From a standout wrestler in the small town of Kiester (MN) to the national stage as Minnesotaʼs Representative of the First Congressional District of the U.S. House of Representatives, Tim Penny has certainly characterized the classic example of an "Outstanding American." This former Student Senate President of Winona State University was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982. Tim served six terms through 1995. He was elected the last five terms with over 70% of the vote. As a U.S. House of Representative, Penny chaired the influential Democratic Budget Group; Held seats on the Education and Labor Committee-subcommittee on Higher Education; Served on the Agriculture Committee, chairing the subcommittee on Foreign Agriculture & Hunger: And served on the Veteranʼs Committee, chairing the subcommittee on Education & Training. Penny ran for Governor in 2002 as an Independent, finishing third to Tim Pawlenty (R) -44%, Roger Moe (DFL) -36%, Penny (IPM) -16% and Ken Pental (Grn) -2%. Impressively, Penny is the most recent Independent Party gubernatorial candidate to exceed 15% of the vote. This popular congressman was previously a member of the Minnesota State Senate from 1976 to 1982. Most recently he was Senior Consultant at Himle Horner, a Twin Cities-based public affairs fi rm, and a Senior Fellow at the Humphrey Institute. As an Adjunct Faculty member whose course work included graduate and undergraduate instruction in state and federal budgeting, leadership in the public and non-profit arena, congress and the presidency, campaigns and elections, and foreign policy. Tim is also Co-Chair of the Economics Club of Minnesota, Co-Chair of the committee for a Responsible Federal Budget and serves on the Board of Parent Aware for School Readiness. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees and on the Audit Committee for Wells Fargo Funds (San Francisco, CA), 1996 to present, and on the Board of Trustees for NorthStar Education Finance (St. Paul, MN), 2007 to present. Penny has co-authored three books: Common Cents (Little Brown & Company-1995); The 15 Biggest Lies in Politics (St. Martinʼs Press-1998) and Payment Due (Westwood Press-1996). Born and raised on a family farm in Southeastern Minnesota, Penny received a B.A. Degree (cum laude) in Political Science from Winona State University. He then served as a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve. With all Timʼs personal achievements and success, Penny has always maintained the premise that, "the sport of wrestling prepared me well for politics and professional life." Additionally, Penny would claim that in the sport of wrestling, "Youʼre an individual with a team approach." Pennyʼs public service and public policy work has included: The Concord Coalition, Washington D.C (1995 to present); Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (1995 to present); Minnesota Statewide Comprehensive Freight and Passenger Rail Policy Advisory Committee (2009); Minnesota Department of Transportation Freight Advisory Commission (1997 to 2002); Governor Jesse Ventura Advisory Panel (1998-2002); and the Presidentʼs Commission to Strengthen Social Security (2001). Other activities include: Economic Club of Minnesota (2007 to present); MnCan (2010 to present; PASR (Parent Aware for School Readiness (2011 to present); St. Maryʼs University of Minnesota, Hendrickson Institute for Ethical Leadership Advisory Board (2014 to present); Agricultural Cooperative Development International/Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance (ACDI-VOCA), (1995-2014); Common Sense Coaltion (2012-2014); The Good Samaritan Society (2005-2007); Center for the American Experiment (CAE), (1995-2000) ; Center for International Food and Agriculture Policy (1995-2000); Minnesota Compact (1995-2002); Minnesota YMCA-Youth in Government (YIG), (1995-2003); Minnesota State University, Mankato-Strategic Outreach Advisory Board (2007-2014); Winona State University Presidential Advisory Board (200 2000 to present); University of Minnesota Rochester Presidential Advisory Committee (2012 to present); and Owatonna Leadership Program Year Leader (2010-2014). Penny has also been a musician for many years. He is a singer and guitarist in a band called "Led Penny." Penny is currently the President and CEO of the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation. Penny resides in Owatonna, Minnesota with wife Sandy. He has four children, Jamison, Joseph, Molly, Marcus, and a step-daughter, Erin Lau and seven grandchildren.