Senator Melissa Wiklund

Melissa Halvorson Wiklund, born on October 1, 1962, is a dedicated legislator and a member of the Minnesota Senate. She is a part of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) and represents District 51, which includes the cities of Bloomington and Richfield in the southern Twin Cities metropolitan area.

Born and raised in Bloomington, Minnesota, Wiklund graduated from Kennedy High School. She later attended the University of Minnesota, where she earned a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering (B.E.E.) and a degree in interior design in 1991.

Before her election to the Senate, Wiklund served on the Bloomington School Board for three years. She was elected to the school board in 2009 and later became its chair. On the school board, Wiklund chaired the Legislative and Superintendent Evaluation Committees and participated on the Labor Management Committee.

Wiklund was first elected to the Minnesota Senate in 2012. In the 2021 legislative session, she served on the Human Services Reform Finance and Policy Committee and the Technology and Reform Policy Committee. Wiklund was also the ranking minority member on the Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Committee.

Throughout her legislative career, Wiklund has co-authored several significant bills. These include SF 472, The Alec Smith Emergency Insulin Act, which aimed to establish an insulin assistance program and SF 820, Great Start for All Minnesota Children Act, which aimed to address opportunity gaps and help the state’s youngest residents by providing additional funding for early childhood education and development, child care, prenatal care, and home visiting.

In her personal life, Wiklund is married to her husband, Craig. They have two children and reside in Bloomington.