Naomi Pesky Named Vice President, Strategy & Stakeholder Engagement for MAC

Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) CEO Brian Ryks on April 24, named Naomi Pesky as the organization’s new vice president of strategy & stakeholder engagement.

In this newly created role that reports directly to the CEO, Pesky will create and steer multi-dimensional, comprehensive communications, engagement and marketing strategies. She will also lead organization-wide strategic planning and key community outreach efforts.

“The MAC airport system is a tremendous public asset for the Twin Cities community, the state of Minnesota and the region,” said Ryks. “We created this new senior-level position to better integrate our airports into community life and to oversee a focused, vision-driven strategic planning process that fully considers the interests of the Airports Commission and its many stakeholders.”

Pesky brings to the MAC a unique combination of corporate and nonprofit leadership experience. Most recently, Pesky served as vice president, external relations at Hennepin Theatre Trust, where she led the development, communications and marketing teams. As a key member of the senior leadership team, Pesky steered many enterprise-wide initiatives for the Trust, such as guiding strategic planning and developing the vision and plans to transform a newly acquired property into a center for hospitality, performance, education and staff offices. Under her leadership, the Trust achieved significant growth in fundraising revenue, ticket sales and stakeholder engagement.

Prior to the Trust, Pesky was director of marketing and communications at the Saint Paul and Minnesota Community Foundations. Pesky joined the foundations after a decade at General Mills, where she held multiple marketing leadership roles. She began her career in Chicago at Morningstar, a leading provider of independent investment research.

“Naomi’s 25 years of experience in multiple business sectors brings a creative and dynamic approach as we enhance the MAC’s strategic initiatives and internal and external engagement efforts,” said MAC CEO Brian Ryks.  “She joins a dynamic and diverse senior leadership team that will continue to build upon the organization’s many strengths while positioning us for new and exciting opportunities.”

Pesky is an active community leader, and she currently serves on the board of Temple Israel in Minneapolis. She has a Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University and a Master of Business Administration from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. Pesky was also a 2012-2013 policy fellow at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.

“The MAC has built a remarkable system that connects our region to the rest of the world. Its operations and services drive tremendous economic impact and deliver a welcoming, first-class customer experience to visitors,” said Pesky. “I am incredibly honored to join the MAC and build on its successes and community partnerships to drive even greater positive impact for our region.”

Pesky will assume her new role on May 7.