MINNEAPOLIS, MN — August 18, 2025
The board of directors of the Minneapolis Parks Foundation is pleased to announce Martin Wera will become the organization’s next Executive Director, effective September 8. A longtime leader in Minnesota’s nonprofit community, Wera has spent more than 20 years connecting private funding to public causes from higher education to healthy aging. He has served as the Development Director at Trellis, and as a Major Gift Officer at St. Catherine University, where he contributed to its largest comprehensive campaign, raising nearly $150 million. Earlier in his career, Wera served as Senior Director of Community Relations for Ameriprise Financial and has held roles at nonprofits and foundations in the Twin Cities, Washington, D.C., and Portland, Oregon.
“Martin’s inclusive approach to fundraising, and his deep love and appreciation for the parks made him the right choice for advancing our mission as we move into our third decade,” says Jasmine Russell, Chair of the Minneapolis Parks Foundation’s Board of Directors. “The Minneapolis Parks Foundation is rooted in the idea that parks have the power to strengthen our community in so many ways–raising up public health, buffering the impacts of climate change, building trust and new connections between neighbors. Martin shares this view, and has the skills and vision to help us build a community-wide movement in support of the parks.”
The lead philanthropic partner to the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board, the Minneapolis Parks Foundation is currently raising $20 million in capital support for Transforming North Commons, a $45 million renovation of North Minneapolis’s legacy park, the largest investment ever made in a Minneapolis neighborhood park. The Parks Foundation also recently launched the first-ever endowment fund for the future of Minneapolis parks. “The Parks Foundation’s dedicated staff has done an exceptional job raising public awareness about the value of investing in our parks, and building the structures and investment tools that will help to support high-priority projects today and long into the future,” says Jocelyn Hale, a former board member who served as Interim Executive Director during the organization’s leadership transition. “With ground-breaking now underway at North Commons and $3.8 million more to raise from the community, we’re thrilled to have Martin’s strategic leadership to help us achieve the goals of this next generation project and those on the horizon.”
Wera earned his Master’s in Public Policy from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs and his Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from St. John’s University. In 2016, he was awarded a Bush Fellowship, which he used to explore the intersection of food, aging, and health. A long-time Minneapolis resident, Martin loves playing baseball in the summer and skating in the winter at Longfellow Park, as well as year-round runs along the Winchell Trail and national park adventures with his wife and two sons. Minneapolis parks supporters will have their first chance to meet Wera on September 10 at Sunrise on the Mississippi, the Parks Foundation’s annual breakfast fundraiser, held this year at the Nicollet Island Pavilion.
“As one of the millions who have benefited from our city’s amazing park system, I’m incredibly honored to be joining the Minneapolis Parks Foundation at this pivotal time,” Wera says. “Whether it’s investing in the transformational project at North Commons, to supporting every day improvements and programs in neighborhood parks, now is the time to ensure that our park system thrives for generations to come. I look forward to connecting with community partners, donors, and stakeholders to make our shared vision for the future of the parks a reality.”
About the Minneapolis Parks Foundation
Since 2003, the Minneapolis Parks Foundation has raised more than $47 million for transformative parks and programming in Minneapolis by aligning philanthropic investment and community vision. Today, the Parks Foundation champions equitable investment in Minneapolis parks through the Transforming North Commons Park partnership. The Parks Foundation also supports community-based parks projects with the People for Parks Fund, and explores the intersection of parks and today’s most pressing issues by presenting the Next Generation of Parks™ Event Series. Learn more or make a gift at MplsParksFoundation.org.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Minneapolis Parks Foundation
Madeleine Koski, Communications Manager
mkoski@mplsparksfoundation.org
612-484-5919