Lester Bagley brings more than three decades of public affairs and communications experience to his role as Vikings Executive Vice President of Public Affairs. Currently in his 17th season with the Vikings, Bagley oversees the team's communications, public affairs and community relations programs.
Bagley serves on the Minnesota Vikings executive management team and works closely with team owners Zygi, Mark and Lenny Wilf. Bagley plays a key role in Vikings management as the club prepares to welcome fans back to U.S. Bank Stadium in 2021 following the unprecedented 2020 season that kept fans away during the Covid-19 pandemic. Bagley also works with Vikings ownership as they continue to build a sports, entertainment and real estate business, outside of the Vikings. He has worked with the Wilf family on several projects including the development of the Viking Lakes campus and the acquisition of the Orlando City Soccer Club, the Major League Soccer organization which the Wilf family purchased in July 2021.
Bagley is part of the Vikings leadership team that planned and designed Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center, the state-of-the-art Vikings team headquarters, which opened in 2018. The Vikings team headquarters and practice facility occupy approximately 40 acres of the 200-acre Viking Lakes campus in Eagan, MN. The vision for this broader development includes a medical office building, a sports performance center, new residences and other mixed uses to create a live-work-play destination. In October 2020, the Omni Vikings Lakes Hotel, a four-star hotel and conference center opened on Viking Lakes campus. Bagley works with the hotel ownership group on creating events and collaborations with key stakeholders.
The Vikings organization has created an outstanding fan experience at its team headquarters through Verizon Training Camp and through the Vikings Prep Spotlight, the program that has hosted eight high school football games at TCO Stadium during 2018 and 2019. Bagley has played a leadership role on these programs and other significant community outreach programs, including working closely with the team's Social Justice Committee, a Vikings player-driven effort striving for racial justice and equity.
During his tenure at the Vikings, Bagley played a leadership role on one of the most significant accomplishments in franchise history – securing legislative and community support for the iconic U.S. Bank Stadium. The $1.1 billion multi-purpose facility, the largest construction project in Minnesota history, has proven to be one of the finest stadiums in the world. U.S. Bank Stadium has won several awards for its construction, design and operation. Bagley also served on the executive board and played a significant role in securing and delivering the very successful Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium, played on February 4, 2018.
On behalf of the Vikings, Bagley has developed many impactful relationships in Minnesota, in the NFL and throughout professional and collegiate sports. The Vikings organization enjoys excellent relationships with elected officials, media, and business, labor and community leaders. Bagley currently serves as vice chair of the Minnesota Vikings Foundation and serves on the boards of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, the Public Affairs Council and the St. Thomas Academy Fathers' Club.
In addition, Bagley serves on the executive board of Minnesota Sports & Events, which is focused on bringing major sporting events to the Minneapolis-St. Paul market, including the Super Bowl, Men's and Women's NCAA Final Fours, the NFL Draft, X Games and other events. Bagley recently completed his term as the 2019 chair (Head Coach) of Twin Cities Dunkers, a Minneapolis-based group of business and civic leaders who host prominent sports figures and raise funds for youth and high school athletics.
A native of Barron, WI, Bagley began college at the University of Minnesota before graduating from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). He served as a White House intern and studied at the University of Oxford during his undergraduate days. Bagley and his wife Wendy, who is a graduate of the College of St. Catherine, reside in Minneapolis with their sons Michael and Charlie.
