2025 Annual Report
PURPOSE I POLICY I POWER
KRISTIN RIGG
2025 Chair
MN Leadership Council on Aging
OUR MISSION
"Uniting leaders to advance equitable opportunities for all Minnesotans as we age."
A MESSAGE FROM OUR CHAIR
As I look back on the past year, I’m struck by the resilience, generosity, and deep connections that define Minnesota’s aging sector. These qualities continue to anchor us as we navigate a landscape that grows more complex each day.
Even as new challenges emerge, we consistently show what is possible when we share knowledge openly, coordinate our strengths, and act with shared purpose. We do this by holding to our bedrock values of equity, community, dignity and a belief that each of us deserves to be seen and supported as we to age.
Throughout 2025, the MN Leadership Council on Aging demonstrated our ability to bring people together across roles, systems, and communities. By listening, learning, and building trusted relationships, we strengthened what makes collective action possible. Thank you for your leadership, partnership, and commitment in these efforts.
I am energized to continue this work alongside you as we face the year ahead and believe our growing network remains essential to advancing equity and shaping policies and communities to honor people of all ages and walks of life.
Sincerely
KRISTIN RIGG
Executive Director
Living at Home Network
2025 Chair, MN Leadership Council on Aging
2025 ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Our community of champions continues to grow.
34
Member Organizations
(+3)
3,182
Collaborator Contacts
(+274)
68
Council Convenings
(+15)
4,216
Volunteer Hours
(+930)
This year, we welcomed leaders from four new organizations to join us...
Mary
Niedermeyer
Chief Executive Officer
CAPI
Kathryn
Greiner
Executive Director
Rebuilding Together MN
Kwangja
Kwon
Executive Director
Korean Service Center
Anjuli
Cameron
Chief Executive Officer
SEWA-AIFW
... and we welcomed several new Delegates who stepped forward to lead our longstanding member organizations!
Mike
Lavin
President
DARTS
Karina
Forrest Perkins
President and CEO
Volunteers of America - Minnesota and Wisconsin
Roxanne
Jenkins
Chief Executive Officer
Senior Community Services
Kristina
Wright-Peterson
Executive Director
Minnesota Network of Hospice & Palliative Care
Margaret
Rog
Advocacy Manager
Alzheimer's Association Minnesota-North Dakota
Jill
Kozberg
Mental Health and Senior Services Director
Jewish Family and Children's Service of Minnesota
CONVENING TRUSTED EVENTS
We continued our tradition of hosting convenings that matter, from virtual education like our free Catalyst Conversations to our support for several in-person events.
CHAMPIONING POWERFUL PUBLIC POLICY
We advocated for 13 important public policy solutions in the 2025 Legislative Session and hosted the first Age-Friendly Minnesota Day at the Capitol.
20
Events
(+6)
2,117
Attendees
(-361)
94% Satisfaction
Composite percentage of all event evaluations selecting "agree" or "strongly agree" to a good value for their time and resources attending.
(-2)
FACILITATING MEANINGFUL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
We championed diverse, equitable, and inclusive communities in which to age, including efforts to help each person in every community tell their stories effectively.
ADVANCING REFRAMED LANGUAGE ON AGING
We worked towards a Minnesota free of ageism, offering Reframe Aging Minnesota sessions with the UMN Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation and National Center to Reframe Aging.
2025 Online Connections
We continue to grow our digital community and connections as well.
1,000
Facebook Followers
2024 - 990
2023 - 887
2022 - 734
2021 - 576
2020 - 231
504
Twitter/X Followers
2024 - 497
2023 - 492
2022 - 485
2021 - 410
2020 - 274
1,971
Linked-In Followers
2024 - 1,715
2023 - 1,004
2022 - 677
2021 - 259
2020 - 87
60
Bluesky Followers
2024 - 45 NEW!
mnlcoa.org
January 1, 2025 - December 31, 2025
10,624
Visits
(-5,384)
28,801
Page Views
(-8,251)
CENTERING COMMUNITY VOICES
We coordinated age-friendly systems alongside the Age-Friendly Minnesota Council and 3,400 community members who helped to co-create Minnesota's Multisector Blueprint for Aging.
BUILDING COALITIONS ROOTED IN SHARED PURPOSE
We fostered public, private and non-profit collaborations looking at the intersectionality of aging, including convening the Finish Strong Funders Network in Aging.
