Amy Koch
| Amy Koch | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Member of the Minnesota Senate from the 19th district |
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In office January 5, 2006 – January 7, 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Mark Ourada |
| Succeeded by | Kathleen Sheran |
| 10th Minnesota Senate Majority Leader | |
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In office January 4, 2011 – December 15, 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Lawrence Pogemiller |
| Succeeded by | David Senjem |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
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.
Koch graduated Buffalo High School in 1990 and attended Concordia College in Moorhead, MN. Koch 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.
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 Majority Leader and announced that she would not seek re-election. Four Republican state senators indicated Koch had an "inappropriate" relationship with the state GOP communications chief Michael Brodkorb. 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."
She did not seek another term as senator. Because of the timing of her resignation, she became the shortest-tenured majority leader in Minnesota Senate history.
In 1993, Koch 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 received an honorable discharge from the Air Force and went back to Wright County to attend St. Cloud State 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.
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