Kirsten Johnson, an Ojibwe woman and the eldest sister of three, was raised in Bloomington. After a semester in Germany, she served 10 years as an Army Medic while she earned a bachelor's from Metro State and her master's in public health. She has since worked for the Minnesota National Guard in substance abuse, suicide, family emergency, and domestic violence prevention. She's also a published author, a realtor focused on Native landback efforts, and runs an LLC serving small businesses. In her free time, she is an animal foster, avid reader, enthusiastic motorcyclist, and the proud mom of two teenagers.