Traditionally, the Minnesota Honey Producers have selected a young woman to represent their organization at public events and at the Minnesota State Fair. The Minnesota Honey Queen would also compete against representatives from other state associations for the title of National Honey Queen.
At the 2019 summer MHPA meeting, our organization took the bold step of transitioning our queen program to an ambassador program. This change was made to support MHPA outreach efforts by allowing us to redefine our scholarship program. The Ambassador Committee (currently Sara Keskey Rufer, Becky Masterman, Bridget Mendel, and Liz Schroeder) has been working out the details of this new initiative.
The MHPA Ambassador position is an opportunity for someone who is enthusiastic about honey bees to promote the beekeeping industry in Minnesota. It is a 15-month position, beginning in June and ending with the close of the Minnesota State Fair. Each Ambassador will be invited to participate in two of the main MHPA activities, the summer meeting, and the Minnesota State Fair Honey Booth. Our ambassador will be able to select and promote an outreach project that will benefit our organization. We envision projects that will address youth honey bee education, bee health, habitat, research, or honey and hive products. In addition to the completion of an outreach project, other ambassador requirements include a minimum age of 18 and attendance at both the MHPA summer meeting and the Minnesota State Fair. The ambassador can be any gender and there is no maximum age limit! However, as with the past queen program, you do need to be passionate about honey bees.
We would like to introduce our new MNHPA Honey Ambassador, Lilja Anderson. She is a junior at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and is currently working towards her Bachelor’s degree in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior with a minor in Insect Science. She has always had a passion for tiny cold-blooded animals with a special fondness for bees. Lilja was excited to start a position as an undergraduate technician in the Bee Lab last year and has enjoyed working under the direction of Dr. Katie Lee. Lilja loves inspecting hives with her pink hive tool, learning from senior beekeepers, and sharing cool facts about bees with anyone who will listen. She hopes to continue her studies at the Bee Lab as a graduate student after May 2026. Outside of the lab, she can be found rock climbing, playing ultimate frisbee, or looking at bugs. Liljawould like to meet with as many Minnesota Beekeeping Associations as possible during her tenure. If she has not yet met with your group, please let us know.
Former MN Honey Queens
- 2017 – Sarah Doroff
- 2012 – Emily Campbell
- 2009 – Alexa Smallwood
- 2008 – Allison (Hull) Anderson
- 2006 – Kelly Tjepkes
- 2001 – Maritina Carlson
- 2000 – Chan da (Bordelon) Hassemer
- 1999 – Angie (Olson) Lundeen
- 1995 – Allyson (Nordwall) Ellingson
- 1993 – Lisa (Terry) Moorhouse
- 1992 – Carolyn Kochis
- 1991 – Jennifer (Grissom) Beckerman
- 1988 – Mary (Mauson) Hodson
- 1986 – Lisa (Smith) Dreyer
- 1985 – Chris (Madson) Warner
- 1984 – Lori Brekke
- 1983 – Jennifer (Riedel) Pauly, Queen
- 1983 – Brenda (Berg) Johnson, Princess
- 1982 – Perian (Norskov) Stavrum
- 1981 – Kari (Olson) Boyce
- 1980 – Mary Rumppe