Get to Know Mark Legvold: Veteran, Farmer, Educator

I’m Mark Legvold and I’m running for MN Senate in District 58.  My story centers around the core values I grew up with on the farm and continued in my career in the military and in public education:  Work hard, serve others, act with integrity, value learning, and treat others with care and respect. 

I’ve served others my entire professional life.  Throughout my 33 year career in the military, I had jobs that served others - a firefighter, a cop, a first sergeant, and the senior enlisted leader for my organization. I learned how to achieve a mission while taking care of those who do difficult things for our country and state during incredibly challenging times.

I served children and families as an educator and administrator in St. Paul Public Schools for 10 years, teaching others to value learning and treat people with decency and kindness.  After I retired from the military, I started a small business to continue my passion for education, teaching adults leadership and the skills to build a better workplace. 

A smiling man in a United States Air Force uniform with numerous medals, standing in front of an American flag.

I became a single parent during my kid’s adolescent years, balancing work on the farm, a full-time career in the military and all their activities; eventually blending my family with my wife, Lisa and her three sons.  Now they’re all adults and they’ve brought wonderful new additions to our family. We're so proud of the love they have for one another and our five grandkids.

I continue farming today, where we work hard to leave our land, water, and air better each year through thoughtful agricultural work and I still love to teach!  I teach farmers about our family’s model of raising crops and I continue running my business, training workplace leaders how to increase productivity and profits.

Family group photo outdoors on a sunny day with trees in the background, smiling and posing for the camera.

Farmers deserve a voice in the senate from a real dirt road dweller.  Someone who has faced the same challenges they have to try and keep their family farm whole and who believes those who feed the world should be heard.  We deserve stability in our economy and common sense in our agricultural policies. 

Our kids and teachers deserve a voice in the senate from an educator who has faced the challenges of the classroom and school – someone who believes that our Minnesota kids deserve the best education, regardless of where their classroom is.

Our small business owners deserve a voice in the senate from someone who understands the need for a strong and stable economy paired with a growth mindset.

Families deserve a voice in the senate of someone who’s had to balance all the demands of raising kids and working full-time.  Someone who believes we deserve to have money at the end of the month, instead of month at the end of our money!

Veterans and our military families deserve a voice in the senate from someone who has laced up their boots each day and done the hard work to make the country and the state of Minnesota safe, secure, and free.

We all deserve a voice in the senate from someone who really believes that the best of us is found in good relationships, a common sense approach to policy issues, and someone who knows what public service is about because they’ve served their entire life.

Real Service, Shared Values

A man wearing sunglasses, a cap, and gloves standing next to a piece of farm equipment with a yellow John Deere logo.
A man standing and speaking in front of a group during a presentation or lecture in a classroom or conference room, with a large screen displaying a slide nearby.
A man in military uniform with sunglasses and a beret, holding a clipboard and pen, standing outdoors near a sidewalk.
A man in military camouflage uniform standing with arms crossed in front of a U.S. Air Force vehicle.
Family of four wearing matching 'Manilow' t-shirts, posing together outdoors at night, smiling at the camera.
A man in a blue shirt and black cap standing in front of a green cropfield with two signs that promote water conservation and environmental awareness.

Mark Legvold has been a member of the Air National Guard.  Use of his military rank, job titles, and photographs in uniform does not imply endorsement by the Department of the Air Force or the Department of Defense.