As the Governor and Lt. Governor announced yesterday, I am moving to take on a new opportunity as the CEO of the Star Tribune. Leading DEED these last four years has been rewarding and inspirational for me, and I'm grateful for the opportunity I've had to serve with so many talented colleagues at the agency. I'm confident our team will continue to serve Minnesota well at an important moment for our state's future.

Leadership transitions offer a moment to look back and look ahead, and I wanted to take a moment now to share some thoughts on DEED's journey over the last four years, and how the agency is positioned to serve Minnesota well into the future.

DEED is a unique agency in state government. Minnesota is one of the only states where both workforce and economic development live under the same agency umbrella. Tasked with both creating jobs and connecting people with them, the scope of our work forces us to look holistically at the Minnesota economy and how we can grow it.

When the Governor asked me to serve in this role a little over four years ago, we were excited to focus on growing Minnesota's innovation economy and to center our work on equity. Coming into government from the private sector, I was eager to do the job differently and was happy to meet amazing colleagues who were ready for change, too.

Together, we've tried to make DEED a more transparent and communicative agency that works in authentic partnership with communities and isn't afraid to try new things. We've rooted ourselves in a refreshed set of values and a mission that ties our broad array of programs and divisions together. And we've moved to take a proactive stance and default towards action, setting measurable goals and sharing our progress. That's important for an agency whose primary purpose is growth.

Perhaps you've felt some of these changes in your experience working with DEED. I hope you have. Any success we've had is because we're listening to feedback from the people and communities we serve.

Of course, building a stronger DEED for Minnesota took on new urgency when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, followed by the murder of George Floyd and all that's since followed. By far the most defining events of the Governor's first term, these crises required DEED to step forward to keep the economy afloat, while working with businesses to keep people safe.

I learned the true selflessness of public service from my colleagues who worked tirelessly to issue over $15 billion in unemployment insurance payments to Minnesotans and deliver over $300M in emergency aid to small business through over 15 different aid programs. We hope Minnesota saw a glimpse of how committed this agency is to serve our customers and fulfill our mission.

What we learned in the most challenging years of the pandemic – how to innovate, how to move fast, how to solve problems without a playbook – are lessons we've worked hard to fully incorporate into our culture since then. From the crucible that was COVID-19, DEED has emerged stronger and better-equipped to take on new challenges for the state.

If you're reading this, you have some connection to DEED or a stake in its future. Your willingness to partner with us and help us make meaningful improvements is critical to our continued growth. DEED can and must be a thoughtful, open, and evolving agency that looks for consistent ways to improve our work to serve you. Thank you for all you have and will continue to do to help us make that happen.

As an outsider who came into state government, I've been impressed by the people you get to work with in our state agencies. They are talented and dedicated people who do these jobs because they really care. We are lucky in Minnesota to have such thoughtful people answering the call to serve the state. I know DEED will continue to do everything it can to empower the growth of the Minnesota economy, for everyone.

Working for Governor Walz and Lt. Governor Flanagan has been a true honor. I believe Minnesota's economy is in great hands under their strong leadership.

The future of Minnesota is bright because there are committed public servants and thoughtful leaders inside and outside of government who are driving the change we need to keep our economy at the cutting edge of growth. I'm excited for what's next and hope that those we serve continue to push our agency to make DEED the best it can be for Minnesota.