Irene Fernando, District 2 and Board Chair

Irene currently serves as Hennepin County Commissioner for District 2, which includes Golden Valley, Medicine Lake, southeast Plymouth, St. Anthony, North Minneapolis, Northeast Minneapolis, and the North Loop and Bryn Mawr neighborhoods in Minneapolis.

Irene was elected to the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners in November of 2018. Together, she and Commissioner Angela Conley (District 4) were the first people of color elected to the County Board in Hennepin’s 169 year history. She is the youngest woman to serve in this position, and she is the first Filipino-American elected in the state of Minnesota.

Before joining the County Board, Irene worked in not-for-profit and corporate settings, and she instructed college courses. Her expertise is in youth development, social entrepreneurship, shared leadership models, talent development, and systems change. Irene studied at the University of Minnesota where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Business and a Master of Education in Youth Development Leadership, and she is also currently pursuing a doctorate degree in Human Resource Development.

Irene lives in the Harrison neighborhood of Minneapolis with her partner Kent. She loves this community and can often be found out on her front porch chatting with her neighbors or cheering on the Minnesota Lynx!

Hennepin County

• Hennepin County Board, chair
• Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority (HCRRA), member
• Hennepin County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HCHRA), member
• Audit Committee, member
• Hennepin Health, member
• Hennepin Healthcare System (HHS), member
• Health Insurance, Benefits and Employee Wellness Advisory Board (HIBEWAB), member
• Joint Committee on Community Corrections (Bench/Board), member
• NorthPoint Board, member

Other positions

• Association of Minnesota Counties (AMC) voting delegate
• AMC General Government Committee, member
• Better Together Hennepin Advisory Group, liaison
• Blue Line Extension Community Works Steering Committee,co-chair
• Blue Line Extension Corridor Management Committee, member
• Blue Line Extension Project Decisions Board, member
• Greater MSP, member
• Green Line Extension Policy Maker Working Group, member
• Green Line Extension Corridor Management Committee, alternate
• Green Line Extension Community Works Steering Committee, alternate
• Metropolitan Emergency Services Board (MESB), executive committee
• Meet Minneapolis, member
• Minneapolis Youth Coordinating Board, executive committee
• Municipal Building Commission (MBC), chair
• School Superintendent Annual Meeting, liaison
• St. Anthony Falls Heritage Board, member
• Workforce Leadership Council 2.0, member

Newsletter

This district serves the cities of Golden Valley, Medicine Lake, southeast Plymouth, St. Anthony and north and northeast Minneapolis, including the North Loop neighborhood.