Coffee with Commissioners: Minnesota’s Office of Grants Management

Virtual – Live/Online
Fee: Free

RSVP Today!

If you have ever searched for, applied for, or contracted with the state through a grant, you’ve interacted with OGM policies!

Join the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, Greater Twin Cities United Way, and the Minnesota Council on Foundations for a conversation with the state’s Office of Grants Management.

The Office of Grants Management (OGM) provides statewide leadership and works in partnership with executive branch granting agencies to standardize, streamline, and improve state grantmaking practices and increase public information about state grant opportunities. Grants that are awarded from the executive branch – for example through the Department of Human Services, the Department of Employment and Economic Development, and up to 35 executive branch agencies, boards, and councils – are governed by policies set through OGM.

We’ll talk with OGM about the purpose of their office, legislative changes from the 2023 session to expand accountability and equity through the state’s grant investments, increased staffing at OGM in response to legislative changes and new/expanded responsibilities, and priorities for the year ahead. We will also discuss current opportunities for nonprofits to influence OGM’s work and possible legislative proposals in the upcoming session affecting state grant making and grant management. There will be time for audience members to ask questions.

Coffee with Commissioners is a series to support the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors’ understanding of state government. We heard great feedback from the event with Commissioner Tamar Gronvall from the MN Department of Administration back in January, and so are hosting this event to focus more closely on OGM, which is part of the Department of Administration.

RSVP for the event on Zoom

Event Details  

This virtual event will take place on the Zoom platform. Your access link will be emailed to you the day before the event.

This session will be recorded. The recording will be made available to registrants for 14 days after the live event.

Speaker Information

Julie Bayerl, Dept of Administration Legislative Director:  Julie works to advance Admin’s policy and budget requests at the Minnesota Legislature. Before coming to Admin in 2019, she spent 12 years at the Minnesota Senate including time as a Leadership Assistant to the Majority Leader where she provided policy analysis and developed legislative strategies on a variety of issues. Julie enjoys gardening, reading, and spending time with her three young sons. In the winter, she serves as a state tournament dance team judge for the Minnesota State High School League.

Sarah Erickson, OGM Outcomes and Reporting Manager:  Sarah Kate Erickson (she/her) is the Outcomes and Reporting Manager at OGM. In this role she supports organizational learning, evaluation, data collection, and reporting across the state enterprise. Sarah has worked in the nonprofit sector for more than 20 years as an educator, executive leader, grant writer, and project manager. In the municipal world, she facilitated a mini-grant, outreach, and education program focused on neighborhood led projects and events. She holds a B.A. from Smith College, an M.Ed. from the University of Minnesota Duluth, and an MBA from The College of Saint Scholastica. Sarah is based in Duluth where she is an artist, parent, partner, swimmer, avid reader, and outdoor enthusiast.

Nancy E Lee, OGM Equity in Grants Supervisor:  Nancy has an extensive history of grants management and systems change work within the state enterprise. Most recently she worked as the Systems Transformation Coordinator at the MN Dept of Health – Health Equity Bureau. Prior to that she was the grants manager for dementia grants with the Dept of Human Services – Minnesota Board on Aging and sponsor of the nationally recognized Cultural Consultants in Dementia Care Initiative. Nancy is a locution (expression) and phraseology (style) geek who uses words to elucidate (reveal) issues. She believes these skills will aid her in helping people to better understand the underlying structural elements of grant administration that adversely affect communities and then, ultimately, help transform grant administration into a pro-equity, as well as an anti-racist funding system.

Naomi Munzner, OGM Policy and Training Director:  Naomi has 18 years of state/public sector service and 17 years of service in the nonprofit sector. In her current position she provides leadership and direction by establishing, implementing, and updating state grant policies and providing policy direction, guidance, training, and technical assistance to the state executive branch to improve state grant administration. Naomi is a subject matter and technical expert and is directly responsible for providing consultation, developing, designing, coordinating, and delivering state enterprise training and resources on grant administration and grant management. Before being recruited to join Team Admin-OGM in 2012, Naomi worked as a Grants Specialist Coordinator at MDE for State Head Start Programs from 2006-2012. From 1989-2006, Naomi worked in the nonprofit sector in early childhood education, early childhood training and advocacy, coordinating anti-bias training for early childhood and youth educators, mentoring, and youth development. Naomi’s favorite color is purple and she appreciates the journey of life-long learning.

Betsy Ohrn is the Manager of Strategic Program Analysis for the MN Paid Leave Division at DEED where she leads efforts related to policy, rulemaking, evaluation, and user-centered program design. She started her career in education and worked for Minneapolis Public Schools for nine years leading a variety of evaluation, innovation, and racial equity efforts. Before joining the State, she worked as the Director of Research at the Center for Economic Inclusion. She holds a master’s in public administration from the Humphrey School and a BA from Rice University.

Mary Schmidt, OGM Director:  Mary Schmidt joined Admin in September 2023 after 9 years at MnDOT and 7.5 years at DEED. Prior to her state service she was VP of MN Housing Partnership, a statewide intermediary nonprofit focused on affordable housing and homelessness response planning, housing development and advocacy. Earlier in her career she spent nearly 10 years doing international development work with the World Bank Group in Washington, DC, helping poor countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East create public policies to reduce poverty and strengthen government service delivery capacity. Mary is a proud Bennie, having earned a BA from College of St. Benedict. In addition to being a Fulbright Scholar, she has her MA from Georgetown University.