts’. Likewise, she also served on the board committee of the following organizations:
- Treasure Valley Reading Foundation
- Idaho Governor’s Cup
- Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free Foundation
- International Orphans Project
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVVjKYF994Q
At Idaho Association of Libraries, Lori volunteers as a summer reading ambassador – as a matter of fact, she herself has published three children’s books which focus on Idaho history. In the same way, Lori Otter and her husband’s administration team is working towards decreasing the number of meth users via an establishment of Idaho Meth Project. Lastly, she is also a member of Idaho Meth Project Advisory Council.
Donald Trump and Lori Otter
Lori Otter is perhaps one of the few state First Ladies who has a direct link to President Donald Trump. The Idaho first couple, Butch and Lori Otter, were the honorary chairs for Trump’s presidential campaigns in Idaho. Similarly, Butch and Lori Otter also attended Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2017.
