Speakers

Opening Plenary Speaker

Judge Pamela Alexander, president, Council on Crime & Justice

Stress, Budgets and Hope: Building Support for Public Service

Keynote speaker Judge Pamela Alexander, the newly-named president of the Council on Crime & Justice, will address the topic Stress, Budgets and Hope: Building Support for Public Service at the conference opening plenary on Friday, October 3. In a time of economic retrenchment, nonprofits and government must explore creative responses and opportunities to address growing public needs. The focus for nonprofits and government remains to serve the public well, and Pamela will highlight how nonprofits and government can think about and move forward with their shared imperative for the common good.

After her remarks, Pamela will be joined by Sandra Vargas, president & CEO of the Minneapolis Foundation, and Armando Camacho, president of Neighborhood House, who will give brief responses and engage in dialogue with the audience.

Pamela Alexander began her tenure as the Council on Crime and Justice’s third president in its 50-year history in June 2008. She grew up in South Minneapolis and graduated from the University of Minnesota School of Law. She began her legal career as a criminal defense attorney with the Legal Rights Center and then moved to the Hennepin County Attorney’s office as a prosecutor in the Criminal Division. From 1983-2008 she served as a Hennepin County District Court Judge where she presided over the Juvenile Division and served as Assistant Chief Judge for the Court as a whole. She is currently on The Minneapolis Foundation Board of Trustees, the Children’s Defense Fund Board, and the Juvenile Judges Leadership Council. She has been awarded numerous community service awards ranging from the University of St. Thomas School of Law Dean’s Award for Outstanding Teaching to the NAACP Profiles in Courage Award.

Speakers

Breakout Sessions

Judy Alnes has been executive director of MAP for Nonprofits since 1997. Previously, Judy served as vice president at CommonBond Communities, director at Resources for Child Caring, and a variety of positions at Control Data Corporation. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota and was a Mondale Fellow at the Hubert Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. Judy currently serves as the chair of the community advisory board of Twin Cities Public Television and was previously a board member with Greater Twin Cities United Way and the Council of Agency Executives.

Macarthur Antigua is the founder and principal of Massive Creativity, an organization that facilitates spaces and experiences to cultivate the artistry and genius of individuals, organizations and communities. Past clients have included Numen Development (Houston, TX), OneStar Foundation (Austin, TX), Memorial Hermann Hospital (Fort Bend, TX), Local Support Initiatives Corporation (New York, NY) and the Alliance for Children and Families (Milwaukee, WI).

Eliza Appert specializes in strategic communications at Tunheim Partners. Since 2007, she has developed and implemented a variety of media campaigns, including social media, and research analysis projects for corporate, government and nonprofit clients. From corporate communications to media relations, Eliza’s work benefits from her thoughtful approach to communications initiatives and understanding of client objectives. Eliza’s current work spans internal and external communications, national media tours and story placements, and public awareness campaigns.

Marcia Avner is public policy director with the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. Her work includes advocacy and civic engagement training and education as well as lobbying on election reform and other issues that are important to nonprofits and the people they serve. She teaches at the Center on Advocacy and Political Leadership at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and authored The Lobbying and Advocacy Handbook for Nonprofit Organizations: Shaping Public Policy at the State and Local Level (2002), and The Board Member’s Guide to Lobbying and Advocacy (2004) published by Fieldstone Alliance. She holds a B.A. from Carnegie Mellon University and a M.A. from the University of Arkansas.

Atum Azzahir is executive director and founder of the Cultural Wellness Center, in which she has been engaged for 25 years. She works to lead diverse communities in seeking healing and wholeness and has won numerous awards for her work.

Kate Barr is executive director of Nonprofits Assistance Fund, whose mission is to foster community development and vitality by building financially healthy nonprofit organizations. Kate has led the organization’s growth as a premier resource for training, strategic financial counsel, and financing for nonprofit organizations. Kate was formerly a Senior Vice President at Riverside Bank. With her unique insight and experience, she is a popular speaker, trainer, and writer on nonprofit management and financial issues. Kate has a Master’s degree from Hamline University where she is currently an adjunct faculty member. She serves on the boards of directors of several nonprofits.

