Brooklyn Park’s community development director is leaving her job to take the same position with the city of Bloomington.
Kim Berggren will start in the south metro suburb on June 5, Bloomington City Manager Jamie Verbrugge said.
“She brings a wealth of knowledge from her experience in Brooklyn Park that is going to fit well with our strategic priorities and goals for continuing to make Bloomington an enduring and remarkable community where people want to be,” Verbrugge said.
Berggren has worked for Brooklyn Park for 17 years and has been the city’s community development director for the past decade. During her tenure, Berggren made an impact on development in the city, particularly along the Hwy. 610 corridor where Target has a campus. She also helped form the Brooklyn Park Small Business Center, formed a workforce development division with a focus on youth and young adults, and enhanced the way the city carries out inspections, said City Manager Jay Stroebel.
Stroebel said Berggren “made a lasting and positive impact” in Brooklyn Park and her departure is “significant.”
She leaves as the city is trying to establish a BioTech Innovation District to serve as a hub for health technology and care companies.
The city will launch a search for her replacement soon and hopes to fill the position by summer, Stroebel said.
