ABOUT
Kjersti Armstrong became First Lady on December 15, 2024, when her husband Governor Kelly Armstrong was sworn in as the 34th Governor of North Dakota.
Kjersti is a proud North Dakotan, with a unique path – traversing the Atlantic Ocean as she became a dual citizen of the United States and her native Norway, after studying abroad at the University of North Dakota School of Law. It was there she met her future husband Kelly, now Governor, but then a fellow UND law school student. Mrs. Armstrong is a graduate of the University of Oslo, where she received her Masters of Law degree, as well as the University of North Dakota, where she received her juris doctorate.
Mrs. Armstrong is Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Bluestem Brands, an eCommerce collective that oversees five retail brands and is headquartered in Minneapolis. In addition to managing the legal functions of the organization, Mrs. Armstrong oversees the compliance department and serves on the Board of Managers.
She has extensive experience in the oil and gas industry, including serving on the Board of Directors for the North Dakota Petroleum Council (amongst numerous other leadership roles). In addition to her extensive private sector accolades, Mrs. Armstrong has served on the board of Bully Pulpit, Inc., the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, the Prairie Public Broadcasting network and the Innovation Technology Loan Fund (LIFT) – all of which have made an incredible impact on our state and nation.
