Meet the CEO of the Minnesota State Fair
Tue, February 24, 2026, at 11am
Renee Alexander
CEO
Minnesota State Fair
Event to be held via Zoom.
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
Upcoming Events
Nanette leads a trail of two cities hike.
10:30 a.m. check in; 10:45 boarding; cruise from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Join UMRA friends and colleagues for a summer cruise and lunch aboard the Paradise Destiny II on beautiful Lake Minnetonka. Paul Maravelas, sailor, historian, and author of The History of Big Island, Lake Minnetonka will join us to share stories from 200+ years of lake-dwellers. Come early or stay after the cruise to explore Excelsior, a charming small town on the big lake.
Ticket price includes lunch: chef's sandwich, garden salad, fruit, chips, and cookies. Coffee, iced tea, and lemonade are complimentary and there will be a cash bar for other beverages. A vegetarian sandwich can be selected during registration.
UMRA’s Book Club I will discuss the debut novel Buckeye by Patrick Ryan when it meets via Zoom at 2 pm. on Friday, August 21.
You are invited to join the discussion of The Cause: The American Revolution and Its Discontents 1773-1783 by Joseph J. Ellis.
"Monuments" is the theme for September.
UMRA member Mike Amidon, president of the Minnesota Genealogical Society in Mendota Heights, will provide a brief overview of the society, the library, and the many volunteers who help maintain it, when UMRA’s Family History Interest Group meets on Wednesday, September 9.
Bev Moe leads a hike around Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis with a social gathering afterwards at Isles Bun & Coffee.
UMRA Book Club I will discuss The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry when it meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, September 18. The day’s discussion leader will be Judy Helgen.
Critical issues facing detained immigrants and their families will be discussed.
UMRA’s September Living Well Workshop will feature Carol Bradford, MD, MS, FACS, interim dean of the University of Minnesota Medical School and interim executive vice president for Health Affairs. She is an internationally recognized cancer surgeon-scientist who also brings considerable leadership and administrative experience.
A 1978 short story collection by American author John Cheever.
Professor Arun Saldanha, the featured speaker for the first luncheon forum of UMRA’s 2026–27 program year, will examine how tourism has evolved in an era shaped by pandemics, climate concerns, and changing global realities; and encourage us to think about what it means to be thoughtful, responsible, and curious travelers.
The architecture in Iceland is as spare as the culture -- honest and simple.
Michelle Trudeau-Spanjers leads the hike at William O'Brien State Park.
Topics include longevity, distributions, long term care, Social Security, and comprehensive planning.
The theme for October is "Hands."
UMRA’s second “Campus Conversation” with a University leader will offer UMRA members an exclusive opportunity to meet with John Morris, president and CEO of the University of Minnesota Foundation. The focus of the conversation will be the role of the foundation and its relationship to retirees.
Jon C leads the hike at Nerstrand Big Woods with lunch afterwards.
Michael Osterholm is a well-known epidemiologist, author, and public commentator with particular expertise on infectious diseases and vaccines. His conversation with us via Zoom will address current major public health outbreaks around the world, as well as the importance of preparedness for future pandemics.
.
Discuss long term care options with Fred Andersen.
Chris Coleman, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity president and CEO and a two time alumnus of the University of Minnesota, will provide a deep dive for UMRA’s October 27 luncheon forum into how Habitat creates, preserves, and promotes affordable homeownership for low-income households.
Bob & Jean Hall and Andy Whitman, participants.