Eli Blakstad (born 10 August 1962) is a Norwegian politician for the Centre Party. She finished her secondary education in 1981, and graduated from Jønsberg Agricultural School in 1982 and

Telemark University College Telemark University College (TUC, no, Høgskolen i Telemark, HiT) was, until its merger, the fourth largest university college in Norway. The University College had about 7000 students, split between four different locations in Bø, Notodden, Por ...

in 1985. She was hired as an accountant in Sør-Fron in 1985, and since 1990 she has also been a farmer. From 2001 to 2011 she was the chief executive officer of Peer Gynt AS. She was a board member of Norges Bygdeungdomslag from 1983 to 1984, and the first female leader of the organization from 1986 to 1988. During her leadership she was also a board member of the

Norwegian Agrarian Association The Norwegian Agrarian Association ( no, Norges Bondelag) is the largest Norwegian interest organization for farmers. It functions both as a labour union and as a trade union. It negotiates with the Norwegian Farmers and Smallholders Union and ...

. She was a board member of the

Royal Norwegian Society for Development The Royal Norwegian Society for Development ( no, Det Kongelige Selskap for Norges Vel, also known as ''Norges Vel'' 'Norwegian Development', originally called ''Selskabet for Norges Vel'' 'Norwegian Society for Development') is a general developm ...

from 2002 to 2006, of Lillehammer University College from 2002 to 2011 (deputy during parts of this period), Mjøsenergi Invest from 2006 to 2007,

Innovation Norway Innovation Norway is a state-owned company and a national development bank. The company's programs and services are intended to stimulate entrepreneurship in Norway. Its head office is in Oslo, and an office in each of the Norwegian counties. It al ...

from 2007 to 2010, Eidsiva Marked from 2008 to 2011 and

Nortura Nortura is a Norwegian agricultural cooperative that operates slaughterhouses and other processing plants related to meat and eggs. The company was created as a merger between Gilde Norsk Kjøtt and Prior Norge in 2006, and has head offices i ...

in 2009. She has also been involved in tourism, among others as a member of the strategic council for tourism development in the

Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise The Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise ( no, Næringslivets Hovedorganisasjon, NHO) is an employers' organisation in Norway with more than 30,000 members. It was founded in 1989 as a merger of the Federation of Norwegian Industries, the Norwegi ...

from 2008 to 2010. She was a member of

Oppland Oppland is a former county in Norway which existed from 1781 until its dissolution on 1 January 2020. The old Oppland county bordered the counties of Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. The co ...

county council A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries. Ireland The county councils created under British rule in 1899 continue to exist in Irela ...

from 1995 to 2007, and chaired Oppland Centre Party from 2001 to 2006. In 1997 and 2005 she was a member of the party platform committee. In 2011 she was appointed State Secretary in the

Ministry of Petroleum and Energy The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy ( no, Olje- og energidepartementet) is a Norwegian ministry responsible for energy, including petroleum and natural gas production in the North Sea. It is led by Minister of Petroleum and Energy ...

as a part of

Stoltenberg's Second Cabinet Stoltenberg's Second Cabinet was the Government of Norway from 17 October 2005 to 16 October 2013. It was a coalition between the Labour Party, the Socialist Left Party and the Centre Party, known as the Red–Green Coalition. On 9 September ...

. She was replaced in 2012. Soon after she was elected new deputy leader of No to the EU. In early 2013 she was redrafted into Stoltenberg's Second Cabinet as State Secretary in the

Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development ( no, Kommunal- og regionaldepartementet) is a Norwegian ministry established in 1948. It is responsible for the housing and building, regional and rural policy, municipal and ...

. The cabinet fell in October 2013.

References

1962 births Living people Telemark University College alumni Norwegian farmers Oppland politicians Centre Party (Norway) politicians Norwegian state secretaries Norwegian women state secretaries Academic staff of Lillehammer University College 20th-century farmers {{Norway-politician-1960s-stub