Matt's Family

Matt, his wife, Lois Quam, and twin sons Will and Steve, live in St. Paul.

Will and Steve are seniors at St. Paul Central High School. Oldest son, Ben, attends Colorado College.

Family and Minnesota are at the heart of Lois Quam's life.  

Like many Minnesotans, Lois was raised in a traditional Norwegian household celebrating Christmas with lutefisk, looking forward to snow and putting great faith in working hard and helping others. Growing up in southwestern Minnesota, she was active in St. Stephen's Lutheran Church in Marshall where her father, John, was pastor. Lois cherishes this upbringing and herself has learned Norwegian and carried on family traditions - even lutefisk!

Lois and Matt met in February 1977 at a Pipestone speech tournament. Throughout their high school years, Matt and Lois saw each other at high school events where they represented Worthington and Marshall, respectively. On her 19th birthday, Lois and Matt went on their first date, and the rest was history. In 2009, they celebrated 25 years of marriage.

By age 30, Lois was a busy mother with two-year old son, Ben, and infant twins, Will and Steve. At one point, having been given a diaper delivery service as a gift, Lois and Matt were told they had the largest diaper order in the Twin Cities - nearly 300 diapers a week!

The daily rhythms of the morning routine, homework, and bedtime stories became the rhythm of Lois's life. Lois especially enjoys sharing her childhood roots with her sons. Together, she and the boys have taken countless trips, from Winona to Ortonville, visiting historical sites and hiking in state parks.

Ben, Will and Steve have all attended St. Paul Public Schools. With other parents, Lois has helped organize clubs to support school music, speech and debate programs in the face of education cuts.

Hard Work and Minnesota Values

Since her first paper route in junior high through waitressing in high school to working in business, Lois has never shied away from challenges.

Lois always loved school, especially history classes, and received academic and citizenship awards from the AFL-CIO, veterans' and other organizations while she lived in Marshall.

After a year at Macalester College, she moved to Sioux Falls and took a job with the South Dakota Democratic Party, where she worked with revered public servants including George McGovern and Tom Daschle and formed lifelong friendships.

The Lutheran Church has always been an important part of Lois's life. In her early years, she worked on building church youth programs in rural Minnesota. That led to an opportunity, in 1981, for her to be part of a team that traveled to the Soviet Union to open discussions between Christians in the USSR and the West.

In 1983, Lois was honored with a Rhodes Scholarship and the opportunity to study overseas. Her grandfather, Nels Quam, who emigrated from Norway, was deeply touched that his granddaughter would have this opportunity.

Having struggled with asthma as a child, Lois knew very personally how important it is to get to the right doctor when you are sick. In high school, she had made a decision that she would work to expand health care coverage to all Americans. In England, she took the opportunity to study health care around the world.

Returning to Minnesota, Lois and Matt had $400 between them. Lois hoped to get a job working for the state Medicaid program, but no jobs were available. So, while Matt went to law school, she took a job as a researcher for a health care company - a job that kickstarted her distinguished career.

In health care, Lois took on numerous challenges. Governor Rudy Perpich appointed her to chair the Minnesota Health Care Access Commission, leading to the creation of MinnesotaCare. Following this, she worked for then-First Lady Hillary Clinton as part of the Task Force on National Health Care Reform. Then, as a leader at Ovations, part of UnitedHealth Group, Lois created award-winning programs for older Americans and low-income families on behalf of the federal government, numerous state governments and AARP.

Growing up a minster's daughter, Lois saw up close the tragedy of unemployment, so another of her life goals was to create opportunity for people. At Ovations, she created thousands of jobs in Minnesota and around the country. In doing so, she was recognized by Fortune Magazine as one of the 50 top women in business.

A conversation with Arctic explorer Will Steger convinced Lois to expand her focus to building jobs in the new green economy. She left Ovations in 2007 to help small businesses focused on clean energy at Minneapolis-based Piper Jaffray and then started her own company, Tysvar, in 2009. The name Tysvar honors her grandfather and the region of Norway where her family is from. The company quickly became a leader working with Norwegian companies and investors. Tysvar will bring important investments and jobs to Minnesota over the next decade by providing a base for companies to expand in the United States.

In November 2009, Lois announced that she would turn over the reins and surrender her financial interest in the company to her business partners so she could campaign alongside Matt full time.

Deeply grateful to their high schools and colleges, Lois and Matt together have developed college scholarship programs for students from Southwest Minnesota.

Lois serves as on the board of directors for the nation's oldest and largest conservation organization, the National Wildlife Federation. She is also a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, under the leadership of John Podesta, formerly President Bill Clinton's chief of staff and the leader of President Obama's transition team. She also serves on the Board of the University of Minnesota Foundation.

"I am so lucky to have grown up in Marshall, a town that puts faith in its young people. Throughout my life, I have sought to repay the many people who helped me. I have dedicated myself to my family and to taking on challenges in areas that are important, like getting health care coverage for everyone in Minnesota. If I become First Lady of Minnesota, I will work hard to help young people all over the state reach their full potential."