Guðrún María Kolbjörnsdattir

*This name uses Velkanian naming customs; the last name is a patronymic, not a family name. This person should be properly referred to by the given name* Guðrún.

**Guðrún María Kolbjörnsdattir** (born 2 July 1969) is a Velkanian politician who has served as a member of the Orthing since 2018. A member of the Independence Party, she is the daughter of former prime minister Eybjört María Hólmsteinnsdattir and foreign affairs minister Kolbjörn Valdason.

Born in Wazada while her parents were working as diplomats at the Velkanian embassy, Guðrún was later raised in Húsavík. After graduating from Narísandur Junior College in 1989, she received a bachelor's degree in political science in 1992, a master's degree in secondary education in 1994, and a doctorate in education in 2005, all from the University of Velkania. Guðrún began her career as a social sciences lecturer at various junior colleges, until becoming a professor of education at the University of Velkania in 2006. Guðrún began her political career in 2018, after she was elected to the Orthing for the Independence Party in the 2018 election.

A member of the center-right liberal conservative faction of the Independence Party, Guðrún has been cited as a "rising star" within her party and a possible future party leader or prime minister.

## Early life and education

Guðrún was born on 2 July 1969 in Wazada to parents Kolbjörn Valdason (born 1939) and Eybjört María Hólmsteinnsdattir (born 1940). At the time of her birth, both of her parents were Velkanian diplomats working at the Velkanian embassy. She is the younger of two siblings; her elder brother is Eirík Kristján, born  (1968-02-13) 13 February 1968 (age 55). In 1970, the family left Wazada and returned to the Velkanian Isles, settling in Húsavík. Both of her parents worked in government, with her mother serving as prime minister from 1993 until 2002, and her father as foreign affairs minister from 1993 until 1994 in her mother's first cabinet.

Guðrún began her education in 1975, attending a local, public primary school in Húsavík. Throughout primary school, Guðrún was a gifted and popular student, although she began to be the recipient of teasing following her mother's rise to political notoriety in the 1980s. She graduated from primary school in 1985, afterwards enrolling in Narísandur Junior College to study a social sciences program, graduating in 1989. After graduating, she enrolled in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Velkania, graduating with a degree in political science in 1992. Guðrún subsequently enrolled in the Faculty of Education at the University of Velkania, receiving a master's degree in secondary education in 1994. She later returned to the university in 1997, receiving her doctorate in education in 2006.

## Education career

During her final semester of graduate studies, Guðrún worked as a student teacher at Narísandur Junior College, shadowing a lecturer who taught courses on political science and political theory. She completed her student teaching assignment in June 1994, and subsequently received qualifications to work as a social sciences lecturer.

Guðrún began her lecturer career in September 1994, being hired as a social sciences lecturer at Blönvogur Junior College. At the school, she taught courses on political theory and game theory. She left the school in 1996, being hired as a lecturer at Narísandur Academy. In 1999, she was hired at Narísandur Junior College, where she taught courses on international affairs and politics. In 2004, she became the faculty director of the social sciences program at Narísandur Junior College.

Guðrún left her career as a lecturer in 2007, and was hired by the Department of Secondary Education of the Faculty of Education at the University of Velkania as a professor of social sciences education. She left her teaching position at the university in 2018, in order to enter politics.

## Political career

### Member of parliament

Guðrún began her political career in 2018, after she was included on the electoral list of the Independence Party for the 2018 election. As the daughter of a prominent political family, Guðrún had long been theorized as a possible future politician. News outlets speculated that she would be included on the party list in both the 2010 and 2014 elections, but she ultimately was not.

Guðrún was ultimately elected to parliament, taking her seat in the Orthing on 13 March 2018. Despite initial expectations, Guðrún has affiliated herself with the liberal conservative center-right faction of the party, unlike her parents who were both situated with the right-wing nationalist faction. Guðrún has given speeches and television interviews disavowing nationalism, and in June 2018, stated that she was "not [her] mother" when it comes to politics. Guðrún has been cited as a "rising star" within the party and a possible future party leader or prime minister.

## Personal life

Guðrún began a relationship with Velkanian cardiologist Helgi Ingibergur Einarsson in 1995. They became engaged in 1997, and married later that year. Guðrún and Helgi have two children together: Þórhildur Kristína, born  (2000-01-25) 25 January 2000 (age 24), and Lúkas Sölvar, born  (2002-08-22) 22 August 2002 (age 21). The family resides in Húsavík.