Biography

Standing at the forefront of information technology within the nonprofit sector, Edward Jensen leads the IT initiatives at MEDA, the Metropolitan Economic Development Association, in Minneapolis. As the organization scales up to help BIPOC entrepreneurs in Minnesota and beyond, Mr. Jensen adeptly navigates the IT landscape through a blend of hands-on expertise, strategic planning, and operational discipline.

Prior to moving to Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Mr. Jensen ran his own eponymous firm in Phoenix, Arizona, Edward Jensen urban productions, whose work helped individuals and nonprofit organizations advance their causes through an emphasis on technology, communication, design, arts, and the urban form. Initiatives of the firm included The Downtown Phoenix Podcast, a critically acclaimed program that created spacious conversation on issues important to urban civics, as well as other urban programs and central-city initiatives. Additionally, his photography appears in several books on Phoenix history.

He is the author of the lecture A Brief History of Midtown Phoenix, which focused on midtown Phoenix’s history from the prehistoric up until the present day, while also paying special attention to Phoenix’s post-World War II history and mid-20th Century development. Originally debuted in 2019, A Brief History of Midtown Phoenix was redelivered in a special “stay at home” online event during the initial days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Service and civic engagements have included serving as a Commissioner of the City of Phoenix [Arizona] Arts & Culture Commission, President of the Board of Directors of the Midtown Neighborhood Association (Phoenix), and on the steering committees for the Hance Park Conservancy and Downtown Voices Coalition. He is a 2011 alumnus of Arizona State University, having graduated with honors in Urban and Metropolitan Studies from the School of Public Affairs and a recipient of Outstanding Service and Outstanding Student Leader awards.

Mr. Jensen lives in downtown Saint Paul and he regularly updates his blog at edwardjensen.net.

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