Keith Brekhus was born on June 2, 1965 in Rochester, Minnesota. He graduated from Rochester John Marshall High School in 1983, and 
went on to college at North Dakota State University in Fargo, North Dakota. In 1988, Keith graduated, with honors, from North Dakota 
 State University. He earned a Bachelor of Sciences degree with a double major in History and Sociology.

         After completing his Bachelor's, Keith has held a number of occupations. He has taught in public schools, managed a successful 
 business, done graduate coursework, and at times even worked for minimum wage in the service economy. Keith first became a political 
 activist in 1991, when as a graduate student at the University of Texas-Austin, he frequently spoke out and demonstrated against U.S. 
 policy in the Persian Gulf War. 

         Keith moved to Columbia in the fall of 1999. He quickly became active in the local community promoting peace, democratic 
 reforms, environmental protection, civil liberties, and social and economic justice. In addition to the Green Party of Central Missouri, 
 Keith is an active member of mid-Missouri Peaceworks and serves on Peaceworks' steering committee.  He is a regular contributor to the 
 locally circulated Peaceworks Monitor and has written on a wide range of topics including global warming, corporate welfare, and weapons of 
 mass destruction.  Keith also coauthored an article in the nationally recognized sociological journal, Social Problems, calling for 
 academic social scientists to conduct research that promotes social justice.

         Keith has also been active with the Columbia Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) Coalition, and testified on behalf of IRV before the 
 State Senate Committee on Elections and before the Columbia City Council. He participated in the campaign to save Columbia's deposit 
 ordinance. In addition, Keith was a featured speaker for the Civil Liberties Defense Coalition, which organized a spirited protest when 
 John Ashcroft spoke at the MU Law School graduation.

         Keith was one of five Missourians to personally collect over one thousand signatures in the statewide petition drive to get the 
 Missouri Green Party on this year's ballot. Keith Brekhus plans to run a progressive issue-oriented campaign this fall. For information 
 on the campaign, you can check out the links below.