About Mary Tjosvold
Entrepreneur
Mary T has been recognized by several organizations as a leading Minnesota businesswoman and humanitarian. She has received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the University of Minnesota, and in 2012, was awarded the Local Legend Award by General Mills at the Martin Luther King Holiday Breakfast.
Author
A leader in her field, Mary T is committed to the concepts of productive conflict, cooperation, team organization, entrepreneurship, governance, ethics and corporate culture. This is illustrated through her business, volunteer activities, writing and speeches. She has co-authored several books with her brother, Dean Tjosvold, Ph.D.
Humanitarian
Mary T is currently Chair of the University of Minnesota College CEHD Board and Chairs the WUNRN Board. She served as the Chair of the Board of the American Refugee Committee as well as serving on other community boards.
In 2002, Mary T opened the Margaret Tjosvold Nursery & Primary School in Santa, Bamenda, Cameroon, West Africa to provide educational opportunities to the local children. The first graduating class of sixth graders produced the top five students in the 2008 Cameroon National Examination – quite an accomplishment for the students, teachers, and community.
Mary T established the Mary T Scholars in partnership with the University of Minnesota to work with local NGOs in the areas of agriculture, education of teachers and social services such as the education in the prevention of HIV and fight sex trafficing. The Mary T Scholars have travelled to Bamenda, Cameroon and Thailand. In her role as the Chair of the Board of the American Refuge Committee and through her worldwide travels, she has made and continues to make a difference by advocating for and supporting individuals and organizations that work to eliminate violence toward women, to stop child trafficking, to empower people through micro finance, to preserve the environment, and to eliminate torture.
Mary T has a Ph.D. in Education Administration from the University of Minnesota and has completed the Owner/President Management Program at Harvard Business School.