Corporate Engagement Dinner Brings Together UMN and Industry Leaders

Large event room with crowd watching a screen.

On December 5, 2024, the University of Minnesota’s Corporate Engagement Center (CEC) hosted its inaugural Corporate Engagement Center Dinner. The event brought together more than 140 leaders from the corporate community, researchers, and University leaders at the McNamara Alumni Center. 

The focus of the evening was the topic of innovation and what factors help drive innovation. Those assembled had a chance to hear from experts about how Minnesota can stay competitive with other parts of the country, support existing firms, and launch the companies of tomorrow. 

Person presents at a podium
Professor Barry Kudrowitz shares his thoughts on how play drives innovation.

 
After a welcome from University of Minnesota Foundation President Kathy Schmidlkofer and Vice President for Research and Innovation Shashank Priya, UMN College of Design Professor Barry Kudrowitz began the evening with a talk on “How Play and Humor Fuel Innovation.”

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Chad Evans and VPR Priya at the podium.

 
Chad Evans, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Council on Competitiveness, spoke about the council's work to improve US economic competitiveness and the major findings from the Council’s latest report, Competing in the Next Economy: Innovating in an Age of Disruption and Discontinuity.

UMN President Rebecca Cunningham spoke to the audience about the importance of the University to the regional economy, providing some thoughts on her first six months as president and her experiences getting to know Minnesota’s private sector and innovation ecosystem.

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VPR Shashank Priya, President Rebecca Cunningham and Randy Schiestl of Voxci Health hear from Medtronic’s Ken Washington.

 
The evening closed with VPR Priya moderating a panel made up of President Cunningham, Ken Washington (SVP, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, Medtronic), and Randy Schiestl (COO, Vocxi Health).

Washington and Schiestl are chair and chair-elect, respectively, of Innovation Minnesota, an initiative designed to foster collaboration between the private sector and academia with an advisory board composed of Minnesota corporate R&D and higher education leaders. The organization’s mission is to provide insight, expertise, and strategic direction on driving research and innovation in Minnesota to enhance the state’s social and economic prosperity and position the state for success in attracting a talented global workforce.

The panel discussed the group's forthcoming recommendations for improving Minnesota's innovation ecosystem, including ideas for developing Minnesota's AI workforce, creating a central AI hub, and establishing an innovation park. 

Innovation Minnesota's Report and Recommendations for Minnesota Competitiveness has since been published online.