Marilyn Carlson Nelson

Doctor of Laws

Carlson School of Managment and Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, October 7, 2008

Marilyn Carlson Nelson is the chair and CEO of Carlson Companies, headquartered in Minneapolis. She is among a small group of women CEOs at the head of one of the largest private companies in the country. She is described as "being an extremely effective and influential business and civic leader in the state of Minnesota, across the nation, and around the world and a strong voice and advocate for the travel industry as well as for women, children and the greater good." Carlson Companies own operations that employ approximately 170,000 people in more than 150 countries. System-wide, Carlson Companies has sales totaling around $34.4 billion. She serves on the World Economics Forum's International Business Council, was admitted to the French Legion of Honor, and has been named to Forbes magazine's "World's 100 Most Powerful Woman" every year since 2004. Locally, she has devoted herself to several community and civic efforts including serving as president of the United Way, spearheading the effort to bring the Super Bowl to Minnesota, and serving on the boards of the Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota foundations. She also serves on the Carlson School of Management's Board of Overseers, the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs Advisory Board, the Executive Advisory Board of the CSOM Juran Center for Leadership Quality, and the Northrop Advisory Committee.