Sandra Peterson (politician)
Encyclopedia
Sandra E. Peterson is a Minnesota
politician and a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
representing District 45A, which includes all or portions of the cities of New Hope
, Plymouth
and Crystal
in western Hennepin County
, which is part of the Twin Cities
metropolitan area. A Democrat
, she is also a retired teacher.
in Saint Paul
, receiving her B.S.
in Education in 1967. She also attended the University of Minnesota
, earning an Emotional-Behavioral Disability (E.B.D.) graduate license and a Learning Disability (L.D.) graduate license. She was a teacher for the Robbinsdale
School District from 1970-2004.
from 1998–2001, and vice president of Education Minnesota from 2001-2004. She was also a member of the board of directors of the American Education Finance Association, vice president of the American Federation of Teachers
, and a member of the A.F.T.'s Program and Policy Council and Merger Advisory Team.
Peterson has also been active in her community and on several government and public service committees. She was vice president of the Minnesota Chapter of the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (A.F.L.-C.I.O.). She was vice chair of the board of directors of the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership, a founding member of the Minnesota Mental Health Legislative Caucus, chair of the Career Advancement Committee of the Governor's Workforce Development Council, and a member of the Federal Reserve Bank
Advisory Board. She has served as a board member of the Northwest Young Men's Christian Association (Y.M.C.A.) and is a member of the local League of Women Voters
.
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 House of Representatives
Minnesota House of Representatives
The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house in the Minnesota State Legislature. There are 134 members elected to two-year terms, twice the number of members in the Minnesota Senate. Each senate district is divided in half and given the suffix A or B...
representing District 45A, which includes all or portions of the cities of New Hope
New Hope, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 20,873 people, 8,665 households, and 5,268 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,098.6 people per square mile . There were 8,746 housing units at an average density of 1,717.4 per square mile...
, Plymouth
Plymouth, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 65,894 people, 24,820 households, and 17,647 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,002.0 persons per square mile . There were 25,258 housing units at an average density of 767.4 per square mile...
and Crystal
Crystal, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 22,698 people, 9,389 households, and 6,102 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,929.3 people per square mile . There were 9,481 housing units at an average density of 1,641.3 per square mile...
in western 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...
, which is part of the 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 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...
, she is also a retired teacher.
Legislative service
Peterson was first elected in 2004, and was re-elected in 2006, 2008 and 2010. She is currently a member of the House's K-12 Education Policy and Oversight Committee and Rules and Legislative Administration Committee. She also serves on the Finance subcommittees for the Early Childhood Finance and Policy Division and the Health Care and Human Services Finance Division.Education and professional background
Peterson attended Macalester CollegeMacalester College
Macalester College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was founded in 1874 as a Presbyterian-affiliated but nonsectarian college. Its first class entered September 15, 1885. The college is located on a campus in a historic residential neighborhood...
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.S.
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in Education in 1967. She also attended the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, earning an Emotional-Behavioral Disability (E.B.D.) graduate license and a Learning Disability (L.D.) graduate license. She was a teacher for the Robbinsdale
Robbinsdale, Minnesota
Robbinsdale is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 13,953 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
School District from 1970-2004.
Education organization and community leadership
Active in education organizations through the years, Peterson was president of the Robbinsdale Federation of Teachers from 1977–1987, president of the Minnesota Federation of Teachers from 1987–1998, co-president of Education MinnesotaEducation Minnesota
Education Minnesota is an American trade union representing preK-12 teachers, school support staff and higher education faculty in Minnesota. It is affiliated with both the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers , and is affiliated with the AFL-CIO.The union's...
from 1998–2001, and vice president of Education Minnesota from 2001-2004. She was also a member of the board of directors of the American Education Finance Association, vice president of the American Federation of Teachers
American Federation of Teachers
The American Federation of Teachers is an American labor union founded in 1916 that represents teachers, paraprofessionals and school-related personnel; local, state and federal employees; higher education faculty and staff, and nurses and other healthcare professionals...
, and a member of the A.F.T.'s Program and Policy Council and Merger Advisory Team.
Peterson has also been active in her community and on several government and public service committees. She was vice president of the Minnesota Chapter of the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (A.F.L.-C.I.O.). She was vice chair of the board of directors of the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership, a founding member of the Minnesota Mental Health Legislative Caucus, chair of the Career Advancement Committee of the Governor's Workforce Development Council, and a member of the Federal Reserve Bank
Federal Reserve Bank
The twelve Federal Reserve Banks form a major part of the Federal Reserve System, the central banking system of the United States. The twelve federal reserve banks together divide the nation into twelve Federal Reserve Districts, the twelve banking districts created by the Federal Reserve Act of...
Advisory Board. She has served as a board member of the Northwest Young Men's Christian Association (Y.M.C.A.) and is a member of the local League of Women Voters
League of Women Voters
The League of Women Voters is an American political organization founded in 1920 by Carrie Chapman Catt during the last meeting of the National American Woman Suffrage Association approximately six months before the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution gave women the right to vote...
.