Minneapolis Regional Chamber CEO Left Following Internal Investigation
When the Minneapolis Regional Chamber announced in June that it was seeking a new CEO, the organization’s former leader Jonathan Weinhagen barely got a passing mention.
Weinhagen departed the chamber that month, but the group didn’t provide a reason why or share his next steps, as is custom with high-ranking personnel changes. A chamber letter sent to chamber “members and partners” on Thursday provides new clues about why Weinhagen may have left the organization.
In the letter, chamber chair Darrel German and interim president John Stanoch said that a special board committee in April had “commenced a thorough investigation into the organization’s financial governance and controls and retained the law firm Jones Day to lead an independent review.” Jones Day is among the top 20 largest law firms in the U.S., and has in the past worked with the city of Minneapolis to negotiate a settlement on police reform with the state’s department of human rights.
The findings from the law firm’s review were shared with the special committee in June. After that, Weinhagen resigned. “Reviews of the [chamber’s] finances and controls remain ongoing,” German and Stanoch told members.
Citing an anonymous source, the Star Tribune reported late Thursday that “law enforcement authorities have been notified” about the situation.
The chamber is continuing its search for a new permanent CEO, the letter noted. Breanna Schafer, a Target VP, is leading the effort. “The committee is approaching the search deliberately while it does the hard work of imagining the best future for the organization and the right person to lead it,” the letter said.
Meanwhile, the letter went on to say that the Minneapolis Regional Chamber is facing a $500,000 deficit, and as a result, has laid off five staffers.
“This was a difficult decision and driven solely by our immediate need to address the deficit,” the chamber’s leaders wrote. “It’s hard to see staff members leave who have performed so well on behalf of the organization, region and all of you. We have offered to assist them as they search for their next opportunities.”
According to the organization’s most recent tax filings, the chamber reported total revenue of over $3.6 million in 2022, down by about $1 million from the prior year. The chamber’s 2022 revenue included more than $155,000 in government grants, according to the organization’s 990 filing. That same year, the organization logged total expenses of just over $3.6 million. That included nearly $2.5 million in salaries, other compensation, and employee benefits, according to the filing.
For his part, Weinhagen is still serving on the Mounds View Public Schools board, a role he’s slated to hold until January 2028.
