Ben Foertsch joined McKnight in October 2023 as the application integration specialist on the Information Technology team. He plays a crucial role in planning, coordinating, and developing solutions within McKnight’s Microsoft 365 ecosystem. With a primary focus on leveraging the platform’s productivity potential, Ben optimizes processes, supports user adoption, provides technical expertise, and ensures a seamless user experience to help the Foundation deliver on its mission.
Ben has spent the last decade helping high-performing teams collaborate with Microsoft 365 tools and SharePoint. Most recently he was a senior learning strategist with Planet Technologies, a leading global provider of Microsoft consulting services, where he led learning campaigns, live webinars, classroom training, workshops, and guidance on SharePoint, Teams, OneDrive, Power Apps, Planner, To Do, and more, and became a Microsoft Service Adoption Specialist. Prior to that, Ben founded ShareKnow Consulting to offer clients Microsoft 365 strategic planning, audience-targeted solutions, in-depth security insights, education programs, and governance structures within SharePoint and Teams. He honed his skills over several years at Securian Financial, where he was involved in the design and development of 3,000 SharePoint sites and associated governance, security, and training needs.
Ben has a bachelor of science in applied economics from the University of Minnesota. He is involved with M365 Twin Cities and the Minnesota Microsoft 365 User Group, presents at SharePoint Online for End Users events, and was recently a Makerspace teacher at Rise Academy, creating engaging experiences for K-6th graders.
Ben was born and raised in Minnesota and lives just south of the Twin Cities with his wife, two daughters, and two dogs. He loves tinkering, nature, animals, and video games—to name just a few of his hobbies.