Tara Kay Mack (née Tara Klongerbo; born June 26, 1983) is a

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

politician and former member of the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. There are 134 members, twice as many as the Minnesota Senate. Floor sessions are held in the north wing of the State Capitol in Saint Pa ...

. A member of the

Republican Party of Minnesota The Republican Party of Minnesota is the oldest active political party in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The Minnesota Republican Party’s platform is relatively moderate. The party’s main issues are economic growth, education, healthcare, civi ...

, she represented District 57A, which included portions of the cities of Apple Valley and Lakeville in

Dakota County Dakota County may refer to: *Dakota County, Minnesota in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area of east-central Minnesota *Dakota County, Nebraska Dakota County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of th2020 United States Census the populati ...

, which is in the southeastern part of the

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in statu ...

metropolitan area.

Early life, education, and career

Mack graduated from

Apple Valley High School Apple Valley High School is the name of two high schools in the United States: *Apple Valley High School (California) *Apple Valley High School (Minnesota) Apple Valley High School (AVHS) is a public four-year high school in the U.S. city of Ap ...

in Apple Valley in 2002, then went on to the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, earning a bachelor's degree in Political Science/Global Studies. During college, she served as an intern for then-Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives Steve Sviggum, and was also a page for the House Ways and Means Committee.

Minnesota House of Representatives

Mack was first elected in 2008, defeating first-term Democrat Shelly Madore. She was re-elected in 2010, 2012, and 2014. During her first two terms, the Apple Valley-based seat was numbered Minnesota House District 37A. After redistricting in 2012, the seat was known as Minnesota House District 57A. From 2015 to 2016, Mack served as chair of the House Health & Human Services Reform Committee. As chair, she opposed the MNsure health insurance website. Mack was a supporter of maintaining the Minnesota Sex Offender Program and opposed unconditional release of violent predatory offenders. She worked for the Minnesota House as a

legislative assistant A legislative assistant (LA) or legislative analyst is a person who works for a legislator as a legislative staffer, a government agency as a legislative affairs professional, or in the government relations and regulatory affairs industry by monitor ...

to Rep.

Matt Dean Matthew T. "Matt" Dean (born April 15, 1966) is an American politician. He served as the Majority Leader of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2011 to 2013. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, he represented District 38B, whi ...

and Rep. Joe Hoppe prior to her election. On August 25, 2015, a park ranger cited Mack for "public nuisance" for allegedly "making out" with fellow Minnesota State Representative

Tim Kelly Tim or Timothy Kelly may refer to: * Tim Kelly (Alaska politician) (1944–2009), Alaska state legislator * Tim Kelly (Minnesota politician) (born 1964), Minnesota politician and a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives * Tim Kelly (Mich ...

Lebanon Hills Regional Park Lebanon Hills Regional Park is a park in Eagan and Apple Valley, Minnesota. The park, the largest in Dakota County, contains forests, grasslands, marshes, and wetlands. Winter activities include skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating, ice fishing, h ...

. Mack and Kelly initially claimed the report was "completely false," and Mack continues to dispute certain "details of the park ranger's report." On September 14, 2015, Mack apologized to law enforcement for her handling of the situation and resigned from the House Ethics Committee. In February 2016, Mack announced her retirement from the Minnesota House of Representatives.

Personal life

Mack is a member of the Burnsville

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

Board, a former member of the Apple Valley Rotary, and both the Apple Valley and Burnsville

chambers of commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to a ...

. She was named a 2014

Aspen Institute The Aspen Institute is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1949 as the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. The institute's stated aim is the realization of "a free, just, and equitable society" through seminars, policy programs ...

Rodel Fellow. Her husband, Justin Mack, is a pastor and they have two children.Mack, Tara. Speech at the

Conservative Political Action Conference The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC; ) is an annual political conference attended by conservative activists and elected officials from across the United States and beyond. CPAC is hosted by the American Conservative Union (ACU). ...

, Washington, DC, March 7, 2014.

References

External links

Project Votesmart - Rep. Tara Mack Profile

Session Weekly 1/30/2009: "A global view in St. Paul: Mack was page, intern, now member"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mack, Tara 1983 births Living people University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts alumni People from Apple Valley, Minnesota Republican Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Women state legislators in Minnesota People from Burnsville, Minnesota 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Apple Valley High School (Minnesota) alumni