Michelle Linhoff

NorthStar Initiative for Sustainable Enterprise
Initiative for Renewable Energy & the Environment
612-626-3879
mlinhoff@umn.edu

Michelle became the executive director for NorthStar in 2011. A program of the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment, NorthStar Initiatives brings together corporations, government, foundations, NGOs and academic institutions to address global sustainability challenges by moving beyond marginal greening efforts to more meaningful, systemic change together.

Michelle comes to us from across campus where she spent four years at the Carlson School of Management—also her alma mater, building her expertise in the undergraduate program and most recently the Dean's Office. Previous to working in academia, Michelle worked for 15 years in the holistic health field where systems’ thinking was core.  In her current position, she provides strategic organization and communication where she will reach out to the broader university, community, and NorthStar Partners with the mindset of actionable collaboration and synergy.

A MBA graduate of the Carlson School of Management, Linhoff also holds a B.S. degree from St. Catherine University, where she studied marketing and management and received a minor in economics. She is pursuing a PhD in the University of Minnesota's College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences with emphasis on corporate sustainability. 

Michelle Linhoff

    BEYOND THE BIO

  • Environmental Heroes:
    Sylvia A. Earle & Albert A. Bartlett
  • Fun Fact:
    A farmer at heart, Michelle loves to garden and work in the yard growing grapes, apples, cherries and tomatoes—and landscapes with perennials. She is studying beekeeping, is a stepmom to two grown sons, has one grandson, and spends time volunteering for community and charity events.