Bringing the World to Minnesota

Mark Ritchie was Minnesota's Secretary of State from 2007 - 2015. In 2019 he became the Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the US Army where he currently serves. In 2018 he co-founded and serves as a Board of Director Member for the Minnesota USA Expo, and is a Board Chair for the World's Fair Bid Committee Educational Fund. 

Minnesota's Territorial Legislature appropriated $3000 for our State's exhibit at the World's Fair held in New York City in 1953 - the second International Exposition organized on the planet. William G. Le Duc brought a full-grown buffalo, a birchbark canoe, wild rice, and other agriculture products to the heart of Manhattan to rave reviews by even the most skepticl of journalists, including Horace Mann. Fast forward to 2022 and Minneosta is in the final stages of our second bid to host a World's Fair here in the summer of 2027 - with "Healthy People, Healthy Planet" as the theme. Mark Ritchie will cover a bit of history and explain how Rotary's deep roots in global health make it a serious partner for this effort.