Minnesota / Education Department

Agency file

Education Department

Source file: Minnesota — State Employee Payroll / ingested Jun 18, 2026

The Education Department administers public education — funding, academic standards, and the operation of schools.

In 2025, this agency had 526 employees with median total compensation of $100,985; the highest distinct record was $188,878.

Year: 2025
Total payroll: $48.4M
Employees: 526
Median total: $100,985
Highest record: $188,878

What the records show

Compensation analytics

These summaries compare pay within the agency before listing individual records.

Salary distribution

$1,170$160,488+

Hover a bar for its range; click to filter the list below.

How 2025 total compensation is spread across the 526 employees. Each bar is a pay range; taller bars mean more people earn in that range. The amber line marks the median ($100,985) — half earn less, half more. The far-right bar collects the highest earners.

Average pay composition

Base — $91,141 (99%)
Overtime — $110 (0%)
Other — $806 (1%)
Benefits — $0 (0%)

What an average paycheck here is made of — base salary versus overtime, other pay (bonuses, allowances), and benefits. A large overtime or other-pay share means take-home often exceeds base salary.

Pay percentiles

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$33,536

$68,909

$100,985

$116,154

$133,817

The pay ladder for this department. Someone at the 90th percentile earns $133,817 — more than 90% of the department; the 10th percentile earns $33,536. The shaded band is the middle half of employees (25th–75th percentile).

Largest job titles

Education Consultant 3

177 · $113,570

Education Supervisor 2

35 · $132,868

Education Finance Consultant 3

27 · $114,482

Nutrition Program Consultant

17 · $83,617

Office & Administrative Specialist Senior

15 · $58,063

The most common job titles in this department by headcount, with the median total compensation for each. Click a title to see everyone who holds it.

Trend

Year over year

How this department's total payroll, headcount, and median pay changed across the 2 published years.

Year	Total payroll	Employees	Median pay
2024	$43M —	507 —	$94,365 —
2025	$48.4M ▲ 12.5%	526 ▲ 3.7%	$100,985 ▲ 7.0%

Record list

Employees

Page 1

Ann Van Diest

Education Finance Consultant 3/Education Department

2025 total comp

$147,141

Sub-department: Financial Management
Base pay: $147,141
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $147,141
Hire date: 2009-04-27
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 19
Union / bargaining unit: MN Assoc of Professional Empl
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Hennepin

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: E37
Bargaining Unit Number: 214
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Ann Van Diest is a Education Finance Consultant 3 at Education Department within Financial Management. Hired in 2009, they have about 16 years of service, working full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $147,141. Union affiliation: MN Assoc of Professional Empl.

Sean Fahnhorst

Agency Chief Financial Officer/Education Department

2025 total comp

$146,939

Sub-department: Office of the CFO
Base pay: $146,939
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $146,939
Hire date: 2017-07-31
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 22
Union / bargaining unit: Manager
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Hennepin

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: E37
Bargaining Unit Number: 220
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Sean Fahnhorst is a Agency Chief Financial Officer at Education Department within Office of the Cfo. They have served since 2017 (about 8 years), working full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $146,939. Union affiliation: Manager.

Sara Winter

Staff Attorney Supervisor/Education Department

2025 total comp

$146,673

Sub-department: General Counsel
Base pay: $146,673
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $146,673
Hire date: 2001-09-26
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 27
Union / bargaining unit: Middle Management Association
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Hennepin

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: E37
Bargaining Unit Number: 216
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Sara Winter is a Staff Attorney Supervisor at Education Department within General Counsel. They have served since 2001 (about 24 years), working full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $146,673. Their bargaining unit is Middle Management Association.

Corrie Oberg

General Counsel 1/Education Department

2025 total comp

$146,309

Sub-department: General Counsel
Base pay: $146,309
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $146,309
Hire date: 2006-02-06
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 21
Union / bargaining unit: Manager
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Hennepin

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: E37
Bargaining Unit Number: 220
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Corrie Oberg is a General Counsel 1 at Education Department within General Counsel. They have served since 2006 (about 19 years), working full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $146,309. Union affiliation: Manager.

Julie Novak

Education Director 1/Education Department

2025 total comp

$145,362

Sub-department: Office of Teaching & Learning
Base pay: $145,362
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $145,362
Hire date: 2024-01-04
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 21
Union / bargaining unit: Manager
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Hennepin

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: E37
Bargaining Unit Number: 220
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Julie Novak is a Education Director 1 at Education Department within Office of Teaching & Learning. They have served since 2024 (about a year), working full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $145,362. Union affiliation: Manager.

