One of Minnesota’s most respected corporate board members, Lee Mitau, is ending his second career as a director, retiring in January as H.B. Fuller’s board chair.
St. Paul-based H.B. Fuller announced Monday that Thrivent CEO Terry Rasmussen will take over as board chair.
“It has been an honor to serve on the H.B. Fuller board and to witness the company’s evolution and significant growth over the years,” Mitau said. “I’m grateful to have worked alongside so many talented leaders and have great confidence in the company’s leadership team and long-term growth strategy.”
Mitau, a retired attorney, has served as a Fuller board member since 1996 and as its independent chair since 2006. In April, he retired as chair of Minneapolis-based Graco’s board after more than 16 years.
Mitau had a hand in selecting the current and previous CEOs at both H.B. Fuller and Graco, including Celeste Mastin, who took over the reins of Fuller in December 2022.
Mitau’s first career as an attorney started on Wall Street, before he came back to Minnesota and joined Dorsey & Whitney, where he specialized in mergers and acquisitions work and securities law. He then became general counsel and secretary of First Bank System, which became U.S. Bancorp.
His successor, Rasmussen, has served as a H.B. Fuller board member since 2020.
“We are pleased to appoint a leader of Terry’s caliber,” Mastin said in a news release. “Having worked closely with Terry, I know firsthand that she is a visionary leader who brings global perspective and deep customer and go-to-market expertise to the role.”
