Dr. Duane Carter, Ed.D

Dr. Carter is president of the Value Growth Group, an organization dedicated to helping businesses and nonprofits enhance value and pursue growth opportunities. With extensive expertise in strategy, business development, operations, organizational effectiveness, and finance, he guides organizations in strengthening their products and services to increase market value. He is also the author of No Margin, No Mission: Adapting Leading Business Practices to Grow Your Nonprofit.

Prior to founding the Value Growth Group, Dr. Carter served as senior vice president and a member of the executive leadership team at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. With more than 15 years of executive leadership experience, he has led the development of winning strategies, driven successful organizational change, introduced innovative customer solutions, eliminated redundant costs through rigorous operational analysis, and leveraged data-driven insights to identify growth opportunities.

In addition to his executive leadership and consulting work, Dr. Carter brings deep experience in nonprofit governance and philanthropic stewardship. He currently serves as a Trustee of the Louis W. Hill Trust and previously served for ten years on the board of the Northwest Area Foundation, including three years as board chair. Northwest Area Foundation is a half‑billion‑dollar philanthropic organization that supports people, organizations, and communities across an eight‑state region to reduce poverty and advance sustainable prosperity.

Dr. Carter has also served as an adjunct professor in the Labovitz School of Business and Economics at the University of Minnesota Duluth and in the Leadership and Change MBA program at the College of St. Scholastica. He has taught courses in strategic management and strategic leadership and change, sharing his expertise with emerging leaders and executives.

Dr. Carter earned a Doctor of Education in Organization Development and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas, as well as a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Business from the University of Minnesota. His academic foundation, combined with his executive leadership, governance, and teaching experience, underscores his commitment to advancing organizational effectiveness and sustainable growth across sectors.