Meet Larry Kraft

I’m excited to continue serving St. Louis Park in the Minnesota Legislature.

My Story

In St. Louis Park we listen. We try things. We're welcoming. I'm excited to continue working in the Legislature to bring St. Louis Park values to St. Paul.

In the 2023-24 session, my first term in the legislature, I authored 27 bills, including innovative, first-in-the-nation legislation on climate and environmental issues.  Although many of my bills dealt with other issues – including mental health care, transportation, housing, and voter pre-registration – climate policy is the reason that I’m in the legislature.

Previously, I spent 25 years working in the high-tech industry, solving problems, collaborating with a diverse workforce, and managing large budgets.  As my kids were growing up, I became increasingly concerned about how climate change is impacting the future we're leaving our children. 

So in 2013, I made a career change.  For five years, I ran a national nonprofit that helped young people advocate for tougher local climate policy.  Local action is a powerful tool for combating climate change.  And leaning into the work of reducing emissions and adapting to climate change touches every policy issue. It's what led me to run for office.  

Now, as an elected official, I’m a believer in asking lots of questions, gathering input from all stakeholders, and working to build consensus.  

Being responsive is really important to me. I've learned there's value in every constituent interaction I have. At the state legislature I will continue listening to you, and learning together about how to address the complex issues that affect us here in 46A, and in the rest of the state.

More About Larry

My wife Lauri and I moved here over 20 years ago. Our teenage kids, Jamie and Jason, were born here and educated in St. Louis Park public schools. We've loved being here since day one – and my nonprofit work with cities across the country has given me even more of an appreciation for how special SLP is.

Involvement in St. Louis Park

  • Current State Representative for Minnesota House District 46A 

  • City Council Member At Large

  • Environment & Sustainability Commissioner

  • Climate Action Plan Committee

  • Steering Committee for St. Louis Park Arts & Culture Strategic Framework Development

  • Youth Baseball & Basketball Coach

  • Mentor to SLP High School Roots and Shoots Environmental Club   

Climate Work

  • Passed 15 climate-related bills into law in 2023-24 session as State Representative.

  • As City Council Member, organized city elected officials across the state to create the Minnesota Cities Climate Coalition, which continues today and is facilitated by the Great Plains Institute.  

  • Co-creator and co-host of City Climate Corner, a podcast exploring innovative ways that small and mid-sized cities are tackling climate change.

  • Executive Director at iMatter, a national nonprofit, to help young people advocate for climate policy in their communities.  

    • Supported more than 300 youth leaders in 150 cities, as they urged their city and state governments to adopt aggressive climate policies.  

    • Built financial backing from the McKnight Foundation, Patagonia, Clif Bar and a grassroots network of donors.

    • Partnered with Climate Generation to fold iMatter under its umbrella.

  • Climate Reality Project Leader/Mentor​. Trained by Al Gore in 2013; mentored more than 75 other leaders.

Business Experience

  • Senior VP Sales & Marketing for Digi International, a public company focused on connecting machines to the Internet.

    • Ran 200-person global organization with $35M budget.

    • Led significant revenue growth worldwide; launched more than 50 new products and services; and negotiated partnerships with major technology companies.

  • Previous management experience in startup, mid-size and large public companies, including 3Com/U.S.Robotics and Sprint.

Education

B.S. in Computer Science and M.B.A. from Cornell University

Other

I love to swim, bike, cross-country ski and travel — and am an ice cream fanatic!