Marie Brenden is a Norwegian educator and politician for the Labour Party

Norwegian Labour Party

The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in Norway. It is the senior partner in the current Norwegian government as part of the Red-Green Coalition, and its leader, Jens Stoltenberg, is the current Prime Minister of Norway....

.

She was born in Kvam, Nord-Trøndelag

Kvam, Nord-Trøndelag

Kvam is a village and former municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the northern part of the present-day municipality of Steinkjer. The village is located along the northern shore of the lake Snåsavatnet along the European route E6 highway, about northeast of Følling. ...

 as a daughter of smallholders Arnfinn Forfang (1913–1994) and Mimmi Haave (1912–1985). She finished

Examen artium

Examen artium was the name of the academic certification conferred in Denmark and Norway, qualifying the student for admission to university studies. Examen artium was originally introduced as the entrance exam of the University of Copenhagen in 1630...

 secondary education in 1959, and took teacher's college in 1962. She spent most of her career at the primary school Saksheim in Saksumdal near Fåberg

Fåberg

Fåberg is a village and former municipality in Oppland county, Norway.The parish of Faaberg was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 . On January 1, 1964 Fåberg was incorporated into the neighboring municipality Lillehammer. Prior to the merger Fåberg had 13,381 inhabitants.The district...

, where she was headmaster from 1979 to 1985.

Brenden was a member of the executive committee of Lillehammer

Lillehammer

is a town and municipality in Oppland county, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. As of May 2011, the population of the town of Lillehammer was...

 municipal council from 1975 to 1983, and of the executive committee of Oppland

Oppland

is a county in Norway, bordering Sør-Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. The county administration is in Lillehammer. Oppland is, together with Hedmark, one of the only two landlocked counties of Norway....

 county council

County council (Norway)

A County Council is the highest governing body of the county municipalities in Norway. The county council sets the scope of the county municipal activity. The council is led by a chairman or county mayor...

 from 1983 to 1987. She was elected to the Parliament of Norway from Oppland

Oppland

is a county in Norway, bordering Sør-Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. The county administration is in Lillehammer. Oppland is, together with Hedmark, one of the only two landlocked counties of Norway....

 in 1985

Norwegian parliamentary election, 1985

A general election to the Storting, the parliament of Norway, was held on 9 September 1985.-Results:...

, and was re-elected on two occasions in 1989

Norwegian parliamentary election, 1989

A general election to the Storting, the parliament of Norway, was held on 11 September 1989.-Results:1 This list was a cooperation between the Norwegian Communist Party, Workers' Communist Party, Red Electoral Alliance and independent socialists....

 and 1993

Norwegian parliamentary election, 1993

A general election to the Storting, the parliament of Norway, was held on 13 September 1993. The Labour Party won a plurality of seats, and Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland remained in office. The Centre Party was particularly successful, gaining 21 seats....

. She served as a deputy representative during the term 1981–1985. She was a member of the Standing Committee on Social Affairs from 1985 to 1993, except from 1989 to 1990 when she was a member of the Standing Committee on Justice

Standing Committee on Justice

The Standing Committee on Justice is a standing committee of the Parliament of Norway. It is responsible for policies relating to judicial system, the probation service, the police, persons performing civilian national service, other judicial issues, ex gratia payments, general legislation...

. For her last term she was a member of the Standing Committee on Defence

Standing Committee on Defence

The Standing Committee on Defence is a former standing committee of the Parliament of Norway. Following the 2009 election, the committee was merged with the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs to form the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence....

, and was also party whip and parliamentary secretary.

Brenden chaired the small sports club Rinna IL from 1980 to 1982. From 1983 she worked with getting the 1994 Winter Olympics

1994 Winter Olympics

The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Lillehammer failed to win the bid for the 1992 event. Lillehammer was awarded the games in 1988, after having beat...

 to Lillehammer, and from 1988 to 1993 she was a member of the Lillehammer Olympic Organising Committee.