Lutheran Social Service chooses new president

Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, the state's oldest and largest human services nonprofit human services organization, has selected Jodi Harpstead to serve as CEO and president.

Lutheran Social Service announced the decision Thursday evening. Harpstead will succeed Mark Peterson, who served as the organization's leader for 24 years. Peterson had previously announced plans to retire.

Harpstead currently serves as chief operating officer for Lutheran Social Service. She will take over as CEO in September, overseeing an organization with 2,400 employees, 10,000 volunteers, and an annual operating budget of $100 million. The nonprofit oversees a wide range of human services programs, including programs that provide housing, counseling, job training, education, and services for refugees.

"I am profoundly honored and proud to lead the extraordinary work of this organization," Harpstead said in a statement released Thursday evening.

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Lutheran Social Service conducted a three-year search for a new president The board selected Harpstead with a unanimous vote.

"We conducted a national search and are delighted to find that we have the absolute finest person to lead this organization right under our own roof," board chair Jim Vos said in Thursday's statement.

The organization's spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Harpstead previously worked for Minnesota-based Medtronic for 23 years, most recently serving as president of global marketing and U.S. sales for the company's cardiac rhythm management division.

She joined Lutheran Social Service in 2004 as the group's chief advancement officer and oversaw fundraising efforts for the Center for Changing Lives in Minneapolis - a facility that opened in 2008. She was promoted to chief operating officer and executive vice president in 2007.

Harpstead also serves as vice chair of the Board of Regents of Augsburg College.