The Minnesota Nursery Landscape Association announced today that it has appointed Cassie Larson ’01 as executive director effective immediately.
Larson has been serving as MNLA’s interim executive director since November. She has provided dynamic and thoughtful leadership throughout her eight years with the organization in a variety of demanding positions, including communications director, education director and associate director. She has a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies from Gustavus Adolphus College and holds the Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation from the American Society of Association Executives.
“I am very pleased with the Board of Director’s selection of Larson,” said MNLA President Debbie Lonnee, planning and administration manager at Bailey Nurseries Inc. “We were pleased to find we had the very best candidate already under our own roof, which is a testament to our commitment to building leadership from within. Larson is a recognized and respected professional and industry leader.”
The MNLA Board of Director’s Search Committee, along with KeyStone Search, a leading executive search firm emphasizing cultural fit, narrowed the pool of candidates to a slate of very qualified candidates for the Search Committee’s review over a span of three months.
“We were thrilled and impressed by the quality and experience of the people on the slate,” Lonnee said. “To narrow it to three finalists and ultimately to our recommendation required many discussions. Fortunately, the Search Committee wanted to ensure we hired a person who was the right fit for MNLA, today and into the future.”
Larson takes over leadership following the departure of former Executive Director Bob Fitch. Fitch announced his resignation in October 2012 after 16 years of leadership. He leaves a long history of success and the creation of a solid foundation for the organization’s future.
Larson lives in Vadnais Heights with her husband, Mark, and their two daughters, Shelby and Sydney. She is a native of Faribault, Minn.