Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir (born 4 October 1965) is the Icelandic Minister of Education, Science and Culture since 31 December 2003, and has been a member of the Icelandic Parliament since 1999.
Her father is Gunnar H. Eyjólfsson, one of Iceland´s most acclaimed and gifted actors. Her husband is Krístján Arason, business administrator and manager at the Icelandic KB Bank, previously one of Iceland´s most famous handball players, (23 July 1961). Þorgerður Katrín and Kristján have three children, Gunnar Ari (1995), Gísli Þorgeir (1999) and Katrín Erla (2003).
Þorgerður was a officer in Orator, the Law Students' Society at the University of Iceland 1989-1990, 1993-1994 an officer in Stefnir, the local society in Hafnarfjörður within the Youth Organisation of the Independence Party, and also in 1993-1994 Vice-President of the Executive Committee for the Board of Representatives of the Independence Party in Hafnarfjörður. Þorgerður is educated as a lawyer from the University of Iceland, graduated in 1993. That year she begin career as a lawyer in the firm Attorneys at Hofdabakki. 1997-1999 she was director of the Social and Current Affairs Department at the National Broadcasting Service.
Parliamentarian in for the constituency of Reykjanes 1999-2003 and Southwest since 2003; served on the General Committee 1999-2003 as chairman, Education Committee 1999-2003, Transport and Communications Committee 1999-2003, Special Committee on Constitutional Affairs 2000-2003, Industry Committee 2003, Credentials Committee 2003, and the Icelandic delegation to the Committee of Members of Parliament of the EFTA countries 1999-2003 (chairman 2003).
In 2000 she was a chairman of a working group started by the Minister of Justice in 2000 to review traffic laws and regulations. The same year she chaired a committee under auspices of the Prime Minister's Office on equality as regards the formulating of public policy. 1997-2001 she was on the board of the Icelandic Government Student Loan Fund. 1998-2000. She was also in a committee sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture on women and the media.
She took office as Icelandic Minister of Education, Science and Culture on 31 December 2003 and is considered one of the future leaders of Iceland's largest party, the Independence Party.