33
6
Staff Contractors
2024 - 5
2023 - 3
2022 - 2
2021 - 2
2025 GOALS
Working together, we championed...
- Diverse, equitable, and inclusive communities in which to age
- A Minnesota free of ageism
- Coordinated age-friendly systems
- People who care for older Minnesotans
Through virtual and in-person sessions, our 2025 Summit brought together hundreds of people from across Minnesota. We heard powerful reflections from our members like Xavier Vazquez, Executive Director of Centro Tyrone Guzman and Sally Brown, Co-Chair of the Vital Aging Network. We created space to learn about ageism, community-led processes for planning and policy, effective storytelling, policy solutions for the 2026 Legislative Session, the momentum of the age-friendly movement, and created opportunities to foster real relationships between long-time experts and emerging leaders at every level in the aging field.
MAJOR PROGRAMS
ADAM SUOMALA
Executive Director
MN Leadership Council on Aging
A MESSAGE FROM OUR DIRECTOR
This year, our Delegates brought together people to move key systems change efforts forward in several important ways. In what was a complex and fast-changing environment, our network chose connection, shared leadership, and action.
We expanded our anti-ageism resources by launching the first year of Reframe Aging Minnesota sessions and deepened our Catalyst Conversation offerings — all free virtual sessions centered around community wisdom and building practical skills to lead change. These brave spaces strengthened our shared language, surfaced real-world insight, and sparked new partnerships spanning different sectors and communities.
We also kept momentum moving forward by hosting the first Age-Friendly Minnesota Day at the Capitol and elevated the collective voices in our network by endorsing age-friendly policies and systems changes.
Anti-Ageism Resources
Learn more
Reframe Aging Minnesota
Learn more
Bold Cross-Sector Planning
Learn more
Community Engagement
Learn moreThese efforts reflect the commitment, generosity, and leadership of our members, partners, and funders. They also point to what is possible when we organize around a powerful shared purpose.
As I look at the year ahead, our invitation remains clear: all are welcome! Please bring your voice to our table as often as possible. I hope you will be part of our efforts to improve the systems that allow each of us to age well in Minnesota.
With deep appreciation,
ADAM SUOMALA
Executive Director
MN Leadership Council on Aging
2025 Financial Strength
Beyond our member-powered work, the financial health of the Leadership Council is grounded in modest revenue from annual member dues, event registration fees, limited sponsorships and foundation supports, along with a few targeted service contracts.
Like other nonprofits, we often see funding lag behind opportunity, so we operate with high efficiency and focus our limited resources where they matter most.
As reported in our 2024-2025 990 filing with the IRS, our total revenue was $242,300 and expenses were $221,489, adding $20,811 in total revenue less expenses to our bottom line.
This financial health reflects multi-year funding from the St. Paul & Minnesota Foundation and ongoing contracts with the Age-Friendly Minnesota Council and Minnesota Department of Health.
With $135,107 in net assets, we remain financially solvent and ready for strategic growth that responsibly advances our mission.
2025 Major Contributors
In 2025, beyond the member-driven work of our delegates, we deeply appreciated the multi-year grant support from:
- Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation
- Age-Friendly Minnesota
- Minnesota Department of Health
2025 Board of Directors
Each of our Delegates takes on an important service assignment - from leading one of our groups to service on our Board.
Officers
- Kristin Rigg, Chair
- George Schoephoerster, Vice Chair
- James Falvey, Immediate Past Chair
- Amanda Vickstrom, Secretary
- Patrick Rowan, Treasurer
- Adam Suomala, President
Directors At Large
- Dawn Simonson
- Toby Pearson
- Kimelyn Knight
Committee Chairs
- Ruth Hampton Olkon, Membership Development
- Paula Woischke, Events
- Robert Freeman, Policy
Members serving on July 1, 2025
2025 Members
2025 Team
Our work is member-driven, and staff led. Our small but mighty team behind the scenes welcome you to reach out to learn more.
Adam Suomala
Executive Director
Chao Yang
Director of Equity and Engagement
Kate Seng
Co-Convener, Finish Strong Funders Network
Donna Felix
Accountant
Charles "Tysen" Tyson
Research Consultant
Anjali Daverey
Policy Researcher
Stay Engaged...
We invite you to connect more deeply with our work! From signing-up to recieve our monthly emails to supporting our efforts or attending our events. It will take each of us working together to truly advance equitable opportunities for all Minnesotans as we age.
