Biography
Senator Giessel was elected to the State Senate in 2010.
She serves on two Senate committees: Labor and Commerce committee and the State Affairs committee, as well as Finance subcommitee on the Legislature. Senator Giessel is also a member of the Joint Legislative In-State Gasline Caucus, Joint Legislative Outdoor Heritage Caucus and the Anchorage Caucus.
Cathy is a lifelong Alaskan, born and raised in Fairbanks.
Her late father, Jerry Bohms, came to Alaska in the late 40's and was a Wien Alaska Airlines pilot. Cathy often got to go to work with her dad. She loved poking around the big Wien hanger while her dad talked to the mechanics. The dispatch office was always full of other pilots and Wien staff. But the greatest thrill of all was going to her dad's office - the cockpit of the F-27. Cathy knew, even as a child, how special it was to fly with her dad to small rural communities all over Alaska.
Cathy's mom, Ruth, was very engaged in her children's lives, making sure they had opportunities to be in Scouting, 4-H, music lessons and all the activities at the Catholic school in Fairbanks. After raising her four children, Ruth attended Gonzaga University School of Law, and then has been admitted to the Alaska Bar. She has also been admitted before the bar of the US Supreme Court.
Senator Giessel graduated from Lathrop High School in Fairbanks. She went Outside to earn her bachelor's degree in nursing at the University of Michigan. She moved back home and to Anchorage with her nursing degree, and worked in local hospitals and clinics.
Cathy is married to her college sweetheart, Richard Giessel. Rich and Cathy raised 3 children in the home Rich built on the Anchorage Hillside in 1980. Their two sons live in Alaska. Peter, a civil engineer, is married to Taryl and they have three adorable children, Callie, Lilah and Seth. David holds a masters degree in electrical engineer and lives in Fairbanks. Their daughter, Elisabeth, lives in Michigan and is a business manager for a large publishing company.
Senator Giessel earned a Masters' degree in nursing at the University of Alaska Anchorage. She is an advanced nurse practitioner and has delivered healthcare in a variety of clinics in Anchorage, as well in small communities in the North Slope Borough. She currently volunteers at a homeless clinic in Anchorage.
Senator Giessel does healthcare consulting and volunteers in a homeless shelter healthcare clinic, when her schedule allows.