St. Paul – The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) has named two new assistant commissioners: Abdiwahab Mohamed will serve as Assistant Commissioner for Immigrant and Refugee Affairs and Elizabeth Frosch will serve as Assistant Commissioner for Operations.

Mohamed to continue leading Immigrant and Refugee Affairs work

As Assistant Commissioner for Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, Mohamed will focus on developing strategies that advance and improve access and opportunities for New Americans seeking employment or starting and growing a business. He'll also lead interagency work across all of state government to galvanize services for immigrants and refugees in Minnesota.

Mohamed has served in the interim leader position since September and was chosen for the permanent role in a competitive statewide application process.

"New Americans bring fresh perspectives, skills, and talent to Minnesota - so it's imperative to provide our new neighbors with opportunities to thrive," said DEED Commissioner Steve Grove. "Abdiwahab will help DEED and all of state government live out our mission to empower the growth of Minnesota's economy for everyone."

"When it comes to workforce participation and business growth, Minnesota needs all hands on deck," said Marc Majors, Deputy Commissioner for Workforce Development. "Abdiwahab has great experience working with Minnesota employers and with the immigrant and refugee communities in our state. He will build on work already underway to accelerate New Americans' full participation in Minnesota's economy."

During his tenure as interim assistant commissioner, Mohamed helped write DEED's budget requests and brought together state agencies to compile legislative proposals that impact immigrant and refugee communities. He expanded DEED's outreach to diverse immigrant communities and business associations with the goal of reducing barriers to employment and entrepreneurship, and he collaborated with other states' immigrant and refugee offices on strategies and best practices.

He recently secured a $75,000 grant for DEED to be used toward translation services. Before beginning as interim commissioner, Mohamed served as a trade manager within the Minnesota Trade Office.

Mohamed's appointment comes as Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan's One Minnesota Budget includes state funds to establish a permanent Office of New Americans explicitly focused on supporting immigrant and refugee integration, reducing barriers to employment, and improving connections between employers and job seekers. Find out more about DEED's budget priorities here.

Census data shows that almost every county in Minnesota has increased in ethnic diversity since 2010, with the number of foreign-born residents jumping by 27% in the Twin Cities metro area and 37% in Greater Minnesota. New Americans make a significant and positive economic impact in Minnesota, owning more than 19,000 small businesses in Minnesota, generating $411.7 million in business income, and contributing over $4.8 billion in federal, state, and local taxes, according to research by the New American Economy.

Immigrants and refugees play a crucial role in Minnesota's workforce as well. The 435,000 immigrants in Minnesota who were aged 16 years and older in 2020 had a 72.7% labor force participation rate. Foreign-born workers accounted for over 10% of the total available labor force in Minnesota in 2020, up from 8% in 2010. Just over 50% of our labor force growth between 2010 and 2020 was driven by immigrants.

Frosch to become Assistant Commissioner for Operations

Elizabeth Frosch, currently DEED's chief of staff, will move into a new role as Assistant Commissioner for Operations on March 16.

In her new position, she will lead DEED's Operations division, which encompasses the internal and external DEED services, such as Human Resources, Finance, and the Office for Public Engagement, that help all teams at the agency fulfill our mission to empower the growth of Minnesota's economy for everyone.

Frosch has extensive government and non-profit leadership experience. After working in the St. Paul Mayor's Office and the U.S. Senate, Frosch served in organizational leadership positions for two leading national non-profits: first as Associate Director of Early Childhood Policy at the Save the Children Action Network and then Chief of Staff and Vice President of Strategy and Operations at 50CAN. She joined DEED in May 2019 as Director of Strategic Communications and Research before becoming Chief of Staff in August 2020.

"Elizabeth has distinguished herself as a strategic leader who thinks holistically about DEED's goal to help Minnesota workers and businesses succeed," Commissioner Grove said. "As Assistant Commissioner for Operations, she will lead our team of dedicated public servants around the state working on behalf of Minnesotans every single day."