Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir

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Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir (Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir) (born 4 October 1965) is the vice-chairman of the Independence Party in Iceland. She has been the Minister of Education, Science and Culture since 31 December 2003 and a member of the Icelandic Parliament since 1999.

Her father is Gunnar H. Eyjólfsson, one of Iceland's most acclaimed and gifted actors. Her husband is Kristján Arason, business administrator and manager at the Icelandic KB Bank, previously one of Iceland's most famous handball players, (23 July 1961). Þorgerður Katrín and Kristján have three children, Gunnar Ari (1995), Gísli Þorgeir (1999) and Katrín Erla (2003).

Þorgerður was an officer in Orator, the Law Students' Society at the University of Iceland, an officer in Stefnir, the local youth Independence Party society in Hafnarfjörður, and also in the Vice-President of the Executive Committee for the Board of Representatives of the Independence Party in Hafnarfjörður. Þorgerður is educated as a lawyer from the University of Iceland and graduated in 1993. That year she begin career as a lawyer in the firm Attorneys at Höfðabakki. From 1997 to 1999 she was director of the Social and Current Affairs Department at the National Broadcasting Service.

She is a member of parliament, from 1999 to 2003 for the constituency of Reykjanes and from 2003 for the Southwest constituency. She has served on various committies in the parliament; on the General Committee 1999-2003 as chairman, Education Committee 1999-2003, Transport and Communications Committee 1999-2003, Special Committee on Constitutional Affairs 2000-2003, Industry Committee 2003, Credentials Committee 2003, and the Icelandic delegation to the Committee of Members of Parliament of the EFTA countries 1999-2003 (chairman 2003).