|  | The America-Norway Heritage Fund | In 1986 Lutheran Brotherhood Insurance Society established The America-Norway Heritage Fund with the purpose of awarding special grants to Americans of Norwegian descent who have made significant contributions to American culture, enabling them to visit Norway to share the result of their work - via lectures, exhibitions and/or performances - with the people of Norway. In this way, it is hoped that Norwegians will become better acquainted with the cultural, economic, political and religious contributions made by Norwegian-Americans in the building of America.
The America-Norway Heritage Fund was established with a grant to the two above mentioned organizations and through the past twenty years a number of outstanding Norwegian-Americans have visited Norway based on this generous grant. |
| Norwegian American of the Year 2008 |  We are pleased to announce that the Honorable Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, South Dakota's at-large Member of Congress, has been awarded the America-Norway Heritage award for 2008.
She is a leader of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate Democrats committed to fiscal discipline and strong national security, and is co-chair of the Rural Working Group, which is dedicated to raising the profile of issues important to rural America. She also serves on three committees vital to South Dakota's interests: Agriculture, Veterans' Affairs and Natural Resources. She is the Chairwoman of the Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity.
At the beginning of the 110th Congress, Representative Herseth Sandlin was chosen to serve on the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming in recognition of her advocacy for and leadership on the issue of renewable biofuels.
In 2006, Rep. Herseth Sandlin was re-elected to her second full term in the U.S. House of Representatives. She received more than 230,000 votes-the second highest vote total in the nation among House members. |
| Norwegian American of the Year 2007 | Robert Berdahl |  Robert Berdahl was born in South Dakota to parents of Norwegian heritage. His family has roots in Vangsnes, Sogn and Lom.
Berdahl received his B.A. degree from Augustana College, Sioux Falls, SD and his M.A. degree from the University of Illinois. He received his Ph. D. from the University of Minnesota in 1965 and an honorary Doctorate of Science in 1997. He served as President of the University of Texas, Austin from 1993-1997 and then as Chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley.
Berdahl became known for his strong will and abilities to build an academic community of students, researchers and administrative personal. In 2006 he was named President of the Association of American Universities, an organization for leading research universities devoted to maintaining a strong system of academic research and education.
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| Norwegian American of the Year 2005 | Lois Quam |  In 2005 we were pleased to bestow this award on Lois E. Quam, CEO of Ovations, a UnitedHealth Group company located in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Ovations is the largest company in the United States dedicated to the health and well-being of people 50 and older.
Lois has had a distinguished career ever since graduating from Oxford with a master's degree as a Rhodes Scholar. Lois is an internationally recognized expert in health care, having chaired the Governor's Minnesota Health Care Access Commission which led to a major expansion of the state's lower income population who are now insured under MinnesotaCare. She was an adviser to President Bill Clinton on health care and worked with then First Lady and now U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton on the White House Task Force on National Health Care Reform.
During her 16 years with UnitedHealth Group the company has grown to become one of only two national health care insurers, and an industry leader. The company has been ranked "Most Admired Health Insurer" by Fortune magazine for several years. Lois has also been recognized by Fortune magazine as one of "50 Most Powerful Women in (American) Business" in 2003 and 2004.
Lois has been married for 21 years to Minnesota State Representative Matt Entenza, who is House Democratic Farmer Labor (DFL) leader in the Minnesota House of Representatives. She is the mother of three boys, Ben (16), Will (14) and Steve (14). Lois' board memberships include Macalester College, the George C. Marshall Foundation and the University of Minnesota Foundation. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Lois traveled to Norway in October 2005 for a series of lectures and meetings in Oslo, Haugesund and Tromso. Lois and her family visited with members of their extended family in each city as well as visiting the family gaard in Haugesund. She also had an audience with H. M. King Harald V of Norway while in Oslo.
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