Julia Quanrud is the new leader of ServeMinnesota, the Minneapolis nonprofit that administers AmeriCorps programs across the state.

Quanrud, who started in her new position this month, previously was chief of staff at Minneapolis-based Ampact (formerly Reading & Math Inc.), a nonprofit that works with ServeMinnesota to administer AmeriCorps programs. She is replacing Audrey Suker, who retired as CEO of ServeMinnesota after 24 years.

ServeMinnesota was created in 1994 as Minnesota's Commission on National and Community Service, administering about $25 million a year in federal AmeriCorps funds and designing programs to address community needs.

In the last few years, ServeMinnesota has added programs to respond to emerging crises, including help for overwhelmed nonprofits on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, housing assistance to Minnesotans on the verge of homelessness, and help for Afghan refugees resettling in the state after the Taliban seized control in 2021.

Last year, ServeMinnesota started a new AmeriCorps program to bolster the number of public health workers in Minnesota and diversify the front-line sector amid the state's staffing shortage.

Minnesota has about 2,000 participants in AmeriCorps, often referred to as the domestic Peace Corps. They receive a modest living stipend and education award to fund student loans or college tuition in exchange for their work.