Staff Highlights: Robert Lilligren
September 4, 2025
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Describe yourself in one sentence.
I know little, but I understand much.
What is one thing in your professional history that you are proud of? 
Being the first Native person elected to public office in the City of Minneapolis, I am most proud of how I’ve shared what I’ve learned to bring others into the political – and broader leadership – spaces. I’m especially proud of how many women – many BIPOC – that have supported into leadership positions.
What is something you are working on outside of NACDI that you are excited about?
This year I joined the board of trustees at the Walker Art Center. I am learning a lot about art institutional governance that I believe can serve our community well.
What would you like your legacy to be?
That I helped make the world a more just place. And I didn’t give up.
Which talent would you most like to have?
Singing a ringing high C.
If you could choose one song to play every time you walked into a room, what would you choose and why?
“If You Want It” by Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark. I like the determination of the lyric, “Nothing stops this, not today” and the acknowledgment of the importance of living to fight another day.