Robin Sternberg Named Chief Executive Officer of Marin Economic Forum
Northbay Biz
San Rafael, CA (August 23, 2017) – Marin Economic Forum Chairman of the Board Haden Ongaro announced today the hiring of Kentfield resident Robin Sternberg as Marin Economic Forum’s new Chief Executive Officer. Marin Economic Forum (MEF) is a public-private partnership created in 2010 to foster economic vitality while also enhancing social equity and protecting the environment. MEF’s 2016-2017 budget is $454,000, which includes recent matching grants of $150,000 from Marin County.
Sternberg comes to the Marin Economic Forum with a strong background in economic development and job growth strategies for high technology sectors and small businesses. Most recently she worked as the Senior Economic Development Advisor on the American Jobs Project at the University of California at Berkeley, where she was a lead advisor and author of a report focused on job creation in the clean energy efficiency sector.
From 2012 to 2015, she was the Deputy Commissioner, Department of Employment and Economic Development for the State of Minnesota where she managed over $180 million in programs. A Minnesota native, Ms. Sternberg previously was the Executive Director of Governor Dayton’s Jobs Initiative for Minnesota. Earlier, she was the National Director of Business Development and Marketing for Minnesota Public Radio, based in St. Paul. She has also held various consulting positions.
Effective immediately, Ms. Sternberg is leading MEF’s efforts to promote Marin County’s economic interests and growth through a variety of business support and community engagement programs as well as other new initiatives she will develop in concert with MEF’s thirty-six-member Board of Directors. Ms. Sternberg will also manage committees and volunteer working groups organized by MEF that focus on key economic issues in the County. Her duties also include fundraising, administration and event planning for the organization.
“We are thrilled to have hired a professional with Robin’s skills and background in economic development, politics, marketing and fundraising. The fact that she is a Marin County resident was also very appealing to our Board of Directors, as well as her collaborative nature, because most of our work occurs in partnership with other organizations throughout the County,” said Haden Ongaro, Executive Vice President for Newmark Knight Frank overseeing the commercial real estate firm’s North Bay offices in Marin and Sonoma counties.
Ongaro added that he personally and the entire board of directors would like to thank Michael Kadel for the superb job he did as the Interim Chief Executive of Marin Economic Forum since May of this year. Kadel, with a background in banking, has taken a position as Chief Operating Officer at Santa Clara County Federal Credit Union. He plans to remain on MEF’s Board of Directors.
Civic-minded for many years, Ms. Sternberg has served as an Event Chair and Board Member for nearly a dozen community entities including the Minnesota Children’s Museum, YWCA-Minneapolis and the Women Winning Annual Fundraiser. She was a member of the Finance Committee for the Obama Campaign in 2007-2008 and was elected as the state delegate for the Democratic National Convention in 2008 in Denver. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Ms. Sternberg also holds a Masters of International Management from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. She moved to Marin County in 2015 with her husband and their three teenage sons.
“It is an honor to join an organization so integral to the economic vitality of Marin County and to assist the County, its businesses, workers and residents to expand its economic potential. We have an impressive number of high caliber professionals, businesses and civic institutions engaged in the making of our very vibrant community. My goals for the Marin Economic Forum is to support the success of our 90,000 business entities, provide create solutions to problems, and protect the abundance of natural resources that make Marin County so special. It is such an exciting time in Marin and I am fortunate to be a part of this amazing community,” said Sternberg.
About Marin Economic Forum
The Marin Economic forum provides information and opportunities to collaborate for improving Marin County’s economic vitality, while seeking to increase social equity and protect the environment. Marin’s Economic Stakeholders include private sector companies, chambers of commerce, county and municipal governments, educational institutions, organizations supporting workforce employment, housing, and similar economic-related activities, consumer groups, and other organizations as designated by the MEF Board of Directors. Marin Economic Forum is a nonprofit organization. Be the first to receive updates and news from MEF by subscribing or liking us on our social media pages: Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn!
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