Maria Ohisalo
Maria Ohisalo was born in Helsinki on 8 March 1985.
She took her matriculation examination at Mäkelänrinne upper secondary school in Helsinki in 2004 and graduated with a Master’s degree in social sciences from the University of Helsinki in 2011. In 2017, she did her Ph.D. in sociology at the University of Eastern Finland. Ohisalo has worked as a researcher at the City of Helsinki, the University of Eastern Finland, and the Y-Foundation.
Her priorities in politics include integration of social justice and ecological sustainability. She considers that the promotion of preventive measures and fight against inequality should be at the heart of all sectors of politics.
Ohisalo’s physically active lifestyle originates in her keen interest in sport as a child. Her hobbies then included athletics, football and scouting. As an adult, she has taken part in track cycling games and cycling continues to play an important part of her life. She is also interested in retro video games. Ohisalo is married to Miika Johansson.
She has been a member of the Green League since 2008 and was elected as its Party Leader in June 2019. She has served as chair of a working group and a board member of the Union of Green Youth and Students (ViNO) and chaired ViNO in 2013–2014. She was Deputy Party Leader of the Green League in 2015–2019 and deputised for the Party Leader in 2018.
Maria Ohisalo became elected to Parliament from the electoral district of Helsinki in 2019 and was appointed Minister of the Interior in June 2019.
Ohisalo is a member of the Helsinki City Council and Uusimaa Regional Council. She is also a member of the Council of Social Science Professionals and has held several positions of trust, including in the Board of the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa, and in the Psychiatric Medicine Board of the Helsinki University Hospital.
She has also served as a deputy member of the National Sports Council. As part of her voluntary work, Ohisalo has served as a member of Kallio parish board, member of the joint council of Helsinki parishes and a member of Paavali parish board. She has chaired a young people’s working group at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, which debated the future of the Nordic cooperation. She has served as a board member of the Youth League of the Finnish Norden Association.
Date and place of birth: 8.3.1985 Helsinki
Political party: Vihreät
Ministerial posts
- 6.6.2019 - 10.12.2019
Minister of the Interior, Vihreät - 10.12.2019 -
Minister of the Interior, Vihreät
Photos
Texts by: Annika Puukka, Nevelyn Media Oy and Prime Minister’s Office