Meet the Staff

Jane Leonard, President Phone: 651-645-9403 Cell Phone: 651-303-5263 Fax: 651-646-3818 Email: jleonard@minnesotaruralpartners.org

Jane Leonard, President

Jane Leonard is President of Minnesota Rural Partners, Inc. (MRP), the state's rural development council. In her 25-year career, Jane has been particularly interested in helping communities of all kinds build and support a healthy balance of civic society and market-based economy. She has worked to create policy and programs that integrate knowledge and innovation economy strategies into community and economic development goals at local,
state, regional, and national levels. Jane started the statewide BizPathways Network, Entrepreneurial Community Champion process, and Minnesota Entrepreneurial Gateway initiative to encourage new business creation and support small businesses to diversify rural economies. In honor of that work, she was named the U.S. Small Business Administration's Regional Champion Award winner and Minnesota's Home-Based Business Advocate of the Year for 2004-2005. In 2005, Jane was named a University of Minnesota Alumni of Notable Achievement for her work in entrepreneurship, community technology and rural development policy.

Prior to becoming President of MRP, Jane was co-owner and president of Community Technology Advisors Corp., (CTAC). Prior to founding CTAC in May 2000, Jane was the community development manager for Onvoy Communications for two years, building strategic partnerships with community and business organizations to create community networking capabilities. From 1996 to
1998, she was the Community Development Director and helped create the Minnesota Office of Technology, the state's first attempt to organize resources for community and economic strengthening around the emerging telecommunications and information technology revolution. From 1991 to 1996, Jane was a principal planner with the MN Department of Administration, working on regional public sector telecommunications development and telemedicine studies. She developed several partnerships with public and
private organizations, including the seminal Access Minnesota program, to bring Internet to rural Minnesota.

From 1984 to 1991, she served in various roles in community and economic development for the State Planning Agency and the MN Dept of Trade and Economic Development, eventually serving as assistant director for community assistance programs, including Minnesota Main Street, Governor's Design Team, Minnesota Beautiful, and Minnesota Community Pride. Prior to these state roles, Jane was a journalist for farm organizations and local newspapers.

Jane is a past-president of the International Community Development Society and recipient of their Distinguished Service Award. She also served as the Midwest Region Director of the national Rural Telecommunications Congress from 1997 to 2003. She has a B.S. degree in science communication and agriculture from the University of Maryland and an M.A. in mass communications from the University of Minnesota. Jane is a Minnesota native who resides in St. Anthony Park, St. Paul, and co-owns her family farm in
Isle Harbor Township.

Denise Pfeifer
Deputy Director
507-828-5559
Email:dpfeifer@minnesotaruralpartners.org

Ann Treacy
Communications Manager
Cell Phone: 612-670-3087
Email: atreacy@minnesotaruralpartners.org