Jon Tollefson

Background

About Jon Tollefson

Jon Tollefson is co-founder of CitizenWe, a platform for researching political candidates and sharing ratings and reviews. Jon is a former U.S. diplomat and has been a candidate for office in Minnesota. Jon is currently a Labor Relations Specialist at the Minnesota Nurses Association, representing Minnesota’s bedside Registered Nurses and advocating for high-quality, affordable healthcare for all Minnesotans. Jon grew up in Hopkins, Minnesota, and graduated from Hopkins Public Schools. Jon’s experience includes diplomatic service abroad in Nigeria and Mexico and at the State Department’s headquarters in Washington D.C. Jon served as a Public Diplomacy Officer for Somalia and worked on strategic resource planning. During his time as a diplomat, Jon served as president of GLIFAA, the LGBT diplomats' association, advocating for the human rights of LGBT people everywhere. Following his diplomatic service abroad, Jon joined the Minnesota High Tech Association, where he worked with entrepreneurs and startups to help build Minnesota’s innovation and technology economy. He received his bachelors and masters degrees in International Affairs from George Washington University.