Longtime Special Olympics supporter, Larson looks forward to new year of championing inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities

Minnesota business leaders have elected Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union (Affinity Plus) CEO Dave Larson to the position of Board Chair of Special Olympics Minnesota for a second year. The move comes as the organization celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2023.

 

In his first year as Board Chair, Larson helped lead a collaborative effort to bring the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games to Minnesota. Minnesota beat out three other states in its bid to host the event which is expected to draw around 4,000 athletes and tens of thousands of fans, volunteers and coaches from across the country.

 

“It’s an incredible honor that our board of truly talented leaders in the Twin Cities business community believe in me and my leadership enough to nominate me as Board Chair for a second year,” said Larson. “And I am really proud that we won the privilege to host the USA games in 2026. Last year I had the honor of leading Minnesota’s athletes on the field for the opening ceremony of the 2022 games in Orlando, and it was one of the highlights of my career—and my life.”

 

The Special Olympics Minnesota Board of Directors, which is composed of business leaders, disability advocates and Special Olympics Minnesota athletes from across the state, fulfill their duties by attending meetings, volunteering at events, fundraising and participating in the Polar Plunge. Larson has volunteered in fundraising and leadership roles with Special Olympics Minnesota for more than 15 years, including personally raising more than $160,000 through his Polar Plunge participation.

 

As an organization, Affinity Plus is a longtime supporter of Special Olympics, and has contributed a total of $515,000 to support year-round athletic and health-based services for thousands of athletes with intellectual disabilities across the state. In the past three years, Affinity Plus has also reenergized Polar Plunge fundraising across Minnesota by offering a $50 kickstarter donation to the first 2,000 plungers that register using an Affinity Plus promo code.

 

“We’re celebrating an important time in our history this year with the 50th anniversary of Special Olympics Minnesota,” said Dave Dorn, president and CEO, Special Olympics. “So it’s especially gratifying that our team elected to bring Dave back for such an important milestone. Dave brings enormous energy, inspiring passion and a really diverse leadership skill set to the organization. We’re thrilled to have him and all of Affinity Plus on board to help us spread our message of inclusion to communities all across Minnesota.”

 

As CEO, Larson led an effort to strengthen and rebuild Affinity Plus, leading the credit union to be honored as a Top Workplace by the Star Tribune, named the Top Credit Union in Minnesota by Forbes and recognized as 4th in the country and 1st in the state for value returned to its members by Callahan & Associates. Larson has been celebrated for these efforts by being named as Star Tribune’s Top CEO twice and making the Minnesota 500 list of Most Powerful Business Leaders in Minnesota. Larson’s leadership has correlated with an increase in new members and a dramatic decrease in annual employee turnover.