Ken Kelash
Encyclopedia
Kenneth "Ken" Kelash is a Minnesota
politician and a member of the Minnesota Senate
representing District 63, which includes portions of the city of Minneapolis
in Hennepin County
. A Democrat
, he was first elected to the Senate in a special election held on November 4, 2008. The seat became vacant when Senator Dan Larson resigned in order to accept a position with his former employer, a law and lobbying firm in Minneapolis. He was re-elected in 2010.
Kelash is currently a member of the Senate's Agriculture and Rural Economies, Environment and Natural Resources, and Jobs and Economic Growth committees. His special legislative concerns include jobs, education, and transportation.
Kelash is a retired carpenter
, union officer and regional business agent. He has been a member of the Carpenter's Local Union #1644 since 1976, and has been active in the Minnesota Building Trades Union, the Minneapolis Central Labor Union Council, and the Minnesota AFL-CIO
. He has served on the Minneapolis Workforce Investment Board
(WIB) and the Hennepin County Workforce Investment Board, which direct federal and state money into jobs and training programs. He has also been a member of the Policy Board of the Minneapolis Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP) for more than 10 years.
Kelash attended the carpentry program at Hennepin Technical Center, graduating in 1974. He received his B.A.
from Metropolitan State University
in 1984. In 2003, he earned his M.P.A.
from the John F. Kennedy School of Government
at Harvard University
, made possible by a Bush Leadership Fellowship, which he was awarded in 2002.
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...
representing District 63, which includes portions of the city of Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
in Hennepin County
Hennepin County, Minnesota
Hennepin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota, named in honor of the 17th-century explorer Father Louis Hennepin. As of 2010 the population was 1,152,425. Its county seat is Minneapolis. It is by far the most populous county in Minnesota; more than one in five Minnesotans live...
. A Democrat
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party is a major political party in the state of Minnesota and the state affiliate of the Democratic Party. It was created on April 15, 1944, with the merger of the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Farmer–Labor Party...
, he was first elected to the Senate in a special election held on November 4, 2008. The seat became vacant when Senator Dan Larson resigned in order to accept a position with his former employer, a law and lobbying firm in Minneapolis. He was re-elected in 2010.
Kelash is currently a member of the Senate's Agriculture and Rural Economies, Environment and Natural Resources, and Jobs and Economic Growth committees. His special legislative concerns include jobs, education, and transportation.
Kelash is a retired carpenter
Carpenter
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
, union officer and regional business agent. He has been a member of the Carpenter's Local Union #1644 since 1976, and has been active in the Minnesota Building Trades Union, the Minneapolis Central Labor Union Council, and the Minnesota AFL-CIO
AFL-CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL–CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 11 million workers...
. He has served on the Minneapolis Workforce Investment Board
Workforce Investment Board
Workforce Investment Boards are regional entities created to implement the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 in the United States, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Palau and the Republic of the Marshall Islands....
(WIB) and the Hennepin County Workforce Investment Board, which direct federal and state money into jobs and training programs. He has also been a member of the Policy Board of the Minneapolis Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP) for more than 10 years.
Kelash attended the carpentry program at Hennepin Technical Center, graduating in 1974. He received his B.A.
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...
from Metropolitan State University
Metropolitan State University
Metropolitan State University is a four-year public university located in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, United States. It is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.-History:...
in 1984. In 2003, he earned his M.P.A.
Master of Public Administration
The Master of Public Administration is a professional post-graduate degree in Public Administration. The MPA program prepares individuals to serve as managers in the executive arm of local, state/provincial, and federal/national government, and increasingly in nongovernmental organization and...
from the John F. Kennedy School of Government
John F. Kennedy School of Government
The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools...
at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, made possible by a Bush Leadership Fellowship, which he was awarded in 2002.
External links
- Senator Kelash Web Page
- Project Vote Smart - Senator Ken Kelash Profile
- Ken Kelash Campaign Web Site