Kateryna Yushchenko

Kateryna Mykhaylivna Yushchenko (Ukrainian: Катерина Михайлівна Ющенко; Russian Екатерина Михайловна Ющенко ) ( on September 1, 1961 in Chicago, Illinois) is the current and second wife of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko and First Lady of Ukraine.

Her father, Mykhailo Chumachenko, was born in the village of Zaitsivka, Kharkiv Oblast, in 1917, to a large family of farmers. He was one of only a few members of his large family to survive the Ukrainian Genocide Famine of 1932-33.

Mr. Chumachenko studied electrical engineering in Lisichansk, Luhansk Oblast. He served in the Soviet Army, was captured by Nazi forces and taken to Germany in 1942. Mrs. Yushchenko’s mother, Sofia Chumachenko, was born in Litky, Kyiv Oblast, in 1927. Along with many girls in her village, Sofia Chumachenko was taken to Germany at the age of 14 to serve as a slave laborer. Kateryna Yushchenko’s parents met in Germany, married, and gave birth to her sister Lydia in 1945. Mykhailo Chumachenko became seriously ill with tuberculosis in 1945 and spent eight years in a tuberculosis sanatorium. In 1956, the Chumachenko family immigrated to the United States on an invitation from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Chicago. Mykhailo Chumachenko worked as an electrician in Chicago until his retirement in 1984. The Chumachenkos moved to Florida in 1987. Mr. Chumachenko visited his native Ukraine three times, in 1991, 1994 and 1995. His dream was to return to his village and start a small farm. He died in 1998 and is buried in Kyiv.

Biography

Kateryna Yushchenko was born Catherine Claire Chumachenko in Chicago to Ukrainian immigrants. She is a former U.S. State Department official. She worked as a special assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs. She holds a bachelor degree in International Economics from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University (1982), and an MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business (1986).

She later worked in the White House in the Office of Public Liaison during the administration of Ronald Reagan. Subsequently, she worked at the U.S. Treasury in the executive secretary's office during the administration of George H. W. Bush. After leaving that position, she was on the staff of the Joint Economic Committee of the United States Congress. After Ukraine declared its freedom, she was a co-founder and the vice-president of Ukraine-USA Foundation. She was also the director of Pylyp Orlyk Institute. In 1993, she joined KPMG Peat Marwick/Barents Group as a consultant in its Bank Training Program and Country Manager. She left her job in August 2000, when she was expecting her second child. An international accounting firm, she met Viktor Yushchenko, whom she subsequently married.

Mrs. Yushchenko is now involved in numerous charitable projects with the Ukraine 3000 International Foundation ^[1] that she chairs. The key priority of the Foundation is better health for Ukraine’s children. On the Supervisory Board of Ukraine 3000 Foundation, established in 2001, are some of Ukraine’s most prominent educational, humanitarian, cultural, literary and sports figures. President Victor Yushchenko served as Chairman of the Supervisory Council until his inauguration in 2005. Since then, its Chairman is Kateryna Yushchenko. All programs and projects of the Foundation are implemented within three major areas: “Ukraine Yesterday”. “Ukraine Today” and “Ukraine Tomorrow”. The biggest projects of the Foundation are the “Hospital to Hospital” program, the construction and support of the “Children’s Hospital of the Future” and “The Joy of Childhood – Free Movements” program.

Ukrainian politics

Opponents of her husband Viktor Yushchenko have criticized her for remaining a U.S. citizen. During the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election campaign, Yushchenko-Chumachenko was accused of exerting the influence of the U.S. government on her husband's decisions, as an employee of the U.S. government or even a Central Intelligence Agency agent. She had earlier been accused by Russian television journalist Mikhail Leontyev of leading a U.S. project to help Yushchenko seize power in Ukraine; in January 2002, she won a libel case against him.

Ukraine's pro-government Inter television channel repeated Leontyev's allegations in 2001, but in January 2003 she won a libel case against the channel as well.

On March 31, 2005, it was announced that Kateryna Yushchenko became a naturalized Ukrainian citizen.

Family

Kateryna had three children with Viktor Yushchenko:

• Sofia (b. 1999)
• Khrystyna (b. 2000)
• Taras (b. 2004)

Viktor Yushchenko has two children from his first marriage:

• Vitalyna (b. 1980); married Oleksiy Khakhlyov (Yaryna and Viktor)
• Andriy (b. 1985)

Hobbies

Kateryna Yushchenko loves to read all types of literature and is proud of the library she has been compiling since her childhood. She is an ardent collector of Ukrainian art and crafts. She also collects images of mother with child. She is a fan of architecture and interior design. She particularly enjoys cooking and entertaining using recipes from various parts of the world. Most importantly, Mrs. Yushchenko focuses upon her family and tries to spend quality time with her five children and two step-grandchildren.

Awards

Special award from Children of Chornobyl Relief and Development Foundation, April 26, 2006

“Golden Pyramid” Award, UNESCO, November 2005

Medal of Prince Vasyl-Kostyantyn Ostrozky from Ostroh Academy, October 2005

Distinguished Public Service / Public Sector Alumni Award from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, October 2005

Honorary Professor of the “Kyiv Mohyla Kollegium” Gymnasium, February 2007

References

External links

• Kateryna Yushchenko. Biography (archived)
• Interview with Yushchenko-Chumachenko, from Yushchenko's campaign site (archived)
• [1] ([The Ukraine 3000 International Charitable Foundation])