Ex-Chamber CEO quits Mounds View school board

A recently indicted Twin Cities business leader has resigned his seat on the Mounds View School Board.

A federal grand jury this week charged Jonathan Weinhagen with embezzling more than $200,000 from the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce before he resigned as its CEO last year. That includes $30,000 in reward money that the Chamber put up after three children were shot in 2021.

Weinhagen's alleged crimes largely involved the Chamber. The indictment does not accuse him of any wrongdoing related to the school district.

In a news release, the school board says Weinhagen resigned “effective immediately,” and the remaining members are discussing the next steps required to fill the last two years of his term. The release includes a photo of the board with Weinhagen mostly cropped out and the district’s logo over his knee.

An image of the school board members of Mounds View Public Schools had been edited to remove Jonathan Weinhagen (bottom image).The original shows Weinhagen sitting on the left.

Courtesy images

Weinhagen, 42, was first elected to the board in 2015 following an unsuccessful run in 2011.

Federal prosecutors allege that he set up a fake company called Synergy Partners and used it to enter into fraudulent contracts with the Chamber.