Kristin Batson has over 15 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. She currently leads the State of Minnesota’s Office of Grants Management, which is focused on standardizing grant-making processes across state agencies and providing access to information about state grant opportunities. Previously, Kristin was the director of organizational development at the McKnight Foundation of Minneapolis and the executive director of the Minnesota Newspaper Foundation.

Reverend Bruce Bjork is currently the executive director for program development at the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches. He has twenty years of experience working with faith-based nonprofit organizations and directing programs that meet critical community needs. At the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches, he has developed initiatives that engage the faith community in addressing key issues such as affordable housing, student achievement, parent education, family stabilization, prisoner re-entry, and immigrant services. He serves as project director for GMCC’s Compassion Capital Fund project, which has helped build capacity in over 350 local nonprofits over the past five years. Bruce is a graduate of Hamline University, with graduate degrees from Campbell University and the Divinity School at Duke University.

Steve Boland is executive director of the Greater Frogtown Community Development Corporation, where he focuses on combining community needs with economic viability in business and housing. Steve’s background includes work for Congressman Bruce Vento, the Saint Paul Neighborhood Network, Minnesota Technology, the Minnesota Housing Partnership, and the Summit-University Planning Council. Steve is currently a member of the Board of Directors for the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, and is an alumnus of the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities and the James Shannon Leadership Institute of the Wilder Foundation.

Eve Borenstein provides legal counsel to nonprofits nationally in the areas of tax exemption planning and compliance, effective governance, corporate and employment issues, mergers and dissolutions, IRS examinations and status correspondence, and legal audits.

Lee Buckley was appointed by Governor Tim Pawlenty in November of 2005 to develop a closer connection between the state government and faith and community organizations by increasing the access to existing funding resources, reducing barriers to delivering services and promoting best practices. Previously she was director of labor relations at Northwest Airlines, and with CNA Insurance Companies in management, project leadership and consulting positions with a focus on customer satisfaction, new business development, process improvement, and business process redesign. She is a graduate of the Chicago Institute of Technology, has attended the University of Illinois at Chicago and Wayne State University in Detroit, and is currently attending Bethel Seminary.

Armando Camacho is president of Neighborhood House. He joined Neighborhood House in May of 2008 from the Saint Paul Public School District, where he was assistant director of Alternative Learning Programs. Armando was also a principal for the Minneapolis Public School District, where his leadership of Whittier International Elementary School attracted national attention. During his tenure, Whittier earned International Baccalaureate certification, resulting in enrollment at the school increasing by over 70%. He attended the University of Saint Thomas and graduated from Saint Cloud State University with a bachelor’s degree in special education, and holds a master’s degree in education from Saint Mary’s University as well as Superintendent and Director of Community Education Licensures.

Theresa Carufel is the governor-appointed chair of the Minnesota State Advisory Council on Mental Health. She has long been an advocate for people with mental illnesses, including serving as the family liaison for Tasks Unlimited, the board of the Barabara Schneider Foundation, the Hennepin County Advisory Council, the NAMI family-to-family program and her work as co-director of the Minnesota Bio Brain Association. Theresa holds a social work degree from the University of Minnesota.

Dan Cramer is the co-founder of grassoots solutions, where he developed and led grassroots trainings and planning sessions for clients and conferences across the country. In recent years, Dan has worked with clients including ClearWay, the Brainerd Foundation, National Public Radio, Education Minnesota, the Lance Armstrong Foundation, the American Heart Association, the McKnight Foundation, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, National Voice, the Sierra Club and the University of Minnesota. Previously, Dan held numerous leadership roles for US Senator Paul Wellstone, was the executive assistant to Minnesota House Speaker Phil Carruthers, worked as a as a community organizer for the National Training and Information Center (NTIC) in Chicago, served as a government relations attorney with the Gray Plant Mooty law firm in Minneapolis, and was a “scooper” for Baskin-Robbins.

Carlo Cuesta, managing partner, Creation in Common, has led strategic marketing and branding engagements for Pillsbury United Communities, Care Providers of Minnesota, Lyngblomsten, Resources for Child Caring, Plains Art Museum, Sabes JCC, The Saint Paul Foundation, Sidney Health Center and Illusion Theater. He is the author of several articles on nonprofit branding as well as the co-author of the McKnight Foundation commissioned report – Bright Stars: Charting the Impact of Art on Greater Minnesota.

