Bonnie Newman

Jane Ellen "Bonnie" Newman (born June 2, 1945) from North Hampton, New Hampshire is an American administrator and business executive. A Republican, she worked for Judd Gregg, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush. Newman was also interim president of the University of New Hampshire (UNH) and the Community College System of New Hampshire. She was announced by the governor of New Hampshire as his selection for eventual appointment to the United States Senate when Gregg was nominated to become the United States Secretary of Commerce, but did not take office when the vacancy she was to fill did not materialize.

Education and early life Newman was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, the daughter of Louise (née Casey) and William Newman, who worked at New England Telephone.

Newman has a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from St. Joseph's College of Maine and Master of Education in higher education administration from Pennsylvania State University.

In 1981, she moved to Washington D.C. to serve as chief of staff to Judd Gregg when he was in the United States House of Representatives. From 1982 to 1984 she was the associate director of presidential personnel at the White House. She left in 1989 to lead administrative operations for the George H. W. Bush administration.

Newman served as interim Dean of the Whittemore School of Business and Economics at the University of New Hampshire from 1998 to 1999.

Newman is a former chairwoman of the United States Naval Academy Board of Visitors

Proposed appointment to United States Senate On February 3, 2009, President Barack Obama announced that he would nominate Gregg, then a Republican Senator representing New Hampshire, as the Secretary of Commerce. Later in the day, Lynch announced that he would appoint Newman to the Senate to fill Gregg's seat if and when there was a vacancy. Newman announced that, if appointed to the Senate, she would not run for reelection in 2010, nor would she endorse any candidate in that race.

Political activities Newman considered running for the Senate in 1990 for the seat held by the retiring Gordon J. Humphrey.

Newman was one of the first Republicans to publicly endorse John Lynch, a Democrat, in his successful 2004 challenge of then-Republican Governor Craig Benson. In the campaign, she co-chaired Republicans for Lynch.

Newman joined Standing Up for New Hampshire Families, a bipartisan organization opposing the effort of the New Hampshire Legislature to repeal legislation allowing same-sex marriage in New Hampshire.