Chloe Edwards

University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management

“A recovering perfectionist, Enneagram 3 with 2 wing, Sagittarius, but most importantly dog-mom.”

Hometown: Bloomington, MN

Fun Fact About Yourself: I didn’t speak for my first year, so my parents brought me to the pediatrician worried I would never speak. The pediatrician laughed. My parents took me home and I soon started speaking. I haven’t stopped speaking since.

Undergraduate School and Major: U of MN – Carlson School of Management, Marketing (I will be a double Gopher!)

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Founder and CEO of Pineapple Mindset

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of the school’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? I chose Carlson for its smaller class size and the importance they put towards collaboration, team-building, and experiential learning. I also wanted to come back to my alma mater after having such a positive undergraduate experience. I admired my professors and was excited for the opportunity to work with them as a graduate teacher’s assistant and to join research projects.

At Carlson, you are part of one of the most dynamic business environments in the country. What has made the Twin Cities such a great place to live and learn for you? This time has been such a blessing in disguise. Right after my undergrad, I moved to Asia and traveled around the world, keeping me away for two years. I then moved to Denver for the following three years. I hadn’t been back to the Twin Cities for more than six days in the past five years. During my MBA, I am living with my parents and getting the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to grow my relationship with my parents, getting to know each other as adults. I now get to play cards and chess with my dad every night!

What quality best describes your MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? My support system: I am so lucky to have met a group of my classmates at the Forté conference during the summer. When we first met, it was that awkward virtual meeting where you didn’t really know what to say. Now, that group of 10 humans is my closest confidants. We support one another through the nightmare that is OCR, cheer for each other’s accomplishments, lift each other when we are down, and, for now, cheers virtually at our successes… or just when we want a little happy hour break.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My biggest accomplishment is starting my own venture, Pineapple Mindset. Pineapple Mindset is an organization that helps adoptees cultivate self-confidence to become leaders within their lives. I am proud that through the process of building Pineapple Mindset, I was able to support three other women entrepreneurs – two photographers and a website developer. More than being proud of starting a business, I am honored to have gotten the chance to help my fellow adoptee community through life coaching, speaking engagements, and an online course.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far? My biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far is creating an MBA level brand strategy elective class with one of my favorite professors. The course launched this semester and it is exciting to see the curriculum and projects designed to help develop brand marketers in the hands of my fellow classmates.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I became clear on my career path and what I wanted for my future after living and working in three countries, traveling around the world, and trying my hands in various careers and industries. I want to work in brand management and strategy in a CPG company. I knew that without an MBA there would be a ceiling to what I could achieve or a longer process to get to where I want to be.

DON’T MISS: MEET MINNESOTA CARLSON’S MBA CLASS OF 2022