Ingrid Culp is a shareholder in Fredrikson & Byron’s Employment & Labor Group practicing primarily in the area of employment law counseling. She counsels and trains employers on a broad range of employment issues and compliance matters, and defends employers in pre-litigation matters. She holds a J.D. from the University of Minnesota.

Ruth Duran Deffley is the membership and chapter coordinator with the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. She coordinates MCN’s membership functions and its relationships with chapters and their regional coordinators. For the past 10 years, Ruth has worked in the nonprofit sector in Washington, DC, San Francisco and Minneapolis/St. Paul. She has focused her work on the Latino community and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Centro Legal, Inc. She holds a B.A. from Georgetown University and a dual Master’s in public policy and social work from the University of Minnesota.

Kristen Denzer is the founder of The Advancement Company, which provides fundraising, communications, event planning, grant writing and interim leadership assistance to nonprofit organizations. She has worked in development, alumni relations, management, outreach, advocacy, communications and policy research for several nonprofit organizations, political campaigns and at the University of Minnesota. She holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology and Political Science, and a master's degree in Advocacy and Political Leadership, and is Kristen is currently pursuing a PhD in Evaluation Studies with a concentration in Organizational Development at the University of Minnesota.

Barbara Dorry, executive director, Kootasca Community Action Partnership

Catherine Eichers Penkert was an Humphrey Institute analyst when she worked on the Kujichagulia project. She recently completed her master’s degrees in Public Policy and Social Work at the University of Minnesota, and now continues to explore government-nonprofit-community partnerships in her current position with the City of Saint Paul as the Project Manager for the East Side Learning Collaborative.

Kent Eklund, chairman at Cincinnatus, offers a broad range of senior management skills and experience. In addition to his role as Chair at Cincinnatus, he is President of the Fairview Foundation. His background makes him a valued resource for Cincinnatus’ work with public, private and not-for-profit organizations in the areas of strategic planning, leadership search support services, interim leadership, and confidential leadership counsel. His public service background includes service as a commissioner of two departments under Minnesota Governor Quie and as Mayor of the City of Northfield, Minnesota. Concurrently, he was the Chair of the Political Science Department at St. Olaf College. He currently serves on the Boards of Ebenezer Society, Search Institute, VocalEssence, the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches, and Park Midway Bank.

As director of e-Strategy, David Erickson specializes in strategic online communication. He has more than 10 years of experience, first as a freelancer, then as founder and president of e-Strategy, and now with Tunheim Partners. David's experience includes executing a national online media relations campaign, expert positioning with e-mail marketing, EPKs and search-optimized press releases, search engine marketing for many clients, viral video campaigns, and social media marketing campaigns.

Linda Ewing, partner at Cincinnatus, has over twenty years of experience in positions of leadership and management of both nonprofit and corporate entities, with a proven track record of successfully integrating strategic plans into the operation of an organization. Prior to her consulting career, Linda was President and CEO of Special Olympics Minnesota for 15 years. She has contributed her talents and expertise to a variety of agencies including her service on the Governor’s Council on Health and Wellness, as a member of the Minnesota Tolerance Advisory Board, President of the National Association of Special Olympics Professionals, and as founding board member of the National Association of Community Leadership Organizations.

Jay Freeman has been an account manager at OfficeMax for 21 years, where he works helping nonprofits to get set up on the internet to place orders. Jay helps members of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits save money through MCN's cost-saving partnership with Office Max.

Jim Frey has served as president & CEO of Frey Foundation since 2003. Jim received his BA from Saint John’s University and his JD from William Mitchell College of Law. He served in a variety of human resource positions with several corporations and then joined the Leonard, Street & Deinart law firm, leaving in 1997 to join the family office of the Frey family. Jim serves as Vice-Chair of Heading Home Minnesota and Chair of Saint John’s University. He also serves on The Saint Paul Foundation and Minnesota Council on Foundations boards.

