Lars Leafblad

Current

• Principal at KeyStone Search

Past

• Director of Development at Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs
• Director of Member Services at The Collaborative
• Interim Assistant Director, Alumni & Parent Relations at St. Olaf College

• Market Development Manager at Four51.com
• Leadership Development Program at GE Capital Fleet Services
• National Touring BBQ Rib Team at Famous Dave's of America

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Education

• Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs - U of MN
• University of Minnesota - Carlson School of Management
• St. Olaf College

• Minnehaha Academy

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1 more...

Recommended

3 people have recommended Lars

Connections

500+ connections

Industry

Staffing and Recruiting

Lars Leafblad’s Summary

Lars joined KeyStone in 2007 after serving as Director of Development for the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. He leads the Corporate Affairs and Marketing & Engagement practice areas and co-chairs the Education Services practice. Lars is also the firm's functional expert in Institutional Advancement.

He began his career in a leadership development program with GE Capital and subsequently helped launch Four51.com, a high-tech start-up, before returning to his alma mater, St. Olaf College, as interim asst. dir. of alumni and parent relations. He spent two summers in college working as a member of the Nat'l Touring BBQ Team for Famous Dave's of America competing in BBQ competitions across the upper Midwest.

Lars earned a BA in Economics from St. Olaf College, and his MBA from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management. There he was recognized with a "President's Student Leadership and Service Award" for his leadership contributions to the MBA student community. In May 2007, Lars was also recognized with a "40 Under 40" award from The Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal.

Lars serves on the board of directors for CaringBridge (www.caringbridge.org) and advisory board of The Salvation Army - Twin Cities (www.thesalarmy.org). He is also on the host committee of TEDxTC (www.tedxtc.com).

He is a member of the Citizens League, RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association and participated in the 2008-09 Humphrey Institute Policy Fellows program at the U of MN.

Lars makes his home in Roseville with his wife Maren and their three children. In his free time, he enjoys time with family, reading, creative writing, poker, and trying to become slightly less unhandy.

KeyStone Search is a Minneapolis-based executive search firm emphasizing cultural fit when filling executive level positions. In 2009, KeyStone was selected as a recipient of a Minnesota Business Ethics Award in the small business category.

Lars Leafblad’s Experience

• Principal

  KeyStone Search

  (Privately Held; Staffing and Recruiting industry)

  September 2007 — Present (2 years 3 months)

  http://www.keystonesearch.com

• Director of Development

  Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs

  (Educational Institution; 10,001 or more employees; Fund-Raising industry)

  August 2003 — September 2007 (4 years 2 months)

  http://www.hhh.umn.edu

• Director of Member Services

  The Collaborative

  (Privately Held; 1-10 employees; Market Research industry)

  February 2003 — May 2003 (4 months)

  http://www.collaborative.net

• Interim Assistant Director, Alumni & Parent Relations

  St. Olaf College

  (Educational Institution; 1001-5000 employees; Higher Education industry)

  April 2002 — January 2003 (10 months)

  http://www.stolaf.edu

• Market Development Manager

  Four51.com

  (Privately Held; 11-50 employees; Information Technology and Services industry)

  January 2000 — December 2001 (2 years )

  http://www.four51.com

• Leadership Development Program

  GE Capital Fleet Services

  (Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; GE; Financial Services industry)

  June 1999 — January 2000 (8 months)

  http://www.gefleet.com

• National Touring BBQ Rib Team

  Famous Dave's of America

  (Public Company; 1001-5000 employees; Food & Beverages industry)

  May 1998 — August 1998 (4 months)

  http://www.famousdaves.com

Lars Leafblad’s Education

• Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs - U of MN

  2008-09 Policy Fellows Program 2008 — 2009

• University of Minnesota - Carlson School of Management

  MBA , Strategic Management , 2004 — 2006

  Activities and Societies:

  Founded Common Grounds, a networking organization for graduate students from the Carlson School, Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, and the U of MN Law School.
  , http://common-grounds.blogspot.com/,
  
  Founded St. Olaf MBA Association, a networking organization for St. Olaf alumni who are/were MBA students and alumni., http://olemba.blogspot.com

• St. Olaf College

  BA , Economics , 1955 — 2005

  Activities and Societies:

  Student Body Vice-President
  
  Founder, Manitou Investment Society
  
  Founder, St. Olaf Alumni/ae Partnership

• Minnehaha Academy

  High School , 1986 — 1995

Additional Information

Lars Leafblad’s Groups:

CaringBridge, member, Board of Directors, (http://www.caringbridge.org/board),

The Salvation Army, member, Twin Cities Advisory Board, (http://www.thesalarmy.org/ab/tcadvisoryboard.htm),

HHH Institute Policy Fellows, participant, 2008-09 cohort, (http://tinyurl.com/hhhpolicyfellows),

RESOLVE:The National Infertility Association, member, (http://www.resolve.org),

The Minneapolis Club, member, membership committee,
(http://www.mplsclub.org),

Citizens League, member, (http://www.citizensleague.net),

St. Olaf MBA Association (SOMA), co-founder, (http://olemba.blogspot.com),

TEDxTC Host Committee member,
(http://www.tedxtc.com)

The PUSH Institute, supporter, (http://www.pushthefuture.org)

Common Grounds, co-founder, (http://www.commongroundsmn.org)

•    Carlson School of Management
•    St. Olaf MBA Association (SOMA)
•    St. Olaf College Alumni Group
•    40 Under Forty Global Alumni Society
•    Humphrey Institute alumni & students
•    General Electric Alumni
•    Minnehaha Academy Alumni
•    On Fundraising, Hosted by AFP
•    Social Media Today
•    40 Under Forty Minneapolis/St. Paul
•    University of Minnesota Alumni Association (UMAA)
•    Minnesota MBAs (CSOM)
•    Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy
•    Ole Connections - A Professional Development Community
•    Minnesota Venture Capital
•    CaringBridge Friends, Volunteers, Staff and Supporters
•    Humphrey Policy Fellows
•    SURGE
•    KeyStone Executives
•    Minnesota Council of Nonprofits
•    Estenson Alumni and Sponsors
•    Common Grounds Interdisciplinary Initiative
•    Private Equity Alliance of Minneapolis
•    Bedo Intrapreneurs
•    TEDxTC

Lars Leafblad’s Honors:

2009 Minnesota Business Ethics Award Winner, KeyStone Search,

2007 Minneapolis-St.Paul Business Journal "40 Under Forty" award winner,

2006 University of Minnesota President's Student Service and Leadership Award

Lars Leafblad’s Contact Settings

Interested In:

• new ventures
• job inquiries
• expertise requests
• business deals
• reference requests
• getting back in touch