Inducted: 2009
Educator. Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture. Association leader. Statesman. Champion of cooperatives. Throughout his career and well into retirement, Edward Slettom has embodied the spirit of cooperation.
As Executive Director of the Minnesota Association of Cooperatives (MAC) for 30 years, Slettom was an insightful and politically savvy leader. He helped establish a Statewide Cooperative Conference for Youth and organized trips to the American Institute of Cooperation for youth leaders in the state, many of whom went on to play important leadership roles in cooperatives. He developed effective, close working relationships with Congressional offices by creating educational tours for congressional aides.
A passionate educator, he co-authored the first co-op outline for vocational teachers and the nationally distributed Careers in Cooperatives. He also spearheaded the purchase of Congressman Andrew J. Volstead's home and helped create a museum showcasing the history of the Capper-Volstead Act and the origins of farmer cooperatives.
Slettom's belief in the cooperative system has been a lifelong passion. Through his leadership, innovation and strength of character, he has left a lasting mark that will benefit cooperatives and the people they serve far into the future.