Jeannie Fox, deputy public policy director at the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, spent over a decade working in nonprofit and government direct service organizations. In her current role at MCN, Jeannie is responsible for direct and grassroots lobbying and advocacy efforts, is a frequent speaker and trainer to various nonprofits increasing their capacity to do advocacy and civic engagement work, and is furthering MCN’s policy goals by establishing regional nonprofit networks in strategic geographical areas around the state. Jeannie has a B.A. degree from South Dakota State University, a Masters degree in Agency Counseling from the University of North Texas, and a Mini-MBA for Nonprofit Organizations from the University of St. Thomas.

Rita Garcia is the President and CEO of Business Partners Plus, Inc. providing consulting services to companies and non-profit organizations. Recent consulting projects have included business strategy, strategic marketing and sales plans, and strategic plan of work in the non-profits environment increasing capacity while improving performance. Areas of social service focus have included: state ethnic councils; domestic violence; economic development; social services; youth mental health services; rural poverty; community medical and dental health services. Rita received an M.B.A. from the Simon School of Business at the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York; a Bachelor of Science degree in education from Mankato State University; and Associate of Science degree in digital electronics from St. Paul Technical College.

Donald Gault is the manager of the Healthy Communities Section with the Saint Paul – Ramsey County Department of Public Health. He has worked with The Initiative for Violence-Free Families and Communities in Ramsey County since 1990. His primary areas of focus include workplace violence prevention, promoting peaceful parenting, development of The Men’s Line and related efforts promoting peace among men and boys, and addressing violence in the media. He has a bachelor’s of arts degree in Political Science from Northeastern Illinois University and a master of arts degree from the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.

Tom Gillaspy has served as the Minnesota State Demographer since 1979. The demographer is in the Minnesota Department of Administration.Prior to moving to Minnesota, Tom held the position of demographer at the Andrus Gerontology Center, University of Southern California. He received his Ph.D. in economics from the Pennsylvania State University, specializing in economic demography. He also holds a Masters Degree in agricultural economics. Born and raised in Texas, he received his undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Texas at Austin.

Gordon Goodwin is a principal consultant with Fieldstone Aliance. Gordon has over 20 years of experience working with community development organizations and consortia in metropolitan and rural settings to achieve economic development outcomes. Gordon also helps organizations align their program goals, values and mission so that they can achieve sustainable, long-term impact. Gordon’s areas of experience include philanthropy, development lending, small business support and policy advocacy.

Gregory Gray, director, Legislative Commission to End Poverty in Minnesota by 2020

Cathy Gustafson is an assistant professor and program director in the Master in Nonprofit Management program at Hamline University.

Rolf Hage supervises the Resource Development Unit of the Aging and Adult Services Division (AASD) of the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Minnesota Board on Aging (MBA). Rolf previously had lead responsibility for the Community Service/Community Services Development (CS/SD) grants program which is designed to expand home and community based services by providing funds to project that act as catalysts in changing the long term care system.

After nine years of teaching French and Film at the University of South Dakota, Roger Hagedorn decided to follow his heart rather than his academic career and relocated to Minneapolis. There he retooled and became a computer consultant specializing in supporting nonprofits, including the Minnesota Senior Federation, the Trust for Public Land, and MAP for Nonprofits. He is now the IS Director of DARTS, a social service nonprofit located in West St. Paul that provides supportive services to older adults and families experiencing life transitions.

Ilean Her, executive director, Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans, was born in Laos before coming to the United States as a political refugee. She graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1994, making her the first Hmong woman admitted to the Minnesota State Bar. She's works to achieve the three primary objectives of the Council: to advise the governor and members of the legislature on issues pertaining to Asian Pacific Minnesotans; to advocate on issues of importance to the Asian Pacific community; and to act as a broker between the Asian Pacific community and mainstream society.

Peg Hill is a consultant at Stanton Group where she helps clients meet their business goals by providing customized employee benefits solutions from Stanton Group’s suite of services. Peg has worked in the industry since 1969 and her wealth of experience serves clients well as they navigate the changing landscape of employee benefits and human resources. Peg has a professional designation from the Health Insurance Association of America (HIAA) and she is a Registered Health Underwriter (RHU). She is also licensed in life and health, property casualty, and variable annuities in Minnesota. Outside of the office, Peg is actively involved with Metro Hope Ministries.

Tom Hodnefield, CPA, is an officer at the accounting firm HLB Tautges Redpath. Tom leads the firm’s not-for-profit service area and specializes in audit, taxation, reporting and advisory services for not-for-profits and local government including charter schools.

