Kristin Hendrickson

I serve as Chief of Staff for the Hendrickson Foundation, where my work touches nearly every part of the organization. While my title is Chief of Staff, my role spans communications, operations, event planning and execution, graphic design, website management, development, grant writing, social media strategy, content creation, and photography. I began volunteering with HF in 2012 and joined the team full-time in 2018. Since then, I’ve been proud to help grow our reach, strengthen community connections, and expand awareness for inclusive hockey. This work is not a job to me — it is service, purpose, and heart.

What matters most to me are the relationships. I love the families, I love the kids, and I carry deep respect for our Warriors and adaptive athletes. The opportunity to serve these athletes and families — and to witness their journeys of perseverance, strength, and courage — has profoundly changed my life. Their resilience has made me more grounded, more grateful, and continually inspired to lead with humility and purpose. I will do whatever it takes to help create spaces of love, inclusion, dignity, and respite for the athletes and families we serve.

I am deeply compassionate by nature and a little punchy when it comes to protecting what matters. My personal mantra is simple: live as compassionately as possible. No human is perfect, but we can always choose compassion. My character and knowledge were shaped through years of nonprofit work on the front lines — getting my hands dirty, learning from the ground up, and earning every step forward through hard work, humility, and persistence.

I am a proud military spouse, married to a 34-year military veteran who currently serves as a commander. We live the military life and understand the sacrifices, uncertainty, and strength it requires. We are patriots, deeply grateful for our country and those who serve it. We currently live in Bloomington, Minnesota — for now — knowing military orders may lead us to new places and new communities to serve.

I graduated from Richfield high school early and lived in Germany, where I learned to speak German and gained a broader global perspective. I later studied Liberal Arts at Normandale Community College and spent 20 years with UNITE HERE Local 17, where I built lasting relationships with people from many cultures and walks of life.

Service has always been central to my life. Alongside my husband, I co-founded North Star Valor Project, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit created in 2021 in honor of our family member, Curt Hendrickson. His time at the Minneapolis Veterans Home — especially during the isolation of COVID — inspired us to ensure senior veterans feel honored, seen, and never alone. What began as a small family effort delivering holiday comforts has grown into a statewide initiative providing resources, gifts, and meaningful support to veterans across Minnesota.

I am an animal welfare advocate to my core. My husband and I have fostered more than 175 rescue dogs together, including senior and hospice cases, and adopted three. At home, I’m mom to a golden retriever named Basil (pronounced Bazzle), a Bernese Mountain Dog named Gigi, and two senior rescue cats, Herbie and Brooksie. Every one of them is a rescue and a daily reminder of the power of compassion.

Whether supporting veterans, rescuing animals, or expanding access to adaptive hockey, my purpose remains the same: to serve, uplift, and help make the world a better place.