Regional Economic Development Alliance 2022 Annual Meeting

Join local leadership of the Mankato-North Mankato Metropolitan Area (Blue Earth and Nicollet Counties) at the Regional Economic Development Alliance’s (REDA) Annual Meeting. Staff and elected officials, as well as leading businesses within the metropolitan area are invited for dinner and a presentation on economic development on the campus of Gustavus Adolphus College.

The event will be held in the Three Crowns room, which is located in the C. Charles Jackson Campus Center.

Annual Meeting Agenda:

5:00-6:00 – Registration

5:15-6:00 – Networking/social

6:00 – 6:20 pm – Welcome

6:20 – 6:40 pm – Dinner

6:40 – 8:00 pm – Keynote Speakers

Speaker bios:

Dr. Edward Inch, President of Minnesota State University, Mankato

Dr. Edward S. Inch is the 13th President of Minnesota State University, Mankato. He assumed the presidency July 1, 2021, and brought with him strategic leadership and an understanding of the importance of working in a collaborative, transparent and authentic manner to build a shared vision. President Inch sees the University as playing an instrumental role in the lives of its students and region.

Dr. Inch brings to Minnesota State Mankato 36 years of distinguished university leadership experience. Before coming to Mankato, Dr. Inch served as the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at California State University, East Bay. Prior to Cal State East Bay, Dr. Inch served as the Dean of the College of Arts and Letters at California State University, Sacramento; Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio; and Dean of the School for Arts and Communication at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. Dr. Inch began his academic career as a lecturer at Western Washington University before becoming an assistant professor in the Department of Communication and Theatre at Pacific Lutheran University.

In addition to his cabinet-level and dean work, Dr. Inch was an American Council on Education Fellow hosted by California State University, Sacramento. While at Pacific Lutheran University, he served as an accreditor for the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. He also earned the Washington State Bar Association’s certificate in Alternative Dispute Resolution and Norway’s Nansen Academy’s certificate in International Peacebuilding. He worked with the Academy’s international initiatives and programs focused on mediation and conflict management in the Balkans.

Throughout his career, Dr. Inch’s top priorities have been improving student outcomes and access, ensuring instructional capacity and proactive learning support services. Providing a strong, student-centered and inclusive learning environment is at the heart of these efforts. Dr. Inch has worked to enhance student/faculty research and creative projects, provide greater access to internships and service-learning projects, develop an innovation and entrepreneurship hub and restructure teaching loads to allow for more and better faculty scholarship.

Greater Mankato Young Professionals Panel

Macy Anderson, Associate Attorney at Blethen Berens

Macy Anderson is an attorney with Blethen Berens. Macy practices in the areas of business/corporate law, commercial real estate, estate planning, and probate. Macy believes in education, planning, and problem prevention with her clients, and she enjoys researching and developing unique client solutions to meet priorities and alleviate concerns. Macy is a native of Eagle Lake and 2014 graduate of Mankato East, and she returned to Greater Mankato in 2020 to begin her legal career and now resides in West Mankato. She cares deeply for the Greater Mankato community and believes in the importance of growing and giving back to the thriving community that raised her. Prior to coming to Blethen Berens, Macy worked in corporate compliance and health care administration. She is involved with the Greater Mankato Growth Young Professionals, Greater Mankato Growth Public Affairs Steering Committee, Minnesota Women Lawyers, Twin Rivers Council for the Arts, and the Greater Mankato Area United Way.

Blake Grotewold, Co-Owner and Development Lead at Foxio
Blake is the Co-Owner and Lead Developer at Foxio Software Consulting. He grew up on a farm in northern Iowa and after completing his masters in computer science at Minnesota State University, Mankato, he moved to Bloomington, IN. There, he started consulting for startups and businesses who needed technical strategy and implementation. He and his wife, Murphy, moved back to Mankato in 2018, when she began working as an eye doctor at Carlson-Tillisch Eye Clinic. They are so happy to be back in Mankato and enjoy being involved in the community. Blake currently works from home still programming applications and managing Foxio Software Consulting.  Occasionally, he is an adjunct computer science professor at Minnesota State University, Mankato and performs in shows with Merely Players Community Theatre.

John Harper, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at South Central College

John Harper currently serves in the office of the president at South Central College as the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.  He holds a Masters of Science in Educational Leadership and Administration from Minnesota State University, Mankato and is currently working on his doctoral degree. John actively works with academic deans, faculty and staff to examine policy, procedure and assessments with an equity lens.

Nate Olsen, Vice President/Business Banker at United Prairie Bank

Nate Olsen is a firm believer that in life we don’t get to control many things, but we can always control our effort, our attitude, and how we persevere. As a Business Banker, Head High School Hockey Coach, and passionate community supporter of the Greater Mankato area, he feels these three principles allow him to make a difference in his community.

Born and raised in North Mankato, MN, Nate graduated from Mankato West High School and went to college at Minnesota State University, Mankato where he majored in Finance with minors in Marketing and Business Administration. He began his professional career in banking in 2016 and has held a wide array of roles from Mortgage Loan Originator to Wealth Management Banker, to Business Banker.

Nate is currently in his10th season as a hockey coach at Mankato West, with the first 8 seasons as the Head JV Coach and Assistant Varsity Coach and entering his 2nd season as the Head Coach.