The Civic Celebration is an annual event to support our work and to honor the courageous leadership and dedicated public service of extraordinary Minnesotans. On March 16, 2023, our tradition continued as hundreds of Minnesotans — a diverse array of civic leaders, policy thinkers, and community builders — gathered to honor Kathleen Blatz, former Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court and Minnesota State Legislator, and Edwina García, former Minnesota State Legislator and Richfield City Council Member.

HONOREE VIDEOS

Both our honorees exemplify the power and importance of stepping up to serve others. In their own ways, Kathleen and Edwina said “yes” to public service, rising to serve the needs of their communities and their state — Kathleen as the youngest female legislator elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1978, then later the first female chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court; Edwina as the first woman of color to sit on the Richfield City Council, and the first Latina and first woman of color to serve in the Minnesota Legislature.

Click the photos of our honorees to learn more, and watch our honoree videos by Mojo Solo, below.

EVENT PHOTOS
 

Kathleen Blatz

Edwina García

Kathleen Blatz

Kathleen Blatz’s formal career in public service began in 1978 when she was elected to the Minnesota Legislature. At 24 years old, she was the youngest woman to be elected to the state legislature. She was elected to this office for eight terms, representing the city of Bloomington. During her time in the legislature, Kathleen became known for her focus on family and children’s issues. After her legislative career, she served as Hennepin County District Court Judge, followed by two governor-appointed posts to the Minnesota Supreme Court, where she became the first female chief justice. While she retired from the court in 2006, she maintained her involvement in public service for the state of Minnesota. She was appointed by Governor Mark Dayton as the special master during the government shutdown, and later served on the governor’s child abuse task force and as interim chair of the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority. Kathleen recently served on the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Board of Trustees for 12 years, before serving as interim CEO for Blue Cross until the fall of 2021. She also served on the Robina Foundation from 2010-2020, chairing it from 2013-2020, and currently sits on the board of trustees of the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation.

Edwina García

Originally from New Mexico, Edwina García moved to Minnesota in the early 1970s with her husband Joe and daughter Jill. At age 35, she was the first of her family to graduate college. Her public service officially began when she was recruited by an incumbent city council member to run for his seat in Richfield upon his retirement. Upon winning the election, Edwina became the first woman of color on the Richfield City Council. As her second term on the city council was ending, Edwina ran and won a seat at the Minnesota State Legislature, becoming the first Latina and first woman of color to serve in the state legislature. Her commitment to constituents, which included most of the city of Richfield, was apparent in her work related to economic development, neighborhood improvement, and addressing airport noise for residents. After a close but unsuccessful run for Minnesota Secretary of State, Edwina continued her work in public service in many capacities, including foundations, councils and commissions. In 2012, she was approached again to run for Richfield City Council. She won the seat, and served two terms before retiring in 2020.

2023 Honoree Videos

Our thanks to our partners at Mojo Solo for producing these short videos on our honorees!

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