Kathy Brynaert
Encyclopedia
Kathleen A. "Kathy" Brynaert (born July 15, 1944) is a Minnesota
politician and a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
representing District 23B, which includes portions of Blue Earth
and Nicollet
counties in the south central part of the state. A Democrat
, she is also a youth development leader in her community, and a former educator.
Brynaert was first elected in 2006, and was re-elected in 2008 and 2010. She is currently a member of the House's K-12 Education Policy and Oversight Committee and Ways and Means Committee. She also serves on the Finance subcommittees for the Bioscience and Workforce Development Policy and Oversight Division, the Energy Finance and Policy Division, and the Higher Education and Workforce Development Finance and Policy Division.
Brynaert attended high school in Detroit, Michigan
, then went on to the College of St. Teresa in Winona
, receiving her B.A.
in Philosophy. She later earned her M.A.
in Philosophy at Duquesne University
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
. She is a former Franciscan
Nun
. She has worked as a homemaker, an office clerk, editor and surveyor for a planning firm, a playground and lunchroom supervisor for Independent School District 77, and director of parent education for the Council for Health Action and Promotion. From 1995-2006, she served as a member, vice chair and chair of the Mankato
Area School Board. She was also an assembly delegate to the Minnesota School Board Association during this time.
Active in her local community, Brynaert is a former volunteer for the Mankato Food Cooperative, a former member of the Business Education Committee of the Mankato Chamber of Commerce
, a former member and vice chair of the South Central Service Cooperative Board, and a member of the United Way Vision Council. She has long been an advocate for youth, serving as a member of the Educare Foundation, as Youth Service Committee chair for the Downtown Mankato Kiwanis
, as a founding member and chair of Mankato Area Healthy Youth, and as chair of the 'How Are the Children?' Project. She was co-chair of the Envision 2020 Transportation Committee in 2006.
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 23B, which includes portions of Blue Earth
Blue Earth County, Minnesota
Blue Earth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 64,013. Its county seat is Mankato.Blue Earth County is part of the Mankato–North Mankato Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
and Nicollet
Nicollet County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 29,771 people, 10,642 households, and 7,311 families residing in the county. The population density was 66 people per square mile . There were 11,240 housing units at an average density of 25 per square mile...
counties in the south central part of the state. 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 youth development leader in her community, and a former educator.
Brynaert was first elected in 2006, and was re-elected in 2008 and 2010. She is currently a member of the House's K-12 Education Policy and Oversight Committee and Ways and Means Committee. She also serves on the Finance subcommittees for the Bioscience and Workforce Development Policy and Oversight Division, the Energy Finance and Policy Division, and the Higher Education and Workforce Development Finance and Policy Division.
Brynaert attended high school in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, then went on to the College of St. Teresa in Winona
Winona, Minnesota
Winona is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, in the U.S. State of Minnesota. Located in picturesque bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf....
, receiving her 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...
in Philosophy. She later earned her M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in Philosophy at Duquesne University
Duquesne University
Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit is a private Catholic university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne first opened its doors as the Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost in October 1878 with an enrollment of...
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. She is a former Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
Nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
. She has worked as a homemaker, an office clerk, editor and surveyor for a planning firm, a playground and lunchroom supervisor for Independent School District 77, and director of parent education for the Council for Health Action and Promotion. From 1995-2006, she served as a member, vice chair and chair of the Mankato
Mankato, Minnesota
Mankato is a city in Blue Earth, Nicollet, and Le Sueur counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 39,309 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth largest city in Minnesota outside of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. The county seat of Blue Earth County, it is located...
Area School Board. She was also an assembly delegate to the Minnesota School Board Association during this time.
Active in her local community, Brynaert is a former volunteer for the Mankato Food Cooperative, a former member of the Business Education Committee of the Mankato 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...
, a former member and vice chair of the South Central Service Cooperative Board, and a member of the United Way Vision Council. She has long been an advocate for youth, serving as a member of the Educare Foundation, as Youth Service Committee chair for the Downtown Mankato Kiwanis
Kiwanis
Kiwanis International is an international, coeducational service club founded in 1915. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Current membership is 240,000 members in 7,700 clubs in 80 nations...
, as a founding member and chair of Mankato Area Healthy Youth, and as chair of the 'How Are the Children?' Project. She was co-chair of the Envision 2020 Transportation Committee in 2006.