Ridgeway’s leadership and service continues to have an extraordinary impact on the Twin Cities community.
Minneapolis/St. Paul – The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal today named Jennifer Ridgeway, chief impact officer of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx, as its new Women in Business 2024 Laureate. Ridgeway joined the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx in 2018 as vice president of social responsibility and executive director of the Fastbreak Foundation. During her tenure, she earned several promotions, most recently to Chief Impact Officer. Since joining the organization, Ridgeway has embedded herself within the civic and nonprofit community, using sports as a vehicle for change.
“I am deeply humbled and honored to be part of such an inspiring and distinguished cohort of women leaders in our community,” Ridgeway said.
“Jen is a servant leader, whose impact extends far beyond our organization,” said Timberwolves and Lynx CEO Ethan Casson. “His dedication, passion and tireless work in the community has truly made a difference in the lives of many people. We are delighted to see her receive this well-deserved recognition.
Ridgeway is responsible for building the organization’s robust “Pack the Vote” platform, providing resources to nonpartisan voters for elections. Under her leadership, she positioned the organization as a key supporter of voting restoration efforts in Minnesota. Additionally, she was instrumental in the organization’s partnership with the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition to support more than 50,000 formerly incarcerated or paroled Minnesotans’ rights to register and vote. This work earned the organization the prestigious 2023-24 NBA Inclusion Leadership Award.
Ridgeway has launched significant programs and partnerships using the team’s platform to unite youth from diverse backgrounds to improve race relations and provide cultural competency, including Building Bridges Through Basketball, the Youth Safety Fund communities of the Minneapolis Foundation, the NBA/WNBA Team for Change and RISE (Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality).
The Minneapolis/St. The Paul Business Journal’s Women in Business Awards recognize the Twin Cities’ top executives, nonprofit leaders, entrepreneurs and business owners for their professional achievements and community involvement.
The Business Journal will publish the names of this year’s winners for five days (March 18-22) in online articles and special email announcements. All 2024 honorees will be featured in the May 17 Women in Business publication and honored at a large-scale luncheon and exhibition on May 17.
