Adopted from South Korea, Minnesota native and small business owner, Jennifer Carnahan is the first minority and female elected to run either major political party in Minnesota. She serves on the Board of Directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Twin Cities and owns a women's specialty boutique.
Prior to her involvement in politics, Ms. Carnahan spent 15-years working in strategy, marketing and general management for some of the most respected Fortune 500 companies. Jennifer led the strategic planning, annual marketing plans, product management and brand management initiatives for companies like General Mills, McDonald's Corporation and Ecolab. While at General Mills, Jennifer managed promotions for several brands within the Pillsbury Division, including: Totino's Pizza Rolls and Toaster Strudel.
Ms. Carnahan is a former board member for the National Association of Asian MBA's Minnesota Chapter, where she led initiatives to support the advancement, development, progression and advancement of Asian American's within the corporate world. While at Ecolab, Jennifer founded the Ecolab Asian Employee network, to help give a voice and more support to the thousands of Asian employees within Ecolab. She was awarded the General Manager's Award for two consecutive years in 2011 and 2012.
Jennifer Carnahan graduated from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Science in Broadcast Journalism, where she aspired to be a sports reporter. She started her career in marketing and communications with the Florida Marlins, Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, where she wrote articles for the organization's game day publications, websites and managed corporate sponsorships and promotions. Jennifer later received her MBA from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, with a focus on Marketing and Strategic Management.