F&M Stories

Allison O'Toole, Esquire, the chief executive officer of Second Harvest Heartland for the past three years, graduated from Franklin & Marshall in 1993, majoring in political science and art history. She later earned her juris doctorate from Mitchell Hamline School of Law in St. Paul, Minn.

Ms. O'Toole strongly believes that we all benefit from building a more just and equitable community, and her actions as CEO of Second Harvest Heartland, based in Minneapolis, demonstrate that belief. At the hunger relief agency, she may spend part of her day loading boxes of groceries into community members' vehicles at an outdoor market, then switch to testifying at the Minnesota State Capitol to ensure legislative leaders understand the fight against hunger, especially the fact that Minnesota's Black, Hispanic, Asian and Indigenous families face twice the hunger rate of white families.

Prior to her arrival at Second Harvest Heartland, Ms. O'Toole was senior director of state affairs at the United States of Care, focusing on the mission that every American deserves affordable health care. Before that, she was CEO of MNsure, leading an aggressive marketing campaign and strategic overhaul of the organization's operations, customer service and outreach. The result was three years of record-breaking enrollment and increased system sustainability. She twice testified before the U.S. Congress as a leading advocate for Minnesota's reinsurance program and is often a national spokesperson for state-based exchanges across the country.

Before joining MNsure, Ms. O'Toole was a director at a Minneapolis-based public affairs firm, where she specialized in issues management for businesses and other organizations based in Minnesota. She also has served as state director for U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and spent nearly a decade as a prosecutor, where she prosecuted some of the most violent criminals in Minnesota's Twin Cities area. In addition to her professional efforts, she serves on the board of directors at the Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery and as a Trustee of Breck School, her secondary alma mater.

Allison O'Toole, for your active, selfless, hands-on approach to leadership; for your continued commitment to fighting hunger in Minnesota and increasing others' understanding of the challenges that the struggle with hunger presents; and for your tireless efforts in the area of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, Franklin & Marshall College bestows upon you the Honorary Degree, Doctor of Humane Letters.