United Way exec to head craft group

The American Craft Council (ACC) has picked a Twin Cities United Way official to be its new executive director. Christopher Amundsen will start May 10 at the ACC, which recently moved its offices from New York to Minneapolis.

The announcement coincides with the opening Friday of the organization's annual craft expo, a three-day show and sale expected to attract as many as 10,000 people to St. Paul's RiverCentre.

The new post represents a significant career downsizing for Amundsen. As chief operating officer of the Greater Twin Cities United Way for the past six years, he worked with a $90 million budget and a staff of about 120.

The Craft Council, by contrast, has an annual budget of about $7 million and 15 to 20 staffers, he said. The move will entail a salary cut but offers other satisfactions, he said.

"It's not a retirement phaseout; it's just a great opportunity to align my personal interests with my professional background," said Amundsen, who is 50. He is not an artisan, but his wife, Bridget, is a quilter, painter and stained glass designer whose commissions include designs for windows at the Church of the Epiphany in Plymouth.

He previously served as interim president and CEO of the United Way of America in Alexandria, Va., and before that was an executive with United Way in St. Paul. A Minneapolis native, he is a 1981 graduate of the University of Minnesota with a background in accounting and finance.

He replaces Helene Blieberg, interim executive director since June 2009.

Faced with rising rents and salaries in a difficult economic climate, the Craft Council decided last year to move to a less-expensive city. After a national search, the organization's board chose Minneapolis, where it will rent offices in the historic Grain Belt Brewery building. Starting Aug. 1 it will sublease space from a current Grain Belt tenant, RSP Architects.

Founded in 1943 to promote contemporary crafts, the ACC is an educational and marketing organization that stages juried craft shows around the country and publishes American Craft, a bimonthly magazine.

Mary Abbe • 612-673-4431