Kathleen Babineaux Blanco (born December 15, 1942) served from January 2004 to January 2008 as the 54th governor of the U.S. state of Louisiana. A member of the Democratic Party, she is the first woman to have been elected as governor of Louisiana.When first elected, Blanco outlined her top priorities as providing affordable healthcare, improving the education system in the state, and helping to create a strong and vibrant economy through aggressive economic development initiatives.