Volunteers for Ziebarth House 30A announced the filing today of Republican candidate Kathy Ziebarth, Big Lake, for the Minnesota House of Representatives.  A special election for House District 30A has been called by Gov. Tim Walz Feb. 4 with a primary election, if needed, Jan. 12. 

Kathy is running to fill the seat held by four-term Republican Representative Nick Zerwas, who is stepping down this week due to health concerns.

Ziebarth arrived to Minnesota from Yokota Air Base, Japan, in 1996, where she had served as an active duty U.S. Air Force officer, flight nurse, and Instructor Flight Nurse. Her service as an Air Force Flight Nurse has taken her to dozens of countries, including deployment to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War.

While attending the Minneapolis VA School of Anesthesia and graduate school at the University of Minnesota, she met her future husband, John, a native of Faribault. During her years in Anesthesia school, she continued to serve with the USAF Reserves in Minneapolis as a Captain, Flight Nurse, and Instructor Flight Nurse, with the 47th  Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, and the 934th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron.

Kathy’s interest in the work of the Minnesota Legislature began while at graduate student at the University of Minnesota, when she was assigned to follow a legislator and a health care bill through the session. She has testified in committee in support of Advanced Practice nursing legislation.  She has continued to take an active interest in Minnesota government, and has served as a voting delegate representing District 30A at the Republican State Convention in Duluth in 2018.

Kathy has served on the Government Relations Committee of the Minnesota Association of Nurse Anesthetists since 2009, and was Chair for several years. She has served on the Monticello School District Curriculum Advisory Committee for 8 years, and was a 4 year volunteer at Pinewood Elementary School in Monticello in the Great Books Gifted/ Talented reading program. She has also taught Regional Anesthesia and Pain Management at 2 Twin Cities graduate nurse anesthesia programs, served as a clinical coordinator, and received an Outstanding Faculty award from St. Mary’s University.

She is a native of Ohio, and grew up in in Canal Fulton—right next door to Amish communities and the world famous Smuckers factory. She attended Kent State University for her undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, and worked in Pediatric Intensive Care and Bone Marrow Transplant for several years before being commissioned on active duty in the U.S Air Force Nurse Corps. She and her husband are both Advanced Practice Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, and Kathy has practiced at numerous rural and community hospitals in Minnesota and Wisconsin, including Monticello, Princeton, Aitkin, Glencoe, and Breckenridge. Kathy served for many years as a Board member on the Area Health Education Center based in Hibbing.

She and her husband are small business owners, and are parents both by birth and adoption. They have made their home in Big Lake since 1997, and have two teenage daughters. Their oldest daughter attends the University of Minnesota, and was a High School Page for the Minnesota House of Representatives High School Page Program. Their younger daughter was born in China, and attends Monticello High School. 

Campaign website: www.ziebarthforhouse.com