Jeff Hayden Receives People’s Advocate Award from Cultural Wellness Center

The Cultural Wellness Center’s (CWC) board, staff and elders presented Jeffrey D. Hayden with their annual People’s Advocate Award for his leadership and tireless efforts to educate and inform community actions that benefit all Minnesotans.

“Brother Jeff has kept himself grounded in the community and its people no matter how much he has achieved and how many people from other communities require his services. He never forgets where he came from,” said Elder Atum Azzahir, CWC Executive Director.

Founded in 1996, CWC in Minneapolis is a community-based organization that promotes health, healing and community building by leveraging cultural heritage, focusing specifically on people of African descent. Through education, research, coaching and cultural reconnection, it seeks to reverse issues caused by isolation and loss of community.

Hayden brings the perspective of an experienced State Senator with a demonstrated history of working collaboratively within the state legislature and various state agencies to his government relations and policy work. Hayden's work over twelve years as a three-term State Senator and two-term State Representative, as well as his professional background in housing policy, provide him with a deep understanding of the legislative process and relationships with key stakeholders. During his time in the Minnesota Senate, he served as the Deputy Caucus Leader.

Hayden has been a go-to state legislator on several issues, including health and human services and equity policy and funding. As a State Senator, he advocated for policy and funding changes impacting his Senate district. Equity policy and funding are issues Hayden was involved with long before his election to the Minnesota Senate. These issues included moving Minnesota forward in the areas of economic justice, increased access to high quality health care for all Minnesotans and addressing the educational opportunity gap.

Fredrikson Government Relations, LLC is a policy and advocacy group offering legislative services for clients in Minnesota. Based in St. Paul, Minnesota, the group’s government relations professionals offer special expertise in health care, human services, education and job training, economic development, equity and justice, energy, technology and regulatory, housing, capital investment/bonding, tax, transportation, and local government. Fredrikson Government Relations, LLC is a subsidiary business of Fredrikson & Byron, P.A. Learn more at fredgov.com and LinkedIn.