1. People

Chris Romano

Chief operating officer

Connect:

I feel inspired to make the field of philanthropy feel more accessible and understandable to the many organizations doing extraordinary work in the communities served by Bush. In my role, I’m able to help the foundation think differently around risk exposure and process, and I’m able to leverage my years of nonprofit service work to bring a community orientation to the job.

Chris is the chief operating officer for the Bush Foundation. His leadership provides direction and guidance for the teams that support Bush’s organizational purpose through effective operations.

Chris provides coordination and integration across the teams that steward Bush’s assets; ensure integrity, equity and transparency in all aspects of finance and operations; engender trust through effective communications; make sure that Bush remains a great place to work, learn and grow; and contributes to the design and implementation of community-led processes. He is a key member of Bush’s management team and leads work that supports board committees.

Chris joined Bush in 2022 and is a 2010 Bush Fellow. He has held a variety of leadership roles for organizations that span wide-ranging sectors. He served as executive director for Seward Redesign, a community development corporation that leads real estate and economic development initiatives in South Minneapolis, and was chief operating officer for the Center for Economic Inclusion. His experiences also include diverse leadership roles at Thrivent Financial and as executive director for the Riverview Economic Development Association.

Chris is an avid fisherman and most content and at home in Minnesota’s north woods or on a boat somewhere. He lives in south Minneapolis with his wife and 3 teenage sons.

Additional experiences and leadership

  • Board member, Minnesota Council on Foundations
  • MBA, Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota
  • Small business development consultant in Nicaragua
  • Alum, Peace Corps
  • Past board president, Latino Economic Development Center
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