LaRhae Knatterud

W3-H Practical Lessons in Government: Preparing for a Changing Workforce in Uncertain Times

About LaRhae Knatterud

LaRhae Grindal Knatterud earned a bachelor’s degree in music from Augsburg College in Minneapolis and a master’s degree in public administration from the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota, with concentrations in gerontology and health care policy. She worked at the Metropolitan Council, which had just been designated as the Area Agency on Aging for the Twin Cities metro area. She started there as a planner, then became the director and planning coordinator at a time when services for older Minnesotans were being developed under the Older Americans Act.

Knatterud went to DHS in 1994 to work as planning coordinator for the Minnesota Board on Aging. Two years later she became the planning director for DHS’ Aging Initiative, which consolidated all of the department’s aging-related programs. She became responsible for Project 2030, which was the first effort to identify the demographic impact of the baby boomer age wave and develop a state response. In 2003 the project’s name changed to Transform 2010 to make it a higher priority and generate a greater sense of urgency.  In 1997 Knatterud oversaw the publication of the report, A Blueprint for Minnesota: Preparing for the Age Wave, which outlined five themes for action.  These themes included: Redefining Work and Retirement, Supporting Caregivers of All Ages, Fostering Communities for a Lifetime, Improving Health and Long-term care, and Maximizing Technology. 

Over the past seven years, Knatterud has given numerous presentations on how the changing demographics will impact all five of these themes, particularly how it will impact the workforce.  Because of her work to raise awareness of these issues, the work of Transform 2010 will continue in a new effort called Aging 2030.