Ever wonder who writes the policies that govern grants to nonprofits, what happens to the office equipment left behind when a state agency moves to more remote work, how to reserve space at the Capitol complex, or who chooses the state's vendors for things like copier paper? Wonder no more!
Join the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, Greater Twin Cities United Way, and the Minnesota Council on Foundations for a conversation with the Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Administration, Tamar Gronvall.
The event will be comprised of two parts. MCN's public policy director Marie Ellis will begin the event with an overview of state government to set the stage for Commissioner Gronvall who will join for the second half of the hour. Commissioner Gronvall will share insights into lessons from the department's Equity in Procurement initiative that are transferrable to work with nonprofit grants, the importance of the demographics center, which nonprofits are eligible to purchase surplus state property at reduced cost, the expansion of the Office of Grants Management, and more.
The
Department of Administration (Admin) provides services to the other state agencies. Admin has 475 full-time employees, oversees $2.1 billion in state purchases, and maintains 4.4 million square feet of owned space.
Of particular interest to nonprofits and foundations, Admin houses the
Office of Grants Management (OGM), which works with other state agencies to standardize, streamline, and improve state grantmaking practices and increase public information about state grant opportunities. Grants that are awarded through the Department of Human Services, the Department of Employment and Economic Development, and other agencies are governed by policies set through OGM.
We'll talk with Commissioner Gronvall about what lessons from the department's Equity in Procurement initiative are transferrable to work with nonprofit grants, the importance of the demographics center, which nonprofits are eligible to purchase surplus state property at reduced cost, the expansion of the Office of Grants Management, and more.
Coffee with Commissioners is a series to support the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors’ understanding of state government.
This event will not be recorded.
RSVP for the event on Zoom.
This event is brought to you by:
Speaker Information
Tamar Gronvall serves as the Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Administration. As Commissioner, Gronvall leads over a dozen administrative service divisions – including the state’s purchasing, real estate property, fleet, risk management, and demographic analysis. As a part of Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan’s cabinet, she is focused on ensuring our state systems continue to deliver the best and most efficient services for Minnesotans.
Prior to her appointment as Commissioner, Gronvall served as director at the Office for Conflict Resolution at the University of Minnesota, providing legal counsel and mediation and overseeing the employee grievance process for over 20,000 employees across all five system campuses. In this role, she has initiated and led processes to improve the university’s practices and policies to advance fairness, transparency, equity, and inclusion.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Gronvall served in a temporary position with the State Emergency Operations Center, where she led efforts across numerous state agencies to secure federal funding for urgent pandemic needs. In 2017, Governor Dayton appointed Gronvall as one of three judges on the Minnesota Tax Court where she expanded free mediation to all parties and increased court accessibility for self-represented litigants. She previously served as general counsel at the Minnesota Department of Commerce and served in the Minnesota State Attorney General’s office, managing several divisions representing numerous state agencies.
Gronvall attended the University of Minnesota where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and went on to the University of Minnesota Law School earning a Juris Doctor degree.