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I grew up near Lake Superior and the St. Croix River. The outdoors was always my place, where I felt at home, where things made sense.
Her Story
I remember visiting Duluth as a kid and seeing the pollution in the river and dumping in Lake Superior. I asked my parents why people were harming the water. It left a permanent impression on me, and I never really stopped asking that question.
In 2009, I lost my job when the company I was working for in Eau Claire downsized. I was wiped out financially. I moved to Duluth to be by the Lake and help clean up the pollution I saw as a child. I was fortunate to get a job with Community Action Duluth's Stream Corps, planting trees along streams to improve habitat.
That job changed everything. It was exactly what I had always wanted to do, and it led me to the St. Louis River Alliance. Working to repair the degraded river that deeply impacted me when I was young felt like coming full circle. It was the beginning of something I had not expected: a second chapter that turned out to be the one I was built for.
Her Work
I went to work at the St. Louis River Alliance in 2012 and became Executive Director in 2015. Under my leadership, the mission has grown into something bigger: connecting people to the river through authentic relationship building.
I've seen magical things happen when we ask people to share their stories.
We changed the way we do community engagement as we recognized a disconnect. We provide resources and meaningful activities and make space for people to share their stories and dreams. We have ongoing programming, including birding, fishing, river events to connect people to the river in the ways they want to be connected while addressing the barriers people experience.
That community approach helped drive one of the largest environmental cleanups in the history of the St. Louis River. Lost generations of connections are being restored, and people’s quality of life is improving. Because of a cleaner river, we now have the St. Louis River National Estuary Water Trail and are able to educate and help people understand the value of the river in a meaningful way.
I understand what it is like to lose everything and have to start over. That experience shaped how I lead. I didn't have a lot of resources growing up, so I learned to find a way to make things happen. To be creative, to build coalitions, to ask for help and give it back.
I came out as gay in a conservative environment and finding my voice was an antidote to hopelessness. That experience taught me that being heard matters,
not just politically, but as a basic human need. It is something I carry into my life’s work because if you can find your voice you will find your power.
I am passionate about healthcare. I have had to go without health insurance at different points in my life. After starting over in Duluth, finally getting steady health insurance was genuinely transformative. I know firsthand what it means when government programs work the way they are supposed to.
I am very fortunate to have been a part of one of the most successful collaborative projects of our lifetime here in the Twin Ports. From the early planning stages of the St. Louis River Estuary clean-up to the completion of the projects In Minnesota, we are seeing in real time the transformation of the river, and along with it, the lives of the people who live here and visit here.
These huge successes have taught thousands of people what working together can look like and helps us envision the world we can build together.
Securing funding, bringing the community into the process, and working to create stewards who will care for and protect this water has changed my life and will continue to inform how I lead as a Commissioner.
Because I have seen with my own eyes the power of creativity and collective brilliance that has fueled this success. AND I BELIEVE IN US!
Executive Director, St. Louis River Alliance (2015 - Present)
St. Louis River Alliance, Acting Director (2014 - 2015)
St. Louis River Alliance, Project Manager (2012 - 2014)
30+ years of management in private and nonprofit sectors
Worked with state legislature on bonding bill
Led the effort to secure $25 million in state bonding funds that triggered $43 Million federal funds for the Contaminated Sediments Remediation in the River, bringing $73 Million to Duluth
Wrote $1.6 million in grants for St. Louis River Alliance programming
10+ years Minnesota delegate to advocate to U.S. Congress in Washington DC for Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Funds, Clean Water funds
Grew Alliance membership and helped focus its mission on connecting people to the river.
Support the CampaignPaid for and prepared by the Kris Eilers for Duluth Committee, 324 E 8th St Duluth MN 55805.