Deb Shirk has spent the last 15 years of her career focusing on program development, grant development, and contract writing with education and the non-profit sector before coming to work at Enterprise Minnesota as Director of Grants and Contracts .

Deb previously worked for the University of Minnesota and also for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU). Her husband, Jim, is a Blackhawk helicopter pilot and medevac unit commander with the National Guard. They live in Lakeville with their two children.