Sheryl Homan

Sandy Jacobsen is a consultant with 30 years of experience in cross-sector collaborations, capacity building, and organizational transitions in both for-profit and nonprofit organizations. For 20 years, Sandy was in a leadership position in the financial services industry, involved in cross-sector relationships with corporate, nonprofit and government clients throughout the U.S. She served as president of two banks and launched a national community development initiative. Identifying the great need to share successful strategies between the sectors, Sandy transitioned to the nonprofit sector and stepped in as interim director of a nonprofit housing organization. She is able to apply her extensive practical experience and academic training to almost any challenge leaders and their organizations face. Sandy has degrees in economics and psychology, and is a contributing author to A Funder’s Guide to Organizational Assessment.

Steve Jenkins joined the staff of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits in February 2007. As a research assistant, he has coordinated the production of the 2008 Minnesota Salary and Benefits Survey, a statewide report on compensation for the entire nonprofit sector in Minnesota, and the Minnesota Nonprofit Finance Study, a collaborative project with the Humphrey Institute to gather information about nonprofit management and financial practices. He also helps produce the Minnesota Nonprofit Economy Report, an annual study examining nonprofit employment, wages, and finances. Steve also serves on the board of the Minnesota Renewable Energy Society and the Hennepin County Conservation District. Steve earned his a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from the University of Michigan.

Ann Johnson is the director of the Center for Nonprofit Management in the Opus College of Business, University of St. Thomas. She has 30 years of nonprofit leadership and management experience, in addition to expertise in professional training and curriculum development. She has served as executive for health care, education, advocacy and grassroots organizations. In addition to her Center director research and public policy role, Ann is the director of the Institute for Executive Director Leadership cohort for nonprofit executives. She also is a recognized speaker and presenter offering keynote presentations and training seminars nationally, regionally, and locally with a focus on board and executive development and nonprofit effectiveness.

Cheryl Jones is an account executive and vice president with the Unemployment Services Trust (UST) where hs has worked for 10 years. Cheryl has over 20 yeas in the insurance industry, is a graduate of Upsala College and holds LOMA and HIAA designations.

Laura Kalambokidis is an associate professor in the Department of Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota, where she teaches Public Finance and does research on federal, state, and local tax issues. She developed the University of Minnesota Extension curriculum, Public Value of Public Programs, which is used to help nonprofit and local government service providers secure support for their programs. Prior to joining the University of Minnesota, Laura served as a financial economist in the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Tax Analysis.She holds a B.S. in Economics from the University of Minnesota and a PhD. in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Michele Kimball is the State Director for AARP. In this capacity, she oversees a staff of 9 to develop and implement advocacy, education and consumer protection initiatives on behalf of nearly 700,000 AARP members in the State of Minnesota. Previously, she
served as a lobbyist in AARP’s Federal Affairs Department in Washington, D.C., was a staff member of the U.S. House of Representative’s Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, a staff assistant with the Government Relations Office of Merrill Lynch, and a Courtroom Intern for the U.S. Supreme Court. She has a B.A. in Public Administration and Public Law from Alfred University in New York.

Mary Kinder has had over 25 years of nonprofit accounting management experience. This experience includes nearly as many years preparing for her various nonprofits’ year-end audits. Mary’s accounting management positions have included healthcare, HMO and social service organizations.

Kelly Kleppe has been with the Bush Foundation since 2000. Currently serving as Director of Program Operations, she spent the first eight years as Grants Manager. Previous work experience includes nine years in the University of Minnesota’s investment office. Kelly serves on the board of the National Grants Mangers Network, is co-Chair of the Grants Managers Network Conference Committee, a member of the National Advisory Committee for Project Streamline, and is part of a work group investigating certification for grants managers. In addition, she serves on the steering committee of the Minnesota Grants Managers Network. Kelly holds a Masters Degree from the University of Minnesota.

Monivone J. Lamkhamphoui is the corporate account manger at OfficeMax Impress Print & Document Services, where she has worked since 2002. Monivone has worked with MCN and their members for the last 5 years to help them maximize their dollars with Impress Print & Document Services in all of our retail stores in Minnesota.

