Meet Rick

About Representative Rick Hansen

Rick Hansen was born in Albert Lea, Minnesota on March 1, 1963. He is married to Suzanne Savanick Hansen and they have one son, Evan, born May 2, 2004.  They live in South St. Paul. Rick was raised on the family farm in rural Freeborn County, Minnesota. 

Rick graduated from Freeborn High School in 1981. He attended Upper Iowa University and graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology in 1985. Hansen received a Master of Science degree in Soil Management from Iowa State University in December of 1987.

Rick began work at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) in January of 1988. He worked on a pesticide use survey and helped develop a pilot project for empty pesticide container recycling. In 1991, Rick became a Supervisor in the MDA’s pesticide applicator certification and training program. In this role he worked with continuing education programs to train pesticide applicators in Minnesota. He was a national leader in pesticide certification issues.

In 1996, Rick was elected to the Dakota County Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) Board. He represented District 1, in northern Dakota County. He was re-elected in 2002. He served for 5 years as Chair of the Dakota County SWCD and in leadership positions in state and local associations. 

Rick was elected to the Minnesota Legislature in 2004. He is currently serving his eighth term as the state representative for District 52A.  This current biennium, Rep. Hansen serves as chair of the Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy Committee, and is a member on the Capital Investment Committee, the Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee, and the Ways and Means Committee.  Hansen is co-chair of the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources and is currently a vice chair and current member of the Legislative Audit Commission.

Outside the legislature, Rick Hansen is President of Harmony Cedar, Inc, a small business specializing in sales of Amish furniture and gifts, and owns a family farm in southern Minnesota. His wife Suzanne works as the Sustainability Coordinator for Allina Health; their son Evan attends 12th grade at South St Paul Secondary School in South St. Paul and runs cross-country.

He was named Legislator of the Year by the Minnesota Association of Soil & Water Conservation Districts in 2008. Rick also received an award from the Sierra Club in 2011, special recognition from Minnesota Association of Professional Soil Scientists in 2012, and the 2013 Merit Award from the Minnesota Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society. In 2017 he received the Willard Munger Award for Distinguised Environmental Stewardship from the Minnesota DFL, and the River Heights Chamber of Commerce Forrest Glewwe Visions of Excellence Award in 2018. Most recently, he was the 2019 recipient of the Public Service Award from the Recycling Association of Minnesota. In 2020, he was a member of the Democratic National Convention Rules Committee.