Kenneth (Ken) Rodgers

Ken Rodgers (he/him), now retired,  was a Minnesota state employee for over 15 years. He began his state service working at the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) prior to moving to the Department of Transportation (MnDOT). Ken worked in the Office of Equity and Diversity at MnDOT’s central office and was the statewide Disability Programs Coordinator. 

Ken’s expertise is in applying the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), with a particular emphasis in the application of Title I ( Employment-related activities) and Title II (State and Local Governments), including access to digital content. He is also well versed in the application of Title III (Public Accommodations). Ken is blind and uses a screen reader to access digital content. 

Ken received a BS in Human Services/Education when residing in his home state of California. After teaching math, science and computer programming for 12 years, Ken attended the College of St. Catherine’s St. Mary’s campus in Minneapolis and received a degree as a Registered Nurse (RN) and a graduate certificate in Holistic Health Studies (HHS). He worked as a cardiac RN at Abbott Northwestern Hospital before losing his sight to a rare retinal eye disease. He returned to education to better prepare for a new career direction, studied and graduated from the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute School of Public Affairs where he obtained his Masters in Public Affairs (MPA). His educational focus while at Humphrey was in Leadership and Management with a minor in Disability Policy. 

Until recently, Ken was guided by his 4th Seeing Eye dog, a German Shepherd, Yuri. Yuri lived to be almost 15 years old. All his dog guides have come from The Seeing Eye Guide Dog School in Morristown, New Jersey.  Ken loves theater and is a strong advocate for improving and enhancing accessibility to the rich resources  the Twin Cities theater scene offers. Ken and his partner of 24 years (now husband) reside in North East Minneapolis.