Michelle R. Benson is a Minnesota

Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...

 politician and a member of the Minnesota Senate

Minnesota Senate

The Minnesota Senate is the upper house in the Minnesota Legislature. There are 67 members, half as many as are in the Minnesota House of Representatives. In terms of membership, it is the largest upper house of any state legislature. Each Senate district in the state includes an A and B House...

 who represents District 49, which includes portions of Anoka County

Anoka County, Minnesota

Anoka County is the fourth-most populous county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The county is bordered by the counties of Isanti on the north, Chisago and Washington on the east, Hennepin and Ramsey on the south, Sherburne on the west, and the Mississippi River on the southwest.As of 2010, Anoka...

 in the northern Twin Cities

Twin cities

Twin cities are a special case of two cities or urban centres which are founded in close geographic proximity and then grow into each other over time...

 metropolitan area. A Republican

Republican Party of Minnesota

The Republican Party of Minnesota is the Minnesota branch of the United States Republican Party. Elected by the party’s state central committee in June 2009, its chairman is Tony Sutton, and its deputy-chairman is Michael Brodkorb.-Early history:...

, she is a Certified Public Accountant.

Benson was first elected in 2010. She is currently a member of the Agriculture and Rural Economies, the Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications, and the Health and Human Services committees.

Raised on a farm in Murdock

Murdock, Minnesota

Murdock is a city in Swift County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 278 at the 2010 census. Murdock was surveyed and platted in 1878, and was incorporated in 1881. The city is part of the Kerhoven-Murdock-Sunburg school district...

, Benson graduated from St. Catherine University

St. Catherine University

is a private university in Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan. It was established first as a women's junior college in 1966 and became a women's four-year university in 1988. It became a co-educational university in 2004.-External links:*...

 in Saint Paul

Saint Paul, Minnesota

Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...

, receiving her B.A. in Chemistry

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

. She later attended the University of St. Thomas

University of St. Thomas (Minnesota)

The University of St. Thomas is a private, Catholic, liberal arts, and archdiocesan university located in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States...

, earning her M.B.A.

Master of Business Administration

The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...

 She worked as an auditor and consultant at Deloitte & Touche, and currently works as the executive director of the Upper Midwest Security Alliance.

Active in her community, Benson has been a Boy Scout

Boy Scout

A Scout is a boy or a girl, usually 11 to 18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split this age group into a junior and a senior section...

 and cub scout

Cub Scout

A Cub Scout is a member of the section of the worldwide Scouting movement for young persons, mainly boys normally aged about 7 to 11. In some countries they are known by their original name of Wolf Cubs and are often referred to simply as Cubs. The movement is often referred to simply as Cubbing...

 leader, and a board member, treasurer, secretary and administrator for The Way of the Shepherd Montessori School. She is a member of the North Metro Chamber of Commerce

Chamber of commerce

A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...

, the Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants

Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants

The Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants is a professional association for certified public accountants in Minnesota....

, the National Federation of Independent Businesses, and the National Rifle Association

National Rifle Association

The National Rifle Association of America is an American non-profit 501 civil rights organization which advocates for the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection...

.

External links

• Senator Michelle Benson Web Page
• Project Vote Smart - Senator Michelle Benson Profile
• Michelle Benson Campaign Web Site