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Joel Spoonheim

Joel Spoonheim
Spring 1993 Fellow
Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments
Joel Spoonheim
Spring 1993 Fellow
Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments

Spoonheim is Director, Health & Well-being for HealthPartners overseeing delivery of population health services. He serves on numerous community organization boards addressing health, environment, and affordable housing. He was previously Manager of Community Programs with Healthways, Inc. He  led work to transform communities health and well-being through the Blue Zones Project. He was previously Vice President of Development for Bellisio Foods, an international food manufacturer where he was responsible for systems improvements and strategic growth of the company, and before that was the Economic and Redevelopment Director of the City of Brooklyn Park, MN, where he was responsible for managing all development activities in a growing older suburb of Minneapolis.  In May 2004 the Minnesota Business Journal named him one of “40 under 40” — one of the top young leaders in the state under age 40.   He has been an advisor and trainer to democratization programs in Bosnia with Catholic Relief Services.  He speaks periodically about democratization issues to different groups in Minnesota.  He is a cofounder and board member of Civics Connection, a civic leadership training program for young adults who are committed to improving the institutions where they work, volunteer, or spend time, and is a member of Citizens for Global Solutions.  He is a 2001 recipient of the American Marshall Memorial Fellowship sponsored by the German Marshall Fund.  The program is designed to educate a new generation of American leaders on the importance of international relations, and to provide an educational experience structured to acquaint them with European institutions and societies.  He traveled to Brussels, Amsterdam, Lyon, Budapest and Berlin.  He spoke at the Nobel Peace Prize Forum about “How to Change the World When You Are Not In Charge.”  He formerly worked as a city planner with the Department of Planning and Economic Development for the city of Saint Paul, MN working on urban redevelopment.

…When I applied to the Scoville Program, I had never spent any time in Washington, but rather had devoted my previous work for peace in the grassroots out West. As a Scoville Fellow I took the next logical step in my development and became familiar with some of the many resources in the Capitol…The Scoville Program was a great spring-board for pushing me onward in my work for peace.