Nichole Laven

Education Director 1/Education Department

2025 total comp

$144,931

Sub-department: Acad Stand, Instruct, & Assess
Base pay: $141,463
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $3,468
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $144,931
Hire date: 2022-09-07
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 21
Union / bargaining unit: Manager
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Hennepin

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: E37
Bargaining Unit Number: 220
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Nichole Laven holds the role of Education Director 1 at Education Department within Acad Stand, Instruct, & Assess. Their tenure dates to 2022, about 3 years as a full-time employee. In 2025, their total compensation was $144,931. Their bargaining unit is Manager.

Jane Harstad

Education Director 1/Education Department

2025 total comp

$144,327

Sub-department: Commissioner of Education
Base pay: $144,327
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $144,327
Hire date: 2017-03-01
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 21
Union / bargaining unit: Manager
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Hennepin

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: E37
Bargaining Unit Number: 220
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Unclassified
Classified Status: Unclassified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Jane Harstad works as a Education Director 1 for Education Department within Commissioner of Education. They have served since 2017 (about 8 years) as a full-time employee. Jane earned $144,327 in 2025. They are represented by Manager.

Lana Peterson

State Program Administrative Manager Principal/Education Department

2025 total comp

$143,198

Sub-department: Off of Educational Opportunity
Base pay: $143,198
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $143,198
Hire date: 2023-09-27
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 20
Union / bargaining unit: Manager
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Hennepin

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: E37
Bargaining Unit Number: 220
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Lana Peterson is a State Program Administrative Manager Principal at Education Department within Off of Educational Opportunity. Their tenure dates to 2023, about 2 years, working full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $143,198. Their bargaining unit is Manager.

Lee Her

State Program Administrative Manager Principal/Education Department

2025 total comp

$143,198

Sub-department: Office of Equity & Engagement
Base pay: $143,198
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $143,198
Hire date: 2017-10-30
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 20
Union / bargaining unit: Manager
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Hennepin

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: E37
Bargaining Unit Number: 220
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Lee Her holds the role of State Program Administrative Manager Principal at Education Department within Office of Equity & Engagement. Their tenure dates to 2017, about 8 years as a full-time employee. In 2025, their total compensation was $143,198. Their bargaining unit is Manager.

Carolyn Hoel

State Program Administrative Manager Senior/Education Department

2025 total comp

$141,839

Sub-department: Agency Finance & Operations
Base pay: $138,718
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $3,121
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $141,839
Hire date: 1994-01-10
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 17
Union / bargaining unit: Manager
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Hennepin

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: E37
Bargaining Unit Number: 220
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

At Education Department, Carolyn Hoel serves as a State Program Administrative Manager Senior within Agency Finance & Operations. They have served since 1994 (about 31 years), working full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $141,839. Their bargaining unit is Manager.

Gregory Keith

State Program Administrative Manager Principal/Education Department

2024 total comp

$141,402

Sub-department: Off of Educational Opportunity
Base pay: $138,077
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $3,325
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $141,402
Hire date: 2012-02-27
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 20
Union / bargaining unit: Manager
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Hennepin

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2024: Yes
Agency Number: E37
Bargaining Unit Number: 220
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

At Education Department, Gregory Keith serves as a State Program Administrative Manager Principal within Off of Educational Opportunity. They have served since 2012 (about 12 years), working full-time. Their 2024 pay totaled $141,402. Union affiliation: Manager.

Ivy Wheeler

Education Director 1/Education Department

2025 total comp

$141,290

Sub-department: Off of Educational Opportunity
Base pay: $141,290
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $141,290
Hire date: 2022-06-29
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 21
Union / bargaining unit: Manager
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Hennepin

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: E37
Bargaining Unit Number: 220
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Ivy Wheeler holds the role of Education Director 1 at Education Department within Off of Educational Opportunity. They have served since 2022 (about 3 years) as a full-time employee. In 2025, their total compensation was $141,290. They are represented by Manager.

Emily Honer

Education Director 1/Education Department

2025 total comp

$140,810

Sub-department: Off of Student Support Svcs
Base pay: $140,810
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $140,810
Hire date: 2019-05-21
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 21
Union / bargaining unit: Manager
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Hennepin

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: E37
Bargaining Unit Number: 220
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

At Education Department, Emily Honer serves as a Education Director 1 within Off of Student Support Services. Hired in 2019, they have about 6 years of service, working full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $140,810. Their bargaining unit is Manager.