Early life and career
Schachtner was born in Somerset,Wisconsin,in April 1960. She was raised on a family farm and attended Somerset High School,graduating in 1978. After graduating,she attended Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College (WITC,now Northwood Technical College),where she trained as an emergency medical technician and later worked as an EMT and EMS adult educator. [1]
In addition to her work in emergency medical services,Schachtner served in local government and education roles,including as a member of the Somerset School Board and as a town supervisor in Star Prairie,Wisconsin. She also taught as an EMT educator at WITC. [2]
In 2002,Schachtner began working with the St. Croix County Medical Examiner’s Office as a deputy medical examiner. [3] In January 2011,she was appointed chief medical examiner for St. Croix County,a position she held until April 2025. [4]
During her tenure,Schachtner’s work focused on death investigation,suicide prevention,and the professionalization of the county medical examiner system. Her role examining deaths by suicide and working with affected families was cited in regional and national reporting addressing the public health dimensions of suicide and mortality. [5] [6]
She also led initiatives emphasizing dignity and empathy in the handling of unclaimed remains and oversaw the adoption of new technologies,including the use of virtual autopsy imaging in certain cases as an alternative to traditional autopsies. [7] [8]
State Senate
In 2017,after accepting a position within the Scott Walker administration,Sheila Harsdorf resigned her seat in the Wisconsin Senate to become Wisconsin's Secretary of Agriculture. Due to the opening,Schachtner and two other Democrats filed to succeed her,with Schachtner defeating John Calabrese by a 46 point margin. Going into the general election she was considered an underdog,but on January 16,2018,she defeated Republican nominee Adam M. Jarchow,a state legislator,by a large margin,in a district that Donald Trump had won in 2016 by over 17 points in an election mired by very low turnout. [9] She became the first Democrat to represent the 10th district since Alice Clausing left office in 2001.
Alongside her service as state senator,Schachtner also serves on various local boards and organizations within Somerset and engages in advocacy for victims of sexual and domestic violence.
In the 2020 election,Schachtner lost her bid for election to a full term to representative Rob Stafsholt by a twenty-point margin. [10]
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