Gwen Freed

Marketing and Communication

Gwendolyn Freed has been Vice President for Marketing and Communication at Gustavus Adolphus College since 2006. Reporting to President Jack R. Ohle, she is responsible for strategic brand positioning to further the institution’s mission and business goals. She leads a team of specialists in design, editorial, media relations, events, fine arts promotion, sports information, and more.

A journalist for 17 years, Gwen was a freelance contributor to the Wall Street Journal and other major outlets. For more than four years she was a fulltime newsroom staffer at the Minneapolis Star Tribune. In recognition of her contributions to the field, she was honored with a nine-month fellowship at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism in 1997.

During her midcareer transition from journalism to leadership and administration, Gwen earned a Master of Public Affairs degree in Public and Nonprofit Leadership and Management from the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota as a Thomas Swain Fellow. She was Executive Director of the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies for several years and later worked with philanthropists as a Major Gifts Officer for the Minnesota Orchestra. At Richfield-based Best Buy Corporation, she was a Senior Community Relations Specialist responsible for Twin Cities grant-making and communication on behalf of the Best Buy Children’s Foundation. She holds a master’s degree in music from The Juilliard School and a bachelor’s degree in music from Oberlin College.

A native of the Washington, D.C., area, Gwen is married to Kenneth Freed, violist in the Minnesota Orchestra and Music Director of the Mankato Symphony Orchestra. The couple has three teenagers.

Contact Information

Marketing and Communication
Gustavus Adolphus College
800 West College Avenue
Saint Peter, MN 56082

Phone: 507-933-6355
E-mail: gfreed@gustavus.edu

Courses Taught

• Journalism