Move Minnesota’s Executive Director Moving on to New Role—but the Work Continues!
Move Minnesota shared news of the upcoming leadership change with a special announcement from outgoing executive director Sam Rockwell:
Dear Move Minnesota Community,
It is with very mixed emotions that I write to you to let you know I will be leaving Move Minnesota in a couple weeks. I am not going far! I’ll be working with—and for—all of you in a new position at the State of Minnesota. I will be working to bring federal dollars to Minnesota, including federal infrastructure dollars to support implementation of Move Minnesota’s important work to make our state more multimodal, sustainable, and just.
And, crucially, before I go, we’re going to have a party! Hold the date for a farewell celebration: Wednesday, September 4, 5-7 PM, Dual Citizen Brewing, Saint Paul.
These last four and a half years as executive director have been incredible thanks to the dedication and hard work of Move Minnesota’s staff team, the support and direction from our board, the extraordinary leadership from decision-makers and agency staff—and thanks to you for your deep commitment to this work.
You have been a critical part of building a vision for a truly excellent transit system; building a mandate for Minnesota to chart a path toward a multimodal, sustainable, and equitable future; and securing real progress toward these goals.
I am proud of the approach Move Minnesota and our community have taken over the last many years. We have worked to lead on an advocacy portfolio that creates meaningful change and puts us in partnership with local and national organizations. We have built a reputation for expertise and are also connected to the transit riders we serve. And we are able to both work in strong partnership with decision-makers and to influence those decision-makers with letters, emails, or a rally when necessary.
We’ve accomplished amazing things together since 2019:
- Secured a vehicle miles traveled reduction target in Minnesota;
- Worked with legislative leaders and advocates to develop nation-leading legislation to give Minnesota’s VMT and GHG targets teeth that will cut highway pollution and protect our climate;
- Delivered on ten years of legislative advocacy and coalition work by getting a historic transit funding bill over the finish line, in addition to securing one-time funds to support six additional bus rapid transit lines;
- Successfully advocated for a fare decriminalization and a transit ambassador bill, for a free fares pilot program, and for an examination of how our trunk highway funds are spent—and could be spent;
- Led deep community outreach efforts along the Green and C lines and in transit-adjacent schools;
- Coordinated with the City of Saint Paul to redraft key parts of their zoning code and eliminate parking mandates;
- Built new programs to connect with Saint Paul community members and bolster confidence in multimodal transportation options in the city;
- Launched Move Minnesota Action to build grassroots and political power to transform transit;
- Launched new volunteer groups to focus on local initiatives and give community members a more forceful voice;
- Reimagined the work week for improved work-life balance at our organization;
- Built and strengthened relationships across all levels of government, from local to federal, and built a national profile for Move Minnesota;
- And more!
Importantly—and this cannot be overstated—all the work listed above was done in partnership with incredible local, state, and national allied organizations. The commitment, expertise, organizing power, strategic thinking, and moral leadership of our community’s transit, climate, and social justice advocates blows me away every day.
Thank you.
The accomplishments above also would not have happened without the profound commitment of public sector leaders. Sometimes a legislator just “carries” a bill or a commissioner “signs-off” on an initiative, but I repeatedly saw legislators, commissioners, council members, and agency staff and leaders go way above and beyond to improve a policy or an infrastructure investment.
Thank you.
One of the great things about having such a strong community of advocates and supporters and such a strong set of public sector leaders is . . . there is still a lot of work to do!! Our transit is still too slow and too infrequent, our streets are not designed for people, and we are still too car dependent. Our transportation emissions remain stubbornly high, our communities are continuing to sprawl, and we need to make sure the great policies we passed get implemented and strengthened in the months and years to come.
I look forward to continuing to work with all of you to deliver progress toward Minnesota’s powerful vision for our future.
Stay tuned for more on Move Minnesota’s plans for our next executive director—and I hope to see you at our farewell party next Wednesday, September 4!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for being part of the Move Minnesota community,
Sam Rockwell
Executive Director