Milestone Year Brings Multiple Honors for Leader of LeadingAge Minnesota Member Organization

Posted on February 12, 2026 by Ben Hansen

A longtime LeadingAge Minnesota member organization is celebrating a milestone year as its founder receives statewide recognition for leadership in aging services and health care. Dr. Mary Tjosvold, founder and CEO of The Mary T Family of Companies, is being honored by three Minnesota business publications as the organization marks its 50th anniversary in 2026. Congratulations, Mary T and companies!

Below is their full press release.

MARY T HONORED WITH “MOST ADMIRED CEO,” “C-LEVEL AWARD” AND “NOTABLE LEADER IN HEALTHCARE” BY THREE LEADING MINNESOTA BUSINESS PUBLICATIONS

Three leading Minnesota business publications are set to honor the Coon Rapids, Minnesota, pioneering founder of The Mary T Family of Companies as it celebrates its 50^th anniversary year in 2026. For five decades, Dr. Mary Tjosvold – aka Mary T -- has embodied visionary leadership, trends-setting services and practices, and deep community impact in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Maryland. Today, Mary T companies serve thousands of individuals, especially seniors, those with disabilities, and people recovering from brain injuries. Under her leadership, Mary T Inc. has been an early adopter of community-based care models, moving individuals out of state institutions and into person-centered housing environments decades before such models became industry standard.                                                   

She is also the co-founder and owner of Crooners Supperclub, an internationally recognized Jazz club that also features a diverse array of artists across genres, which is in its 11^th year of operation.

Mary will receive a “Most Admired CEOs” award on February 12, 2026, from the Minneapolis/ St. Paul Business Journal, while she is also being recognized as a Notable Leader in Health Care and included in a special section in the February/March edition of Twin Cities Business magazine and online at tcbmag.com. In similar fashion, Finance and Commerce has just announced that she is the recipient of a C-Level Award.

All three publications based their award decisions in large part on an applicant’s commitments to community. Mary T’s includes:

• Women’s UN Report Network (WUNRN) – Board Member, 2004–present
• Center for the Victims of Torture (CVT) – Board Member, 2019–present

Nominee’s Past Board and Committee Memberships

• American Refugee Committee (ARC) – Board Member, 1996–2002; Chair, 2002–2006
• University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) – Board Member, 2004–2016; Chair, 2016–2024

“It is a great honor to be recognized by Minnesota’s longtime business media as our 600+ employees in four states celebrate our 50^th Anniversary Year in 2026,” notes Mary T. “So, I dedicate these awards to our tireless staff and faithful leadership teams – many who have been with us for 20 years or more! Their commitment to our vision and the communities we serve never wavers.”

In the Beginning, No Banks or Legal Firms Would Lend Capitol or Guidance

In 1976, at just 28 years old, she co-founded the Mary T Family of Companies with her mother, overcoming barriers that denied women access to capital or legal support. From a single group home, she has grown the organization into an ecosystem of more than 455 rental units, four assisted living campuses, 50+ group homes, home health, and hospice services in four states. Annual revenues average $50m.

Her leadership has fueled steady growth through five decades, while keeping true to the company’s founding mission: “We’re not just in service businesses; we’re in the business of building community.”

Today Mary T remains a leading voice in the senior living, disability services, and healthcare industries, overseeing operations spanning assisted living, independent living, group homes, home health, and hospice.  

Beyond Business High-Profile Humanitarian and Philanthropy Good Works

Beyond business, Mary’s humanitarian work extends globally. In 2002 Mary T and her mother Margaret established the Margaret T nursery and primary school in Sante- Bamenda Cameroon and the later building of a second school serving secondary students. Mary T also has chaired the American Refugee Committee, on the Board of Center for Victims of Torture, and launched the Mary T Scholars program in 2014, enabling University of Minnesota CHED graduate students to work with grassroots organizations across Asia, and Africa with humanitarian aid programs from Cameroon to Cambodia.

Her many other accolades include the University of Minnesota’s Outstanding Achievement Award and the Local Legend Award at the Martin Luther King Holiday Breakfast. Mary T remains a trailblazer in both business and humanitarian leadership, building a multigenerational legacy of service, innovation, and compassion.