Mike Benson (politician)
Encyclopedia
Michael "Mike" Benson is a Minnesota
politician and a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
who represents District 30B, which includes portions of Rochester
and the largely rural areas of Olmsted
, Winona
, and Wabasha
counties, including the towns of Chatfield
, Dover
, Eyota
, Plainview
, Stewartville
, and part of St. Charles
in the southeastern part of the state. A Republican
, he is also an assistant college professor for business administration and the Director of Human Resources
at Crossroads College
in Rochester.
Benson was first elected to the House in 2010. He currently serves on the Health and Human Services Reform, the Higher Education Policy and Finance, the State Government Finance, and the Transportation Policy and Finance committees.
Benson graduated from Eastern University
in St. Davids, Pennsylvania
, earning his B.A.
in organizational management and, later, his M.B.A.
He began his career with the U.S. Postal Service in 1973, holding various management positions until his retirement in 2004. He served as Postmaster
of Rochester from 1988 until 1995 and, subsequently, served as Postmaster of Cleveland, Ohio
, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
.
In 1998, Benson was appointed the postal service's district manager for an area of southeastern Pennsylvania consisting of 362 post offices and 3 processing plants with 6000 employees. From 1996-1998, he was a member of the National Joint Steering Committee for Quality of Work Life and Employee Involvement, a joint project between the National Rural Letter Carriers' Association
and the U.S. Postal Service, and was also a member of the 1994 National Contract Negotiations Team.
Benson came to Crossroads College in 2004. In addition to his work as an assistant professor and Director of Human Resources, he served as the Director of Adult Studies and started the college's Compass Adult Degree Completion Program. He also served as the college’s interim president from 2006 until 2008 during the process to fill the vacancy.
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...
who represents District 30B, which includes portions of Rochester
Rochester, Minnesota
Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on both banks of the Zumbro River, The city has a population of 106,769 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it Minnesota's third-largest city and the largest outside of the...
and the largely rural areas of Olmsted
Olmsted County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 124,277 people, 47,807 households, and 32,317 families residing in the county. The population density was 190 people per square mile . There were 49,422 housing units at an average density of 76 per square mile...
, Winona
Winona County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 49,985 people, 18,744 households, and 11,696 families residing in the county. The population density was 80 people per square mile . There were 19,551 housing units at an average density of 31 per square mile...
, and Wabasha
Wabasha County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 21,610 people, 8,277 households, and 5,876 families residing in the county. The population density was 41 people per square mile . There were 9,066 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile...
counties, including the towns of Chatfield
Chatfield, Minnesota
Chatfield is a city in Fillmore and Olmsted counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 2,779 at the 2010 census. The city's area is split almost equally between the two counties...
, Dover
Dover, Minnesota
Dover is a city in Olmsted County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 735 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
, Eyota
Eyota, Minnesota
Eyota is a city in Olmsted County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,977 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
, Plainview
Plainview, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,190 people, 1,157 households, and 824 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,452.5 people per square mile . There were 1,223 housing units at an average density of 556.9 per square mile...
, Stewartville
Stewartville, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,411 people, 2,013 households, and 1,417 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,579.6 people per square mile . There were 2,074 housing units at an average density of 988.7 per square mile...
, and part of St. Charles
St. Charles, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,295 people, 1,238 households, and 870 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,005.3 people per square mile . There were 1,276 housing units at an average density of 389.3 per square mile...
in the southeastern part of the state. 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:...
, he is also an assistant college professor for business administration and the Director of Human Resources
Human resources
Human resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
at Crossroads College
Crossroads College
Crossroads College is a four year, coeducational Christian college in Rochester, Minnesota, which is nationally accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education. Crossroads is nondenominational and draws students from a variety of Christian denominations...
in Rochester.
Benson was first elected to the House in 2010. He currently serves on the Health and Human Services Reform, the Higher Education Policy and Finance, the State Government Finance, and the Transportation Policy and Finance committees.
Benson graduated from Eastern University
Eastern University
Eastern University is a private university in St. Davids, Pennsylvania, United States affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA, with an interdenominational student body...
in St. Davids, Pennsylvania
St. Davids, Pennsylvania
St. Davids is an unincorporated community in Radnor Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is served by its own train station. St. Davids is home to the main campus of Eastern University, a four-year, liberal arts university affiliated with the American Baptist Churches...
, earning 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...
in organizational management and, later, his 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...
He began his career with the U.S. Postal Service in 1973, holding various management positions until his retirement in 2004. He served as Postmaster
Postmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office. Postmistress is not used anymore in the United States, as the "master" component of the word refers to a person of authority and has no gender quality...
of Rochester from 1988 until 1995 and, subsequently, served as Postmaster of Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, and 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...
.
In 1998, Benson was appointed the postal service's district manager for an area of southeastern Pennsylvania consisting of 362 post offices and 3 processing plants with 6000 employees. From 1996-1998, he was a member of the National Joint Steering Committee for Quality of Work Life and Employee Involvement, a joint project between the National Rural Letter Carriers' Association
National Rural Letter Carriers' Association
The National Rural Letter Carriers' Association is an American labor union that represents Rural Letter Carriers employed by the United States Postal Service...
and the U.S. Postal Service, and was also a member of the 1994 National Contract Negotiations Team.
Benson came to Crossroads College in 2004. In addition to his work as an assistant professor and Director of Human Resources, he served as the Director of Adult Studies and started the college's Compass Adult Degree Completion Program. He also served as the college’s interim president from 2006 until 2008 during the process to fill the vacancy.