Each year Syttende Mai Minnesota hosts a banquet and reception in honor of Norway’s Constitution Day. Join us for this year’s event on Friday, May 17 at Norway House in Minneapolis as we celebrate the 20th Anniversary of their founding!
Our program will feature The Honorable Hårek Elvenes, a distinguished member of the Norwegian Parliament, and Lori Ann Reinhall, Editor-in-Chief of The Norwegian American. They will discuss the role of the media in protecting freedom of speech and the press, an essential element of a vibrant democracy.
MP Elvenes was born in Sortland, Vesterålen and earned a degree in civil engineering from the Norwegian Army Engineering College. He served as an officer in the Norwegian Army in Northern Norway. MP Elvenes also earned a degree in economics from the Norwegian School of Management and later an MBA from the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration. First elected to the Bærum Municipal Council, he later became chair of his local Conservative Party (Høyre). He was first elected to the Norwegian Parliament in 2005.
Lori Ann Reinhall was born and raised in Seattle. With advanced degrees in Scandinavian and Germanic languages and literature from the University of Washington and the University of California, Los Angeles, she went onto a career as a translator and teacher of foreign languages, which led to a successful career in software localization. Lori Ann spent over 20 years in and out of Microsoft as a consulting vendor before retiring from the software industry. Her third career has been at the helm of The Norwegian newspaper, which has grown under her leadership its partnership with Norway House.
Reserve your tickets before May 9 at: https://www.norwayhouse.org/17mai