Amy Koch

Amy Koch
File:Amy Koch.jpeg
Member of the Minnesota Senate from the 19th district
In office January 5, 2006 – January 7, 2013
Preceded by	Mark Ourada
Succeeded by	Kathleen Sheran
10th Minnesota Senate Majority Leader
In office January 4, 2011 – December 15, 2011
Preceded by	Lawrence Pogemiller
Succeeded by	David Senjem
Personal details
Born	(1971-10-08) October 8, 1971 Buffalo, Minnesota
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Christopher
Children	1
Residence	Buffalo, Minnesota
Alma mater	Concordia College Defense Language Institute St. Cloud State University
Occupation	business owner, legislator, veteran
Religion	Roman Catholic
Awards	Joint Service Achievement Medal
Military service
Service/branch	United States Air Force
Years of service	1992-1996
Rank	Senior Airman
Unit	National Security Agency

Amy T. Koch (born October 8, 1971) was a member of the Minnesota Senate and its former Majority Leader. Koch represented District 19, which includes portions of Hennepin and Wright counties in the northwestern Twin Cities metropolitan area. She is also a regular commentator for Minnesota local media.

Education

Koch graduated Buffalo High School in 1990 and attended Concordia College in Moorhead, MN. Amy attended North Hennepin Community College for a year before deciding to join the Air Force. She studied Russian at the Defense Language Institute in California.

Life and Career

A Republican, Koch was first elected to the Senate in a special election held on November 22, 2005, after Senator Mark Ourada announced his resignation effective December 31, 2005. She was re-elected in the 2006 and 2010 general elections. She previously served as an assistant minority leader,[4] and was the first woman to serve as Majority Leader, and the first Republican to do so since the end of the non-partisan era.

In 2011, Minnesota faced a $6.2 billion deficit. Majority Leader Koch helped integrate twenty new members of her caucus, while negotiating a challenging budget deficit that was turned into a surplus.

On December 15, 2011, Koch resigned from the Senate leadership, and announced that she would not seek re-election. Later in the day local news media reported that four Republican state senators indicated Koch had an "inappropriate" relationship with a male staffer. On December 21, Koch apologized for "engaging in a relationship with a Senate staffer," admitted to making "mistakes and errors in judgment," and stated, "It is important that I spend time now focusing on the challenging days ahead as I work through some very personal issues."

Because of the timing of her resignation, she became the shortest-tenured majority leader in Minnesota Senate history.

Military service

In 1993, Amy was stationed in Fort Mead, Maryland to serve in the National Security Agency (NSA). While serving in the NSA she was awarded the Joint Service Commendation Medal for the contributions to the intelligence community. Her daughter Rachel was born during her time serving in the NSA.

In 1996, she got an honorary discharge from the Air Force and went back to Wright County to attend St. Cloud University. She rejoined the family business and paid her way through college, graduating in 1999. She loved school and earned her MBA from Capella in 2009.

Business owner

Koch is a part owner of HBK Properties LLC in Buffalo.

External links

• Amy Koch at Minnesota Legislators Past & Present
• Amy Koch The Blog
• Senator Koch Web Page
• Minnesota Public Radio Votetracker: Senator Amy Koch
• Project Vote Smart – Senator Amy Koch Profile
• Amy Koch Campaign Web Site

Minnesota Senate
Preceded by Lawrence Pogemiller	Minnesota Senate Majority Leader 2011	Succeeded by David Senjem
Preceded by Mark Ourada	Member of the Minnesota Senate for the 19th District 2006 – 2013	Succeeded by Kathleen Sheran