Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority
# Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority

The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA) is the public authority that owns and operates U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was established in 2012 by the Minnesota Legislature as the successor organization to the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission (MSFC), which was established in 1977 to oversee the construction of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome; the MSFC owned and operated the Metrodome in a similar fashion to the MSFA. The MSFA initially oversaw the Metrodome until the stadium was demolished to make way for U.S. Bank Stadium in early 2014. Three of its five members are appointed by the Governor of Minnesota, with the remaining two being appointed by the mayor of Minneapolis.

## History

Public involvement in stadiums within the Twin Cities area has existed ever since interest in professional sports within the area started to grow in the early 1950s. The cities of Minneapolis and Bloomington formed the Metropolitan Sports Area Commission (MSAC) on August 13, 1954, to oversee the construction and operation of Metropolitan Stadium in the latter city, with the stadium opening in 1956. However, with the Minnesota Vikings dissatisfied by the state of the stadium in the 1970s, plans were devised for its replacement by local and state governments.

When the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission was formed in 1977, it absorbed the MSAC and took over the operations of Metropolitan Stadium; it would continue to do so until the end of 1981 with the Metrodome's opening the following year. The commission was composed of seven members, six of which were appointed by the Minneapolis City Council. The chair, however, was appointed by the Governor of Minnesota and could not reside in Minneapolis. The commission was abolished by the Minnesota Legislature as part of legislation that funded U.S. Bank Stadium in May 2012; its assets were transferred to the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority.

On June 14, 2012, Governor Mark Dayton appointed Michele Kelm-Helgen as chair, along with Duane Benson (term end December 31, 2015) and John Griffith (term end December 31, 2016) to the board. Minneapolis Mayor R. T. Rybak appointed Barbara Butts Williams (term end December 31, 2015) and Bill McCarthy (term end December 31, 2016). The board named Ted Mondale as Executive Director on June 22, 2012. Benson resigned in June 2015, citing conflict with Kelm-Helgen. Dayton appointed Tony Sertich in August 2015. Dayton declined to reappoint Griffith at the end of 2016. He appointed former Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Kathleen Blatz on January 13, 2017 instead.

On February 16, 2017 both Kelm-Helgen and Mondale resigned over use of U.S. Bank Stadium's suites. Gov. Dayton appointed Blatz as interim chair on February 23, 2017. James Farstad served as the interim Executive Director until Rick Evans was named Executive Director on March 10, 2017. On July 13, 2017, Dayton appointed Michael Vekich as chair (term ends January 7, 2019) and Laura Bishop as board member (term ends December 31, 2020). On November 17, 2017 Executive Director Rick Evans announced his retirement due to health reasons effective at the end of 2017. At the December 15, 2017 board meeting, James Farstad was named interim Executive Director until a replacement was found. On May 18, 2018 Farstad was named the permanent Executive Director. Bishop left in January 2019 to take the position of commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Vekich was reappointed on February 22, 2019, by Governor Tim Walz Angela Burns Finney was appointed by Gov. Walz September 2019 Barbara Butts Williams left in the summer of 2021 and was replaced by former Minneapolis mayor Sharon Sayles Belton in September 2021. Director Farstad resigned in March 2022.

## Staff

### Current board members

| Name (position) | Appointed by | Term expires |
| - | - | - |
| Michael Vekich (chair) | Governor | January 2, 2023 |
| Tony Sertich | Governor | December 31, 2023 |
| Angela Burns Finney | Governor | December 31, 2024 |
| Sharon Sayles Belton | Mayor | December 31, 2023 |
| Bill McCarthy | Mayor | December 31, 2024 |

### Executive directors

| Name | Appointed on | Term ended |
| - | - | - |
| Ted Mondale | June 22, 2012 | February 16, 2017 |
| James Farstad (interim) | February 16, 2017 | March 10, 2017 |
| Rick Evans | March 10, 2017 | December 31, 2017 |
| James Farstad (interim) | January 1, 2018 | May 18, 2018 |
| James Farstad | May 18, 2018 | March 17, 2022 |
| Mary Fox-Stroman (interim) | March 2022 | December 2022 |
| Ben Jay | December 5, 2022 | |

### Chairs

Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority :

| Name | Appointed | Term ended |
| - | - | - |
| Michele Kelm-Helgen | June 14, 2012 | February 16, 2017 |
| Kathleen Blatz (interim) | February 23, 2017 | July 13, 2017 |
| Michael Vekich | July 13, 2017 | Incumbent |

Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission :

| Name | Appointed | Term ended |
| - | - | - |
| Dan Brutger | 1977 | 1983 |
| Ron Gornick | 1983 | 1991 |
| Bill Hunter | 1991 | 1993 |
| Henry J. Savelkoul | 1993 | 1999 |
| Kathryn Roberts | 1999 | 2002 |
| Roy Terwilliger | 2003 | 2010 |
| Ted Mondale | January 14, 2011 | May 14, 2012 |
