Darlene Grübberbach

**Darlene Amelia Grübberbach** (née **Meier**; born 27 February 1960) is a Lungarian politician who is the wife of Prime Minister Milo Grübberbach and the current spouse of the Prime Minister of Lungary. Additionally, she is a member of the Stadtkart, having first been elected in 2015.

Grübberbach was born into a middle-class family in Vecker, Southeast Veckerland. She attended the North Vecker School for Vocational Studies, where she studied to become a clerical worker. After working as a secretary for several years, Grübberbach received a degree in sociology from the University of Veckerland in 1988, and began working at non-governmental organizations in Vecker and Munbach. Following her husband's election as Prime Minister, Grübberbach left her career in order to serve as First Lady. She began a career as a politician in 2014 after being elected to the Stadtkart representing Munbach.

## Early life and family

Grübberbach was born as Darlene Amelia Meier on 27 February 1960 in Vecker, Veckerland to parents Tomas and Katrin Meier (née *Wern*). The family was middle-class, with Tomas working in sales and Katrin a housewife. She was raised in the suburban neighborhood of Kremliowitsch. Grübberbach is the eldest of three children; she has a younger brother, Henrik, born  (1962-08-02) 2 August 1962 (age 61), and a younger sister, Marie, born  (1965-03-17) 17 March 1965 (age 58).

## Education and early career

Grübberbach began her schooling career in 1966, when she began attending her local primary school. During her early years of school, Grübberbach was both academically motivated and active within her school community, playing volleyball and football from a young age in addition to being very interested in community service. She graduated from primary school in 1972, and began attending secondary school, where her academic performance began to slip due to distractions such as her male classmates and troublemaker friends. She went on to graduate from secondary school in 1976, and did not have high enough grades to attend a *gymnasiüm*, instead enrolling in a *kariersküle*.

Grübberbach began studying a clerical work program at the North Vecker School for Vocational Studies in 1976. She recalls being bored in class throughout high school because she was not academically stimulated like she would have been at a *gymnasiüm*. She finished her academic classes in 1978, and completed her apprenticeship the following year, receiving her high school diploma. After graduating from high school, Grübberbach was able to find work as a secretary at the Southeast Veckerland Department of Edcuation. However, she did not enjoy working in the public sector due to shortages in pay, and instead began working as a secretary at private businesses in 1980. After being let go, she found work as a secretary at Maria Hescher School in 1982.

While working at Hescher, Grübberbach became introduced to her future husband Milo Grübberbach, who was a teacher at the school. Milo encouraged Grübberbach to pursue higher education, and she subsequently enrolled in night classes at the University of Veckerland. She graduated with a degree in sociology in 1988. After graduating, she left her job as a secretary and began working at The Blasmer Project, a non-government organization that helped struggling families in poverty-stricken Blasmerian countries. Following her husband's election to the Stadtkart in 2002, she moved to Munbach and began working at various community service-based non-governmental organizations there.

## Political career

### Spouse of the Prime Minister of Lungary

In 2010, following her husband being elected as the Prime Minister of Lungary, Grübberbach became the spouse of the Prime Minister of Lungary. With this platform, she adopted community service as her official advocacy and has sponsored numerous community service projects, both domestic and international. Grübberbach has also established herself as a style icon, appearing on several red carpets, in fashion magazines, and on best dressed lists.

### Member of the Stadtkart

In 2014, it was announced by the Social Democratic Party that Grübberbach would be included on their ticket for the 2014 Lungarian general election in Munbach. Grübberbach was eventually elected to the Stadtkart, and became the only spouse of the Prime Minister to ever serve in parliament.

Grübberbach ran in the 2018 Social Democratic Party leadership election, but withdrew after the second ballot. In her concession speech, she stated that she was withdrawing due to a lack of support from the party and her own inexperience, believing that it was "too early" for her to run the party. She subsequently endorsed Uljana Heimlitz.

## Personal life

Grübberbach married Milo Grübberbach in 1988, after they had previously met in 1983, while Grübberbach worked as a secretary and Milo as a teacher at Maria Hescher School. Following their marriage, they resided in the Kaugel neighborhood of Vecker.

Grübberbach gave birth to their first child, Hanna, in 1991, while their second child, Veronika, was born in 1994. The family continued to reside in Vecker until the beginning of Milo's political career in 2002, when they moved to the Inner Munbach borough of Munbach. Since his election as Prime Minister, they have resided in Karver Palace.