User:HouseOfChange/Michele Ballarin

Michelle Ballarin also known as Michele Lynn Golden and as Michele Roosevelt Edwards is a Republican politician and businesswoman, known for her effort to promote US interests in Somalia, her unsuccessful negotiations to purchase Iceland's WOW Airlines, and her role in promoting Italygate.

Personal life
Michele Ballarin attended the University of West Virginia. While a student there, she met a real estate investor 35 years her senior named Edward Golden, whom she soon married. Their son was born in 1981, when Ballarin was 26 years old.

As Michele Golden, she became active in the Republican Party and in West Virginia politics. In 1984, she was a candidate for secretary of state. In 1986, she won the Republican primary to represent West Virginia's 2nd district in Congress, but was defeated in the general election by Democratic incumbent Harley O. Staggers Jr.

After her first marriage ended, she married Iginio Ballarin, described by the Washington Post in 2013 as "a long-time maitre d’ at the 21 Club in New York." The couple shared an estate in Markham, Virginia and in 1997 were listed in Washington, DC's Social Register as prominent members of the party circuit.

Michele Ballarin has led business ventures in a variety of different areas. xx is an investment firm xx. She is CEO of Select Armor, which The Guardian describes as "a US military firm based in Virginia."

Somalia
In 2008, Ballarin made headlines for her role in hostage negotiations with Somali pirates.

In 2010, according to the United Nations Security Council, Somali officials arrested and subsequently expelled her from Somaliland.

WOW Airlines
In 2019, Ballarin announced plans to resurrect Iceland's WOW Airlines.