Renee Alexander, the 23rd CEO of the Minnesota State Fair, will be our featured presenter for the February 24 UMRA Forum, meeting at 11 a.m. by Zoom. Alexander’s first job at the State Fair was as an intern in 1989. She took over the top job in 2023, following the 26-year tenure of her predecessor.

The University of Minnesota has had a presence at the Great Minnesota Get-Together ever since the first State Fair in 1859. During these times, the U of M has had a footprint at eight sites on the State Fair campus, including the Crossroads Building on Dan Patch Avenue; the Gopher Dairy Bar; the CHS Miracle of Birth Center; and the Driven to Discover research exhibit building where, in 2025, fair-goers participated in more than 50 faculty-led research projects. One year, U professors gene sequenced the State Fair corn dog! 

University of Minnesota Extension is everywhere you look, with 4-H still the largest youth engagement program in the state and certainly at the fair. 

The U of M Twin Cities campus is a giant neighbor of the State Fair, with the two institutions anchoring the center of the metropolitan area. How are changes in our state and world affecting both? What are the prospects for the U and the State Fair to continue to work together? We’ll have a chance to check in on these questions with Alexander when we have our own “Great UMRA Get Together” on February 24. 

Register online for this workshop through the UMRA member portal. Registrations will be accepted any time up to and including the day of the webinar. The Zoom link to join the webinar will be sent to you in the confirmation email, and a reminder email the day before the program. 

Please register and join us at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, February 24.

—Jan Morlock, UMRA Program Committee