Kari Niedfeldt-Thomas is the Managing Director & Chief Operating Officer of Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose® (CECP), the only business counsel and network dedicated to driving measurable returns on purpose. Kari oversees CECP’s solutions in actionable research and insights, curated corporate advisory on global strategy & benchmarking, thought leadership, and strategic direction with its coalition companies and partner organizations. Kari leads CECP’s purpose to grow the ROI of responsible business across employee engagement, environmental social governance (ESG)/sustainable business, diversity equity inclusion (DEI), societal/community investment, and telling the story. CECP promotes responsible purpose-driven business as it increases customer loyalty, builds employee engagement, improves brand trust, attracts top talent, connects with strategic investors, and contributes to the bottom line. CECP and its affiliated companies share a goal of harnessing the power of purpose for the benefit of business, stakeholders, and society. Prior to joining CECP, Kari served as Executive Director, The Mosaic Company Foundation, and directed the company’s award-winning Public Affairs global corporate responsibility and agricultural supply chain sustainability strategies. Since 2021, Kari extends her commitment to societal impact by serving as Mayor of the City of New Brighton, MN, concurrently with her role at CECP. She also serves on several boards which includes: reuse platform for single waste economy, r.World; insurance company Trusted Fraternal Life; start-up social business accelerator and incubator FINNOVATION Institute; FINNEGANS Community Fund; University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management Carlson Ventures Enterprise; and Business Advisory Group for the Office for Technology Commercialization, Venture Center, University of Minnesota. Kari holds a bachelor’s degree in statistics and international studies from The American University in Washington, DC, and a Master of Business Administration from the Carlson School of Management at University of Minnesota, where she also served as adjunct faculty.