Minneapolis – The Minnesota Business Partnership (MBP) today hosted an Executive Assistant Conference for more than 100 top Executive Assistants (EAs) from across the state. The conference – which was held at the historic Minneapolis Club – is exclusively for EAs to MBP member CEOs and top executives of Minnesota’s largest companies, including General Mills, Medtronic, and Target.
With 17 Fortune 500 and 25 Fortune 1000 companies headquartered here, Minnesota is home to some of the most experienced EA leaders in the world. Conference attendance was limited to EA professionals supporting Chairs, Presidents, CEOs, CFOs, General Counsels, Boards of Directors, and other C-suite executives as well as supporting some of Minnesota’s top nonprofit organizations. The full-day event offered opportunities to hear from and learn from executive leadership experts, CEO guest speakers, and a panel of EA leaders from three large Minnesota companies. The MBP EA conference is one of the nation’s only professional development conferences exclusively for C-suite executive assistants.
Guest speakers included: Professors Myles Shaver and Connie Wanberg of the Carlson School of Management; Andrea Walsh, President and CEO of HealthPartners; Amanda Brinkman, CEO of Sunshine Studios; and Vickie Sokol Evans, Founder and CEO of RedCape.
“If being a chief executive is the loneliest job, an EA’s is the second loneliest. Our CEO members understand how important their Executive Assistants are to their company’s and their own success” said Kurt Zellers, CEO of the Minnesota Business Partnership. “The MBP is proud to host these exceptional leaders and offer world-class programming designed specifically for their unique profession.”
Conference attendee Tammy Barrett, Executive Assistant to US Bank chairman and CEO Andy Cecere, said: “This event is unlike any other I’ve attended. It’s so valuable to be able to connect with other EA leaders at my level who face similar challenges and experiences.”