| Mike Benson | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from the 30B district |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 4, 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | Andy Welti |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 9, 1955 |
| Political party | Republican Party of Minnesota |
| Spouse(s) | Susan |
| Children | 4 |
| Residence | Rochester, Minnesota |
| Alma mater | Eastern University |
| Profession | assistant college professor, director of human resources, legislator |
Michael "Mike" Benson (born November 9, 1955) 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.[1]
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.[2][3]
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.[4][5]
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.[6][7]
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.[8]