Global Minnesota Names Mark Ritchie President
20 November 2018 - 2:15PM
Business Wire
Nationwide search yields worldly, collaborative
leader and passionate Minnesota advocate
Global Minnesota, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization
dedicated to advancing international understanding and engagement,
has named Mark Ritchie as its new president. He will assume his new
post in January 2019.
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Mark Ritchie, President-Elect of Global
Minnesota (Photo: Business Wire)
Ritchie will succeed Carol Engebretson Byrne, who announced her
plans to step down in July after 21 years of service. Under Byrne’s
leadership, Global Minnesota created compelling programs statewide
on important global topics, advancing international understanding
for thousands of Minnesotans while tripling the organization’s
revenues. Today, Global Minnesota is one of the top World Affairs
Councils in the nation.
The Global Minnesota board of directors selected Ritchie after
conducting an in-depth, nationwide executive search. In his role as
the leader of Minnesota USA Expo, Ritchie led the public-private
partnership to host the 2023 World Fair Expo in Minnesota and is
currently pursuing the 2027 bid.
“Mark brings strong expertise in international affairs and is a
recognized advocate for Minnesota – we couldn’t be more pleased to
have him as Global Minnesota’s next leader,” said Ertugrul Tuzcu,
Global Minnesota board chair. “As an effective cross-sector leader,
his strategic acumen and drive will lead Global Minnesota into the
next decade of the 21st century – and help raise Minnesota’s
profile in the world.”
Ritchie’s leadership experience spans government, nonprofit,
education and advocacy organizations. In addition to creating a
public-private partnership to host a World’s Fair on health and
wellness in Minnesota, he served as an endowed chair in
agricultural food systems for the University of Minnesota.
Previous positions included consulting for the Carnegie
Corporation of New York and serving as Minnesota’s Secretary of
State from 2007 to 2015.
“I am inspired by the important mission of Global Minnesota and
truly impressed by the dedication of its board and staff,
management and members,” said Ritchie. “For me, this is the
opportunity of a lifetime, a chance to make a difference by
bringing people together, broadening perspectives and building
understanding – in Minnesota and around the world.”
As president and CEO of Minnesota USA Expo, Ritchie was
recognized as an engaging and committed leader whose global
responsibilities required him to collaborate with heads of state,
United Nation’s committees, scholars and corporate leaders. He
worked closely with Marilyn Carlson Nelson, former chair and CEO of
Carlson Companies, who chaired the bid committee’s board of
directors.
Ritchie holds a master’s degree in public affairs from the
Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, and
serves on several boards, including the Minnesota Military Museum,
Minnesota Historical Society and Lifesource. In 2000 and again in
2016, he won the Twin Cities International Citizen award. He was
named a 21st Century Game Changer in Voting Rights by the NAACP. In
2011, Ritchie won the Dwight David Eisenhower Excellence in Public
Service Award from Sister Cities International.
Global Minnesota is a membership organization with more than
2,000 individual members and 50-plus corporate members. Formerly
the Minnesota International Center, it was founded in 1953 as a
welcoming organization for international students and scholars.
Since then, it has connected 15,000 international visitors with
Minnesotans from all sectors.
Today, Global Minnesota offers a broad portfolio of programs,
including professional exchanges, K-12 education programs,
discussion groups and public events. In 2017, Global Minnesota
engaged thousands of Minnesotans with people and programs from 115
countries, including a group of 91 Fulbright scholars who traveled
to Minnesota to study food security, meeting with local nonprofits,
corporations and farmers.
About Global Minnesota
Global Minnesota (www.globalminnesota.org) is a nonprofit,
nonpartisan, member-supported organization that connects
individuals, organizations and communities to the world. Through a
unique series of programs offered across the state, Global
Minnesota takes relevant and timely information on global issues,
foreign policy and cultural topics and provides the space and
opportunity for Minnesotans to engage and discuss. Programs are
designed for Minnesotans – from the 2nd grader to the CEO – to
connect with others from around the globe, serve as citizen
diplomats and gain a deeper understanding of the world. Global
Minnesota is in the top-ten World Affairs Councils of America and
received the Council of Ambassadors Award in 2014 from the Foreign
Policy Association for expanding global discussion groups in
Minnesota.
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Kathleen Oscarson, Director of Operations,
612-327-8499koscarson@globalminnesota.org
Paxton Alto, Padilla, 612-481-8122paxton.alto@padillaco.com