Maureen Reed for Congress

"I'm running for Congress because I know two things are true. First, Americans can solve tough problems. Second, a bright future is not accidental. We create a bright future when we put rhetoric aside, focus on the real problems, and work hard together. This is exactly what I've done all my life."

-Maureen Reed

The daughter of a World War II veteran, Maureen is a 4th generation Minnesotan who grew up in Redwood Falls. Maureen has lived in the city of Grant, just west of Stillwater, for the past 28 years with her husband, Jim.

Maureen’s father came from a farming family that lost their farm in the Great Depression. He had started out in teaching, but two days after Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the Navy and went to war as a signalman, serving in the North Atlantic, the South Pacific, the Aleutian Islands and the Mediterranean. After the war, he came home to work at the local Ford dealership. 

Maureen’s mother, Rose, is now 99 years-old and still lives in Redwood Falls. When Maureen was growing up, they didn’t have much, but their family was very close. Maureen’s sister, Rose Mary, became a nurse, while Maureen became a doctor. Maureen had first wanted to become a veterinarian, but when she told her plan to a dean at a veterinary school, he told her, “that’s very nice, but we don’t take girls.” 

Undeterred, Maureen set her sights on human medicine at the University of Minnesota where she was allowed to study. Focusing on geriatrics and internal medicine was difficult work, but she knew it was worth it to have the opportunity to give back to the community. Maureen went on to graduate and was fortunate enough to do part of her medical training at the VA hospital in Minneapolis, serving Veterans with service related injuries from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

Since graduating from the University of Minnesota Medical School Maureen has practiced medicine in the Twin Cities for over two decades.

Maureen worked at the Aspen Medical Group for eleven years, serving as President for the last two. Maureen then served as vice-president and medical director of HealthPartners. During her time at HealthPartners, Maureen also practiced medicine at the Fremont Community Clinic in North Minneapolis for twelve years, serving under- and un-insured patients.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Maureen traveled with her husband to East Africa to study and review rural public health projects. On one trip to Uganda, Maureen worked with local dairy farmers, developing a plan that allowed them to pool their resources, providing them with unprecedented access to health care. The invaluable global perspective these trips provided have guided Maureen both personally and professionally, influencing all aspects of how she lives her life.

Beyond her experience in health care, Maureen was elected by the state legislature to the University of Minnesota's Board of Regents in 1997 and 2003, serving as Chair for two years. During her tenure, she led the search for the current President of the University, presided over an increase in the average academic achievement of admitted students, and oversaw the development of the University's strategic plan to become one of the top three public research universities in the world.

Maureen has also served in many civic roles, including vice president of the University of Minnesota Alumni Association and co-chair of the Nobel Peace Prize Forum. The Nobel Peace Prize Forum coordinates with a number of Minnesota colleges to bring Nobel Laureates to their campuses for lectures.

Maureen also consulted for ClearWay Minnesota in developing their operational objectives in order to achieve their goals of reducing smoking-related deaths and improving health through research, action, and collaboration.

Maureen is currently a member of the Washington County Medical Reserve Corps and was deployed in the aftermaths of Hurricane Katrina and the Interstate 35-W bridge collapse. Because of her deep concerns about health care costs, coverage, and quality, she ran for lieutenant governor in 2006 with Peter Hutchinson and subsequently participated in the Governor's Health Care Transformation Task Force.

In addition, Maureen is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota's Department of Medicine, and has taught heath care policy in the School of Public Health. She also serves on the Preventive Medicine Residency Advisory Committee at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine.

Recently, Maureen served as the Executive Director of the Parks and Trails Council of Minnesota, whose mission is to protect more than 10,000 acres of parkland and trails throughout the state. Maureen brought many diverse groups together to ensure that Minnesotans can enjoy the pristine wilderness that makes this state great.

Throughout her career, Maureen has balanced budgets from $600,000 to $2 billion, as well as created jobs in the private sector. With her depth and breadth of business and civic activities, Maureen has the real-world experience to generate the results Minnesotans need in Washington.

Maureen is running for Congress in the 6th District because the challenges of economic growth and health care reform require the immediate attention of someone who is passionate, experienced, collaborative, and ready to work hard to find new solutions. She listens, thinks, and speaks-in that order. Maureen is running as a DFL candidate and knows we must work together, regardless of party affiliation, to send a proven leader to Congress.