Mike Kopp - Biography

Biography

Born in South Dakota (his father was elected to the South Dakota House of Representatives in 2008), Kopp enlisted in the United States Army after graduating from high school. A paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division, Kopp trained to become a member of the United States Army Rangers, graduating from Ranger School in 1990. Kopp also completed the Army Basic Leadership Course that same year. While in the Army, Kopp was deployed to Honduras in support of Operation Just Cause, as well as in the Gulf War in Operation Desert Storm. He was honorably discharged in 1991 at the rank of Sergeant, having also received two Army Commendation Medals, the Combat Infantryman Badge and the Army Achievement Medal.

While pursuing higher education, Kopp worked with fire-fighting crews for the National Park Service. He graduated in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in ministry from North Central University in Minneapolis. He also worked for two years as a clerk in the United States Border Patrol's Detention and Deportation Division.

Following graduation, Kopp worked in the non-profit and ministry fields in New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado. Prior to running for the Colorado senate, Kopp earned a Masters of Public Administration degree from the University of Colorado at Denver. He is Manager of Corporate Affairs for Intermountain Rural Electric Association. Kopp lives in Ken Caryl, CO with his children, Meghan, Ethan, Allie and Soren. He is engaged to be married to Shannon Ulrich of Denver.