Last week we looked at the first batch of commissioners that then Governor-elect Walz appointed to his administration. This week, we’ll look at the rest of Governor Walz’s administration choices.
Steve Grove as Commissioner of the Department of Employment and Economic Development
“When looking for a Commissioner of the Department of Employment and Economic Development, I was mindful of finding a leader who understands the values of investing in talent from rural towns to urban neighborhoods, who has experience with the business community, and who is an innovative leader who can guide our state into the economy of the future. Steve Grove is that leader,” said Walz. “I look forward to working with Steve to address our looming workforce shortage and engage all talent available to us by investing in our workforce in communities of color and Greater Minnesota.”
About Steve Grove
Steve Grove, 41, is the founding director of Google’s News Lab, a global division of the company that partners with media companies and startups to drive innovation in the news industry. In that role, he led the development of the Google News Initiative, a $300M commitment from the company to help journalism thrive in the digital age. He has built teams in over a dozen countries and launched partnerships in over 50 countries, including a global technology training effort that trains over 500,000 journalists in person and online every year. Steve also leads Google’s civic engagement work, including the company’s non-partisan voter information and get-out-the-vote outreach efforts. He previously led YouTube’s first news and politics team, building a global partnership effort for political candidates, news organizations, nonprofits, and citizen journalists. Steve wrote for The Boston Globe and ABC News prior to joining Google. He has served as an advisor to the White House and State Department on countering violent extremism, and serves on the advisory boards of Witness, a video human rights nonprofit; and Report for America, a nationwide service organization to improve local news. Steve and his wife Mary founded a nonprofit called Silicon North Stars, which helps youth from underserved communities in Minnesota pursue careers in technology.
A native of Northfield, Minnesota, Steve received his Bachelor’s degree from Claremont McKenna College and a Master’s in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School. In 2018, the Grove moved from Silicon Valley to Minneapolis, Minnesota with their two-year-old twins.
Continue reading “Governor Walz Rounds Out His Administration, Part II”
As he neared Inauguration Day, Governor-elect Tim Walz has been hard at work rounding out his administration with new Commissioners. Despite receiving nearly 500 applications to serve as Commissioner, the Walz-Flanagan transition team successfully narrowed down the field and, this week, announced their appointments.