Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, a St. Paul-based advocate for and provider of affordable housing, announced the appointment of Catherine Penkert as chief of staff. Penkert most recently served as vice president of operations at business development group Greater MSP, and before that served as director of the St. Paul Public Library and as a member of the St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter‘s Cabinet. DEVELOPMENT The Opus Group, a Minneapolis-based national commercial real estate developer, announced that President and Chief Executive Officer Tim Murnane will retire at the end of 2026 after 38 years with the company. Matt Rauenhorst, currently president and CEO of Opus Development Co., will succeed Murnane. Phil Cattanach, formerly of Opus, will return to assume the role of president and CEO at Opus Development upon Rauenhorst’s succession. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the appointment of Kurt Blomgren as state executive director for the Farm Service Agency in Minnesota, a provider of financing for farmers. Blomgren is a fourth-generation family farmer from Butterfield, Minn. HEALTH CARE Children’s Minnesota, a Twin Cities-based chain of hospitals and clinics focused on pediatric care, announced the following leadership changes after the May 9 retirement of Dr. Susan Sencer: Dr. Aimee Sznewajs succeeds Sencer as clinical vice president of specialty pediatrics; Dr. Anupam Kharbanda, formerly clinical vice president of critical care services, becomes vice president of clinical innovation and transformation; Dr. Tim Lander, clinical vice president of surgery, assumes responsibility of critical care services, and Dr. Gigi Chawla, clinical vice president of general pediatrics, takes on the additional role of vice president of professional staff affairs. The U.S. Small Business Administration announced it has named Brittany Howard of Victory Business Solutions in Minneapolis as its Minnesota Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Victory provides accounting and tax services, prioritizing women- and minority-owned small businesses. Faegre Drinker announced that attorney Wagma Gharwal has joined the firm’s finance and restructuring group as counsel in the Minneapolis office. Gharwal joins from financial services company Deluxe, where she served as director of contract strategy and management. MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY RION, a Rochester, Minn.-based clinical-stage developer of regenerative medicine for exosome-based therapeutics, announced the addition of Suneet Varma as senior adviser to its leadership team. Varma previously was global and U.S. president at Pfizer Oncology. RION is a spinoff of Mayo Clinic. MANUFACTURING GF Building Flow Solutions Americas, an Apple Valley-based manufacturer of Uponor-branded indoor plumbing products, announced the promotion of John Reutter to president. Reutter joined the organization in 2018 as vice president of finance. The Minnesota National Guard’s 34th Infantry Division “Red Bulls” announced the installation of U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Joseph Sharkey as commanding general, succeeding Army Maj. Gen. Charles Kemper, who will serve as special assistant to the director of the National Guard Bureau for the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center. Aeon, a Minneapolis-based provider of affordable housing, announced that Eric Anthony Johnson has stepped down as president and CEO, effective May 2. Caroline Horton, Aeon’s chief financial officer, is serving as interim CEO. … Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, an Owatonna, Minn.-based donor-supported organization investing in 20 south-state counties, announced the appointment of Benya Kraus as president and CEO, effective June 16, succeeding Tim Penny. Kraus most recently served as network advancement director at Resource Rural, a national community grant-securing organization. SPONSORSHIPS U.S. Bank, Minneapolis, announced its partnership with the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games, to be held in Minnesota from June 20-26, 2026. U.S. Bank is both the Official Volunteer Sponsor and the Official Competitive Cheer Sponsor of the USA Games. Saltbox Mgmt, a Minneapolis-based provider of business software within the Salesforce ecosystem, announced the appointment of Brian Wagner as chief revenue officer. Wagner most recently served as vice president of revenue and commerce cloud specialists at Salesforce. EMAIL ITEMS to businessnews@pioneerpress.com.