Pohlads Promote Susan Bass Roberts to Foundation President
Susan Bass Roberts, known in the Twin Cities community for addressing racial disparities, will become president of the Pohlad Family Foundation.
The foundation announced the news Tuesday after leaders of the well-known family decided to elevate Bass Roberts to a pivotal role that previously was held only by family members.
She was promoted after serving almost eight years as vice president and executive director of the Pohlad Family Foundation.
“Susan has been paramount in increasing the foundation’s impact,” current president Bill Pohlad said in a prepared statement. “Under her leadership, we’ve tightened our focus and strengthened our effectiveness by listening to and sharing power with community.”
Bill Pohlad will become foundation chairman. Bill serves with his brothers Bob and Jim on the board of the foundation, which was founded three decades ago by their parents Carl and Eloise Pohlad. Much of Carl’s wealth was derived from his success in banking, and he was often in the public spotlight as the owner of the Minnesota Twins.
Three members of the third generation also have been serving on the foundation board: Kiki McMillan, Allie Pohlad, and Joe Pohlad, who succeeded Jim Pohlad, his uncle, as executive chair of the Twins in late 2022.
The foundation’s two strategic focus areas are housing stability and racial justice.
Bass Roberts, who joined the Pohlad Family Foundation in 2016, was credited with deepening the impact of the philanthropy by targeting grants at the intersection of community priorities and Pohlad family values.
“She has guided more than $150 million in grants that improve quality of life, fight racial disparities, and advance other causes important to the Pohlad family,” the foundation said in its announcement.
Following the 2020 murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, the Pohlad family earmarked $25 million to racial justice efforts.
“Bass Roberts stewards this financial commitment and the family’s resolve to stand with others to effectively confront long-standing injustices faced by Black communities,” the foundation said in a written statement. “Through this program, the foundation prioritizes improving public safety and increasing Black homeownership in the Twin Cities.”
The philanthropic commitment of the Pohlad brothers as well as their investment in downtown Minneapolis businesses was recognized in late 2022 when Bill, Bob, and Jim Pohlad were named TCB’s People of the Year.
In its housing stability work, the foundation each year helps secure housing for more than 8,000 local families and youth. Bass Roberts and other members of the foundation also are active in conversations to seek systems change that will reduce homelessness.
“It has been an extraordinary honor to lead the Pohlad Family Foundation, working closely with the family and growing our impact with community partners,” Bass Roberts said in a prepared statement. “As we work to improve the quality of life and opportunities for those most in need in our region, I’m especially proud of our team, who engages community members in all aspects of our work, from strategy-setting to grantmaking.”
She previously was executive director of the Best Buy Foundation and Best Buy’s senior director of community relations and diversity and inclusion. She was instrumental in creating the Best Buy Teen Tech Center program.
Bass Roberts earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from The Ohio State University.
She serves on the board of the Constellation Fund, a Minneapolis-based foundation created by Andrew Dayton.
She’s also a board member of the national Funders Together to End Homelessness.
