Mark Ritchie leads the effort to bring the 2027 World’s Fair to Minnesota with a focus on health and wellness. This World Expo will be organized to help achieve the Global Goals for Sustainable Development in Health, under the theme “Healthy People, Healthy Planet.”
Mark was Minnesota’s elected Secretary of State from 2007 until retirement in 2015. In this role, Mark was the champion for making Minnesota the #1 place for employment growth by encouraging small and medium-sized companies, public benefit corporations, and non-profits. Minnesota’s high ranking for business climate is one of the many outcomes of supporting startups and entrepreneurs here in Minnesota.
As Secretary of State, Mark led Minnesota through a modernization of our election system to ensure that everyone could vote – no matter how busy, far away, or limited in their mobility. Minnesota ranks #1 in voter turnout in the nation thanks to these efforts. Mark was elected National President of the National Association of Secretaries of State in 2009.