In light of so many changes in state and national leadership positions following November's election, Senior News will profile some of these new leaders as space allows.

In Minnesota's first congressional district, one of the fiercest campaigns of 2006 resulted in Tim Walz' victory over incumbent Gil Gutknecht. Walz will take over as the new congressman before the end of January.

Tim Walz comes to Congress as a school teacher, coach, international fellow and retired command sergeant major in the Army National Guard.  Walz spent 24 years in the Guard and served overseas with his battalion in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. At the time of his retirement in 2005, he was the highest ranking enlisted member of the Army National Guard in southern Minnesota. 

Born and raised in Nebraska, Walz joined the Army National Guard at 17 and worked as a teacher at the Native America Reservation in Pine Ridge, S.D. This experience convinced him to follow in his father's footsteps and become a teacher. 

After earning a bachelor's degree in social science education from Chadron State College in Nebraska in 1989, Harvard University offered Walz an opportunity to teach in the People's Republic of China. Walz was a member of the first government-sanctioned group of American educators to teach in Chinese high schools and his experience led him to develop a small business called Educational Travel Adventures in the United States. The group organizes annual educational trips to China for high school students and includes a scholarship program that allows students to travel and study in China regardless of their financial situation. 

Walz offers expertise on American/Chinese relations as he has also served as a visiting Fellow of International Relations at the Macau Polytechnic University, a position that helped develop his knowledge of China's unique international status.

Walz has a rich educational background with honors including the 2002 Minnesota Ethics in Education award, 2003 Mankato Teacher of the Year, and the 2003 Minnesota Teacher of Excellence. Walz completed his master's degree in educational leadership in 2001 and is currently working on his doctorate at St. Mary's University in Winona.

During the early 1990s, Walz spent time in Nebraska, where he met his wife Gwen Whipple. They married in 1994 and have a 5-year-old daughter, Hope, and a newborn son, Gus, who arrived on Oct. 13 during the heat of the campaign.

While Walz campaigned hard on the war in Iraq and the DM&E railroad expansion through Rochester (with which he seemed to see room for compromise between the factions), he will have big shoes to fill in terms of Gutknecht's record on championing importation of low-cost prescription drugs for seniors.

Walz's stand on health care includes government negotiation with drug companies so all people can benefit from low-cost prescription drugs, a position that is a better answer than long waits for importation of drugs from Canada and other foreign countries.

The Minnesota Senior Federation looks forward to working with Walz in the years ahead as we all seek answers on issues of vital importance to seniors in Minnesota's First Congressional District and MnSF members across the state.