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FARGO – Former Democratic-NPL Party Chair and state legislator Kylie Oversen will receive the Art and Grace Link Lifetime Achievement Award at the 14th Annual Burdick Dinner on September 14, 2024. Oversen currently serves as the Chair of the DNC Rural Council.
Oversen was elected to three terms as Chairwoman of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party. When elected, she was the youngest person to hold a state party chair position in the country and remains one of only two women to serve the ND Democratic-NPL in this role. Oversen was also a co-founder and chair of the Democratic-NPL Women’s Caucus, which focused on recruiting and supporting progressive female candidates for state and local office.
From 2012 to 2016, Oversen served in the North Dakota House of Representatives. During her time in the state legislature, Oversen was an especially strong advocate for North Dakota’s children, women, and families. She worked on policies related to equal pay; paid family leave; domestic violence and human trafficking protections and victim support; early childhood education opportunities; and more. Given her background in social work and her time on the Human Services committee, Oversen also became an advocate for improved access to mental and behavioral health services in the state. Given her roots in rural, Western ND, she also advocated for sufficient support to reach communities most impacted by oil boom and bust cycles.
In 2018, Oversen was the Democratic-NPL endorsed candidate for state Tax Commissioner. She is one of only five Democrats in North Dakota to break 40% of the statewide vote since 2012.
Oversen was born and raised in Killdeer, North Dakota. After high school, Oversen received two bachelor’s degrees, in Social Sciences and Social Work, from the University of North Dakota.
She also completed her juris doctor degree at the University of North Dakota School of Law. In the past, Oversen has been recognized for her leadership with the Phenomenal Woman Award, given by the UND Women’s Center & the UND Multicultural Student Center, & with the Woman of the Year Award, given by the North Dakota Women’s Network. In 2014, Oversen was also named by the Washington Post’s blog, “The Fix”, as one of 40 Under 40 politicians to watch.
Oversen is currently employed at the Schneider Law Firm, where she focuses on disability, employment, housing, and juvenile law. She is also involved in the community as a Troop Leader for Girl Scouts and serves on several boards and committees in her community. She lives in Fargo with her husband, Brian, daughter, Adelyn, and her cats, Lewis and Clark.
The keynote speaker of the 14th Annual Burdick Dinner is Rachel Bitecofer, a political scientist and election forecaster turned political strategist who authored Hit ‘Em Where It Hurts. DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said of Bitecofer’s book, “To protect democracy and elect pro-democracy candidates, we must go on offense, and this book is the guide to do just that!” Tickets are available at https://swift-cpa.net/donate/2024burdickdinner.
Last year’s keynote speaker was Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who is now running for Vice President.