Tony Sertich facilitated his last IRRRB meeting on December 18. He will now be president of the Northland Foundation.
Cook County residents who got to know Tony Sertich during his visits to the North Shore as commissioner of the Iron Range Resources and Rehabiliation Board (IRRRB) were disappointed in November when the announcement was made that Sertich was leaving that post. However, an announcement that quickly followed was welcome—Sertich will begin working for the citizens of the Arrowhead region as president of the Northland Foundation in January 2015.
Many agreed with Governor Mark Dayton who, after hearing of Sertich’s plan to leave IRRRB after four years, said, “Throughout his years of public service, Tony Sertich has been an outstanding advocate for his community, for the Iron Range, and for all of Minnesota. As a State Representative, House Majority Leader, and now Commissioner of the IRRRB, Tony has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of many Minnesotans. I am grateful to him for his exceptional service, and I wish him well in his new endeavor.”
Sertich’s new endeavor will be taking the reins of the Northland Foundation, succeeding Tom Renier, Northland’s founding president who retires this month after leading the organization for over 28 years.
“Being tasked with hiring Tom Renier’s successor was an incredible responsibility for the board, and we undertook it with the utmost care,” stated Diane Rauschenfels, chair of the Northland Foundation Board of Trustees. “The pool of applicants was exceptionally strong, making it a daunting task. In the end, the board was unanimous in its decision. We all look forward to working with Tony to further the mission and impact of the Northland Foundation,” said Rauschenfels.
Sertich is a lifelong Minnesotan whose roots run four generations deep on the Iron Range. Prior to serving as IRRRB commissioner, Sertich spent a decade representing District 5B in the Minnesota House of Representatives (2001 to 2011). In 2007 at the age of 30, he became the youngest House Majority Leader in state history.
Sertich graduated from Chisholm High School then attended Hamline University in Saint Paul where he received a bachelor of arts degree with a double major in theatre arts and political science.
As the commissioner of the IRRRB, Sertich led a staff of 55 and oversaw a $40 million annual budget. He is also intimately familiar with the challenges of running a business as the manager of the family business— an ambulance service in Chisholm. In addition, Sertich is an instructor in the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Master of Advocacy and Political Leadership program. He has a lengthy list of community and board service experience, including with the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, UMD’s Natural Resources Research Institute, the Center for Rural Policy and Development, and many others.
“As a partner to the Northland Foundation over the years, I have always been impressed with the staff and board’s professionalism and their dedication to the work of the foundation and our region,” stated Tony Sertich.
“I share the same deep desire to improve the communities of northeastern Minnesota for all people. It’s a privilege to become a member of this team, whose mission I believe in and whose work I have admired for years,” concluded Sertich.
Since its inception in 1986, the Northland Foundation has evolved from a modest grantmaking foundation to a robust, multi-faceted operating foundation which has been recognized regionally and at the state and national levels for excellence and innovation.
“I was confident that the Search Committee and Board of Trustees would do an exemplary job selecting the right person to lead the Northland Foundation into the future,” said outgoing president Tom Renier, “and I couldn’t be happier about their decision.”
Since 1986, the Northland Foundation has served as a resource for people, businesses, and communities working toward prosperity through economic and social justice in the northeastern Minnesota counties of Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, and St. Louis counties.
.Visit www.northlandfdn.org for more information.
Leave a Reply