Carole Keeton Strayhorn was the first woman in history elected Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. She was re-elected Comptroller in 2002 with the highest vote total of any winning statewide elected official in Texas and more votes than any woman candidate nationwide of either party. She is a common sense conservative, education watchdog, and "One Tough Grandma—watching out for Texas."

In 2004, the Mental Health Association in Texas selected Strayhorn as the recipient of the Texas Champion Award. Last year, she was given the University of Texas at Austin Distinguished Alumnus Award. She is the recipient of the Texas Classroom Teachers Association’s Friend of Education Award. She also was selected as the first Friend of Texas Taxpayers chosen by Citizens for a Sound Economy. A longtime friend of law enforcement, Strayhorn is a lifetime honorary member of the Austin Police Association.

Strayhorn began her career as a public school teacher. Her lifelong record of achievement and public service is rooted in her passion for education.

Often called a trailblazer, Strayhorn has a resume full of “firsts”— first woman president of the Austin School Board, and first woman president of the Austin Community College Board of Trustees; first woman mayor of Austin, and the only mayor elected for three successive terms; first woman in history elected Texas Railroad Commissioner—and was re-elected in 1996 with the highest vote total in a statewide contested race.

Comptroller Strayhorn is the daughter of the late Page Keeton, the revered long-time Dean of the University of Texas Law School. He instilled in her at a very early age the importance of public service. She not only learned that lesson from her dad, she passed it on to her children. Her eldest son, Dr. Mark McClellan, is the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. He previously served as Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Her twin sons, Brad McClellan and Dudley McClellan are both attorneys. Brad is the manager for his mother's campaign for governor, and Dudley is Assistant General Counsel for the State Bar of Texas. Her youngest son, Scott McClellan, is the former Press Secretary to the President of the United States.

She is a native Texan and a government honors graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. She is married to Ed Strayhorn (a former teacher and Veteran), the founder and president of the oldest tennis court construction business in Texas. They are the proud parents of five grown sons, and proud grandparents of five young granddaughters (with a sixth on the way).