Rebecca J. Kanninen
Partner

Overview

Rebecca J. Kanninen is a partner at Lockridge Grindal Nauen and leads the firm’s state and federal government relations teams. With more than 20 years of government relations experience at the firm, she is known at the Minnesota State Capitol, and state Capitols throughout the Midwest as a leader and bipartisan political strategist who is well-respected for her thoughtful approach to positively position the firm’s clients for success.

As partner at LGN and Senior Vice President of Primary Strategy Group (PSG) the firm’s Midwest public affairs and lobbying subsidiary, she advises some of the Midwest’s largest corporations and trade associations on reputation management, political profile, government relations services, and public affairs campaigns. Ms. Kanninen manages her practice area’s business development plans and strategies to provide comprehensive services to clients. Her government relations work focuses on the areas of energy, telecommunications, technology, insurance, general business, labor management, and election law, and has translated into many successful policy initiatives on behalf of the firm’s clients. Her legal practice focuses on campaign finance and election law.

Ms. Kanninen’s work in leading the federal relations practice focuses on business development and strategic planning for the firm’s multi-state clients and public sector clients as they engage with members of the Minnesota congressional delegation and beyond to build support for infrastructure, economic development, and housing policy funding initiatives.

Prior to joining LGN in 1999, she gained considerable knowledge of the legislative process and participants working as committee staff in the Minnesota State Senate and the Wisconsin State Legislature.

Ms. Kanninen was named one of the top 50 Women in Business by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal in 2014. She currently serves on the board of directors for the St. Paul-based Neighborhood House, is a trustee on the board of Boys and Girls Club of America – Midwest, and is a long-time member of the Minnesota Government Relations Council and the Public Affairs Council. She is active in supporting the Minnesota’s art community and mentoring young professionals interested in government affairs as part of the William Mitchell College of Law mentor-mentee program.

She received a B.A. in English from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law, and was admitted to practice law in Minnesota in 2013.

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