Born and raised Minnesotan
Senator David Senjem (pronounced SEN-jum) was born in Austin, Minnesota, a short drive from his hometown of Hayfield. He graduated from Hayfield Community School in 1960 and went on to attend Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in biology.
In 1964, Dave started working at the hometown Mayo Clinic as an environmental affairs officer. He would work at Mayo for the next 44 years before retiring in 2008. While at Mayo, Dave was an institutional biosafety officer and was responsible for all aspects of environmental regulatory compliance.
Dave and his wife still live in Rochester. They have two grown children.