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Eric J. Jolly, Ph.D., President and CEO of the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation since 2015, will retire midyear. Read his letter to the community.

The Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation announced today that our President and CEO, Eric J. Jolly, Ph.D., will retire in 2025 after nearly 10 years of leadership at the Foundation. Board Chair Dr. Joseph Lee indicated that a national search would begin immediately to enable a smooth transition of leadership for Minnesota’s largest community foundation.

“I have had the extraordinary opportunity to lead this great organization for almost a decade,” said Dr. Jolly. “We have a new strategic plan in place, clarity of purpose, strong leadership with our staff and board, and an established trajectory for the future. I am proud of the work of the organization, and while I am personally ready for this transition, I also know that the organization is in an ideal position to move forward.”

Dr. Jolly plans to remain in Minnesota and will continue to serve the community through his involvement in board memberships and individual mentorships. He plans to travel and spend time with his family, including his two new grandchildren.

“Eric has been a tremendous asset to the Foundation, to Saint Paul and to the state of Minnesota,” said Dr. Lee. “His leadership and unabashed commitment to equity, long before these conversations took priority on a national scale, have been instrumental in driving our work forward and ensuring the success of our many initiatives. We are committed to finding a successor who will continue to build on Dr. Jolly’s legacy and lead the Foundation into its next chapter."

“ I am proud of the work of the organization, and while I am personally ready for this transition, I also know that the organization is in an ideal position to move forward.”

Eric J. Jolly, Ph.D., President & CEO

Under Dr. Jolly’s leadership, the Foundation has focused on three distinct strategies: inspiring generosity, advocating for equity and investing in community-led solutions. His transition marks a timely milestone for the Foundation, which in 2024 approved a new five-year strategic plan, underwent a grant redesign process, and charted initial plans to expand the way we use our investment capital to drive systemic change.

Read a letter from Dr. Jolly sharing a reflection on his time at the Foundation.

A Letter to the Community

Dear friends,

I am excited to share with you that I am planning to retire from my role as president and CEO of the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation by midyear. This transition will allow me more time to spend with my family (including two new grandchildren!) while continuing to serve the state of Minnesota in my capacity as an involved community member.

It is the right time for me and my family and the right time for the Foundation. In this decade that I have served in my role, I can say without hesitation that the Foundation has never been in a stronger position.

Just this last year, we provided nearly $150 million to support the critical work of thousands of agents and agencies of change across Minnesota. We also approved a new five-year strategic plan that provides a bold direction for us to amplify work toward our aspiration of an equitable, just and vibrant Minnesota where all communities and people thrive. We’ve nurtured crucial partnerships, including with the Bush Foundation and Taylor Family Farms Foundation, to provide funding to organizations across Minnesota. We have looked deeply, and with great intention, at our grantmaking processes to ensure that we are distributing the funds entrusted to us in ways that are truly community-led. And we are embarking upon new ways to use the entire spectrum of capital available to us to expand our impact in the community.

I can't say enough about the phenomenal staff at the Foundation, who wholeheartedly live into our value that the community is our compass. My highlights above are just a recent snapshot of how the staff at the Foundation use their enthusiasm, dedication and commitment to build genuine relationships and attain ambitious outcomes. My deepest gratitude goes out to all of them for their work to create a more vibrant Minnesota for us all.

It has been a joy and honor to serve as president and CEO of the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation — and to provide service to our important Foundation partners, Mardag Foundation and F. R. Bigelow Foundation. And I want to especially thank our donors, whose care for this community is unparalleled, and nonprofit employees who are working every day to provide equitable opportunity and access to resources for all Minnesotans.

Our Board has already begun a plan to identify my successor, and the hope is to have that person in place before my departure. Together with our strong leadership team and the Board we will do everything we can to make the transition a positive one. I am confident of the enduring legacy of the last ten years and faithful for even greater success the next leader will bring to our community. The Foundation will continue to seek out and advance new ideas and bold actions in service to all of Minnesota.

Sincerely,

Eric J. Jolly, Ph.D.

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