The Junior League of Minneapolis, a nearly 100-year-old nonprofit rooted in the philosophy of community service, voluntarism, and personal development, is pleased to announce that Barbara Forster is the recipient of its annual Legacy of Leadership Lifetime Achievement Award.

Barbara embodies the Junior League of Minneapolis’ commitment to social responsibility and giving. An outstanding community leader, Barbara was a trailblazer in the banking industry for more than 30 years, holding executive-level and director positions at several regional banks in Minnesota, South Dakota, Colorado, and Montana.

Throughout her career, Barbara was a highly active civic leader in the Minneapolis community, leading by example and holding numerous volunteer leadership roles including: Junior League of Minneapolis Vice President, former board chair of Minnesota Medical Foundation, founding director of the One Percent Club, former chair of the University of Minnesota Cancer Center Advisory Board, former chair of the Tandem Project, former chair of the American Refugee Committee, a founding director of the Domestic Abuse Project, and former president of Metropolitan State University.

Barbara has also held numerous board roles including with the University of Minnesota Medical School Dean’s Board of Visitors, Center for Victims of Torture, Bravewell Collaborative, Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management Board of Overseers, and the Guthrie Theater Foundation.

Among the many awards and recognitions presented to her, Barbara has been honored in recent years with the 2009 Blake School Outstanding Alumnae Award, University of Minnesota Regents Award, Metropolitan State University Alumni Award, University of Minnesota Medical School Dean’s Award, Headwaters Foundation Human Rights Award, the YWCA Outstanding Achievement Award in Community Service, and Junior League Volunteer of the Year Award.

Fellow Junior League of Minneapolis and Legacy of Leadership Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient Patty Murphy shared that Barbara has a “’full throttle’ approach to volunteerism and philanthropy in the Minneapolis community. Barbara has been a remarkable, well-respected leader of several local organizations and institutions.”

Celebration

The Junior League of Minneapolis will hold a celebration to honor Barbara on October 2, 2019. Details here.

About the Legacy of Leadership Lifetime Achievement Award

The Legacy of Leadership Lifetime Achievement award celebrates an outstanding member of the Junior League of Minneapolis, who—throughout her lifetime—has used her talents and resources to improve the social and economic conditions of others. Through advocacy, collaboration, philanthropy, direct service and community education, the award recipient embraces her community and makes a unique and significant difference as a leader. She emulates the founder’s sense of social responsibility and giving spirit, as well as her ability to empower others to be effective volunteers.

Previous recipients of the Legacy of Leadership Lifetime Achievement Award include Nancy Lindahl (2006); Sue Hodder (2007); Carol Truesdell (2008); Emily Anne Staples Tuttle (2009); Marilyn Carlson Nelson (2010); Marilyn Tickle Bryant (2011); Luella Goldberg (2012); Maxine Houghton Wallin (2013); Barbara Gray Koch (2014); Diana Hageboeck (2015); Leslie Turner (2016); and Patty Murphy (2017).

About the Junior League of Minneapolis

The Junior League of Minneapolis is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. The Junior League of Minneapolis reaches out to women of all races, religions and national origins who demonstrate an interest in and commitment to voluntarism.

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