The powerful group of owners, executives and head coaches who call the shots across Minnesota sports is nearly all white. The Star Tribune compiled a list of the top positions at the highest levels of the state's sports: pro and NCAA Division I. Of the 81 positions on this list, eight are held by people of color (two people, Glen Taylor and Ethan Casson, hold the same position with the Timberwolves and Lynx).
A majority of the athletes in five of these seven organizations — the Lynx, Vikings, Timberwolves, Twins and United — are people of color. Three of those organizations — the Lynx, Vikings and Twins — have no racial diversity at the highest levels of leadership.
The Star Tribune focused on the organizations' top executives and sports-focused leaders, such as general managers and head coaches, for this analysis.
Twins
• Jim Pohlad, chairman of the board
• Dave St. Peter, president and chief executive
• Derek Falvey, president of baseball operations
• Laura Day, executive VP
• Kip Elliott, executive VP
• Joe Pohlad, executive VP
• Matt Hoy, senior VP for operations
• Thad Levine, senior VP and general manager
• Rob Antony, VP and assistant GM
• Mike Radcliff, VP for player personnel
• Daniel Adler, assistant GM
• Jeremy Zoll, assistant GM
• Rocco Baldelli, manager
Diversity (13 leaders): No racial diversity
Vikings
• Zygi Wilf, chairman
• Mark Wilf, president
• Leonard Wilf, vice chairman
• Jonathan Wilf, vice president of strategic planning
• Rick Spielman, general manager
• George Paton, assistant GM
• Rob Brzezinski, executive VP of football operations
• Lester Bagley, executive VP of public affairs
• Mike Zimmer, head coach
Diversity (nine leaders): No racial diversity
Wild
• Craig Leipold, owner and governor
• Matt Majka, president and alternate governor
• Bill Guerin, general manager
• Tom Kurvers, assistant GM
• Jack Ferreira, senior adviser to the GM
• Chris O'Hearn, director of hockey operations
• Brad Bombardir, director of player development
• Dean Evason, interim head coach
Diversity (eight leaders): Guerin is of Latin-American heritage (Nicaraguan)
Minnesota United
• Bill McGuire, owner
• Chris Wright, chief executive officer
• Manny Lagos, chief soccer officer
• Adrian Heath, head coach
Diversity (four leaders): Lagos is of Spanish and African heritage
Lynx
• Glen Taylor, owner
• Cheryl Reeve, general manager/head coach
• Ethan Casson, chief executive officer
• Claire Duwelius, assistant general manager
• Michelle Blexrud, basketball operations coordinator
Diversity (five leaders): No racial diversity
Timberwolves
• Glen Taylor, owner
• Gersson Rosas, president of basketball operations
• Ethan Casson, chief executive officer
• Sachin Gupta, executive VP of basketball operations
• Scott Layden, general manager
• Gianluca Pascucci, assistant GM
• Joe Branch, assistant GM
• Emmanuel Rohan, assistant GM
• Robby Sikka, VP of basketball performance and technology
• Ryan Saunders, head coach
Diversity (10 leaders): Branch is black; Gupta and Sikka are Indian-American; Rosas is from Colombia
University of Minnesota
• Joan Gabel, university president
• Mark Coyle, athletic director
• Rhonda McFarland, deputy athletics director
• Julie Manning, executive associate athletics director
• Tom McGinnis, senior associate AD
• Marc Ryan, senior associate AD
• Dusty Clements, senior associate AD
• Peyton N. Owens III, senior associate AD
• Scott Ellison, senior associate AD
• Joi Thomas, senior associate AD
Coaches
• John Anderson, baseball
• Richard Pitino, men's basketball
• Lindsay Whalen, women's basketball
• Matt Bingle, director of track and field and cross-country
• Steve Plasencia, men's cross-country
• Sarah Hopkins, women's cross-country
• P.J. Fleck, football
• Justin Smith, men's golf
• Michele Redman, women's golf
• Mike Burns, men's gymnastics
• Jenny Hansen, women's gymnastics
• Bob Motzko, men's hockey
• Brad Frost, women's hockey
• Alicea Strodel, rowing
• Stefanie Golan, women's soccer
• Piper Ritter, softball
• Kelly Kremer, men's and women's swimming and diving
• Wenbo Chen, diving
• Geoff Young, men's tennis
• Catrina Thompson, women's tennis
• Hugh McCutcheon, volleyball
• Brandon Eggum, wrestling
Diversity (32 leaders): Owens is black, Chen is from China
