Mall of America's Maureen Bausch tapped as 2018 Super Bowl CEO

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Maureen Bausch has been chosen as CEO of the Super Bowl Host Committee.

Nick Halter

Staff reporter- Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal

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Maureen Bausch is giving up her job running the state's biggest tourist destination to organize the state's biggest party.

Bausch has been hired as CEO of the Super Bowl Host Committee, a two-year job that entails preparing the Twin Cities for the big game in 2018.

"I always said, 'The only way I would leave Mall of America is for the opportunity of a lifetime,' and this is that opportunity," Bausch said in an interview.

Bausch will stick around to lead the mall through most of the holiday shopping season and will start her new job Dec. 15. Her first tasks will be hiring a staff and finding office space for the Super Bowl Host Committee. The committee has raised $30 million, but Bausch will also need to raise more as the budget increases.

Bausch was picked by the leaders of a committee that convinced the NFL to let Minneapolis host the Super Bowl. That group is led by U.S. Bancorp CEO Richard Davis, Ecolab CEO Doug Baker and Marilyn Carlson Nelson, the former CEO of Carlson.

Baker said the group picked Bausch over five other candidates because she has the skills, knowledge and personality to run the event.

"I quip that Maureen runs a Super Bowl at the Mall of America every day," Baker said.

The committee hired Chicago-based executive search firm Spencer Stuart to find candidates. It also got input from the Minnesota Vikings and Greater MSP CEO Michael Langley.

"We are thrilled with the co-chairs' selection of Maureen as the Super Bowl Host Committee CEO," Vikings Owner and President Mark Wilf said in a statement. "Through our long-time partnership with Mall of America, the Vikings have grown to know Maureen well, and we are extremely confident she will accomplish big things in this endeavor. We look forward to her work in bringing the world's marquee sporting event to Minnesota's new multi-purpose stadium."

Nick Halter covers retail and sports business.