Background
Poppe was born in Houston, Minnesota and attended Houston High School where she graduated in 1975.
Poppe was born in Houston, Minnesota and attended Houston High School where she graduated in 1975.
She graduated from the University of Wisconsin in River Falls, receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Criminal Justice in 1980. She earned her Master of Surgery in Counseling from Winona State University in Winona in 1985.
She is also an educator and counselor at Riverland Community College, with campuses in Albert Lea, Austin and Owatonna. She has been a college counselor at Riverland Community College since 1999, also serving as president of the Minnesota State College Faculty Counselors Association from 2002-2004. Prior to her work as a counselor, she was the college"s director of admissions from 1995–1999, and the women"s center director from 1993-1995.
She was a workforce career counselor for the Private Industry Council from 1989–1993, and a senior citizens" paralegal for Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services from 1984-1989.
Active in her local community through the years, Poppe served on the Austin City Council (Ward 2) from 1994 to 2002, and was secretary of the Austin Human Rights Commission from 2002 to 2004. Elections
Poppe ran unsuccessfully in 2002 against Republican
Jeff Anderson. She was first elected in 2004 defeating Anderson in a close race.
She was re-elected in 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2014. Committee Assignments
Foreign the 89th Minnesota Legislature, Poppe is a part of:
Agriculture Finance Committee (DFL Lead)
Agriculture Policy Committee
Capital Investment Committee
Environment and Natural Resources Policy and Finance Committee
Ways and Means Committee
Foreign the 88th Minnesota Legislature, Poppe was part of:
Agriculture Policy (Chair) Committee
Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Finance Committee
Higher Education Finance and Policy Committee
Ways and Means Committee
Foreign the 87th Minnesota Legislature, Poppe was part of:
Agriculture and Rural Development Policy and Finance Committee
Higher Education Policy and Finance Committee
Redistricting Committee
Foreign the 86th Minnesota Legislature, Poppe was part of:
Finance Subcommittee: Higher Education and Workforce Development Finance and Policy Division
Bioscience and Workforce Development Policy and Oversight Division Committee
Finance Subcommittee: State Government Finance Division
State and Local Government Operations Reform, Technology and Elections Committee
Foreign the 85th Minnesota Legislature, Poppe was part of:
Finance Committee
Finance Subcommittee: Agriculture, Rural Economies and Veterans Affairs Finance Division
Finance Subcommittee: Education Finance and Economic Competitiveness Finance Division: Higher Education and Work Force Development Policy and Finance Division
Finance Subcommittee: State Government Finance Division
Governmental Operations, Reform, Technology and Elections Committee
Foreign the 84th Minnesota Legislature, Poppe was part of:
Environment and Natural Resources Committee
Local Government Committee
Rules and Legislative Administration Committee
Tenure
Poppe was sworn in on January 4, 2005.
She has served in the 84th, 85th, 86th, 87th, 88th, and 89th Minnesota Legislatures.
Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, Democratic Party.
A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), she represents District 27B, which includes all or portions of Dodge, Freeborn, and Mower counties in the southeastern part of the state. She has been a trustee of the Austin Area Foundation since 2003, and a member of the Austin Area League of Women Voters since 1987.