1st Tuesday

Tod Carpenter, Chairman, President, and CEO, Donaldson Company

Tod Carpenter is Chairman, President and CEO of Donaldson Company. Since joining the company in 1996 as Director of Operations in the Gas Turbine Systems business, he has held several operations, sales and management positions in the United States and Europe, including the role of COO before being chosen President and CEO in 2015. He was appointed to the Donaldson Board of Directors in 2014 and was named Chairman of the Board three years later. 

Prior to Donaldson, Tod spent 13 years at Hughes Aircraft Company and was a consultant at York & Associates. He serves on the AMETEK Inc. Board of Directors, the Minnesota Business Partnership Board of Directors and the Board of Advisors of the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. He has a bachelor’s degree in manufacturing technology from Indiana State University and an MBA from Long Beach State University. Tod also completed the Minnesota Executive Program through the Carlson School of Executive Education at the University of Minnesota.

Chris Hilger, Chairman, President, and CEO, Securian Financial

As Securian Financial’s chairman, president and chief executive officer, Chris oversees strategy and management of the company’s insurance, investment and retirement business lines. Chris’ collaborative leadership style and broad management experience have contributed to Securian Financial’s consistently strong financial results. Securian Financial is the ninth largest insurance company based on total life insurance business in force.

Jamie Prenkert, Dean, Carlson School of Management

Prenkert comes to the University of Minnesota from Indiana University, Bloomington, where he has experience in academic administrative leadership from the department to the campus level. He is currently the Charles M. Hewitt Professor and Executive Associate Dean for Faculty and Research in the Kelley School of Business, overseeing the research mission of the Kelley School and serving as the chief administrator for approximately 380 Bloomington-based faculty members in nearly 30 distinct degree programs. Prior to this appointment, he served as Associate Dean of Academics (2019–21); Associate Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs (2016–19); and Chair of the Kelley School’s Department of Business Law and Ethics (2014–16 and 2019–20).