Janet Lavoie is the Director of Membership Development, Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organizations. Janet has an educational background in cultural anthropology and communications and has worked and volunteered in the nonprofit sector for most of her professional life. She has experience with leading edge initiatives at the national, provincial and local level and has filled roles as an executive director, educator, advocate and grantmaker. Her current role includes sector education on regulatory compliance and convening various communities of practice.

Martha Lee is the assistant director of the Bush Leadership Fellows Program. Previously she was the administrative assistant at Graywolf Press, a small independent publisher in St. Paul. Martha also worked in the development and membership office at the Minnesota Historical Society. She holds a B.A. in English from the College of St. Katherine.

Julianne Leerssen holds a Bachelor’s degree from Augsburg College in Speech/Communication. After leaving Augsburg, she attended William Mitchell College of Law and received her Juris Doctor in 2004, she became a licensed attorney in October of 2004. She is currently the executive director for a federally funded program that provides family support to families who have a child with a developmental disability. She is also acting director for an expanded project called the Jordan New Life Hub and which hopes to connect people in North Minneapolis with available services and agencies and to fill gaps where they are found.

Keith Luebke is the director of the Nonprofit Leadership Program at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Keith has over twenty years of nonprofit sector experience in the arts, human services, and issues related to affordable housing and homelessness. Keith has a diverse background and has worked as both a grant seeker and a grant maker. He started his nonprofit career a long time ago as the director of a small arts organization in Illinois. As director of the Nonprofit Leadership Program at MSU,M, he works with students pursuing undergraduate and graduate certificates in nonprofit leadership.

Tami Lueck is the executive director for Bridges of Hope, a faith based non-profit serving children and families in the Brainerd Lakes area. She is responsible for program development, program management, evaluation and financial operations of the organization. Tami has extensive experience working with children and families. She has previously worked as a program director for Lutheran Social Services – Youth Services and Catholic Charities as an In-Home Family Crisis Counselor. Tami also serves as the active member of the Local Advisory Council of Children’s Mental Health, Crow Wing County Child Protection Team and the Crow Wing County Anti-Poverty Coalition.

Jennifer Lundblad is the president and CEO of Stratis Health. She has an extensive background in program development and management in both non-profit and education settings. Previously, Jennifer served as a program director at the University of Minnesota, program coordinator at Tufts University in Boston, and in other non-profit leadership and management positions. She holds degrees in speech communication and economics, public and non-profit management, and a PhD in Education with a focus on training and organization development.

Jeff Matson directs the Community GIS program at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, Projects within CGIS include the Minneapolis Neighborhood Information System and Minnesota 3-D. Both of which are capacity-building initiatives that assist neighborhood organizations, non-profits and other community partners with access to data, mapping, and GIS project development. Jeff is a graduate of the Masters in Geographic Information Science program at the University of Minnesota, where his research focused on local environmental hazards and their potential impacts on disadvantaged communities. He has worked at CURA since October 2000.

William Martin is the President of Jericho Resources, Inc., a consulting firm that specializing in assisting nonprofit organizations and government agencies in serving communities more effectively. Since its founding, the firm has provided concrete solutions for clients in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. To date, he has helped organizations successfully compete for over $400 million in public funding. Previously, he served as a senior executive in the nonprofit sector and as an executive aide for Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson.

Tim Marx is Commissioner of the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency. Previously, he was a shareholder with the Briggs and Morgan law firm and served as City Attorney and then Deputy Mayor for the City of Saint Paul. He is a graduate of St. John’s University, and the University of Minnesota’s law school and Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. Tim currently serves on the Boards of Directors of the National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA) and co-chair of its Communications Task Force, the Emerging Market Homeownership Initiative (EMHI), Park Midway Bank in Saint Paul, and membership on the National Advisory Council of the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.

Ellen McVeigh provides legal counsel to nonprofits nationally in the areas of tax exemption planning and compliance, effective governance, corporate and employment issues, mergers and dissolutions, IRS examinations and status correspondence, and legal audits.

Hua Moua, employment services manager at Hmong American Partnership, received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota in Sociology. She has over six years of experience working with communities in the non-profit sector and currently manages refugee employment, citizenship and SSI advocacy programs. Hua has been involved in organizing many community activities and events, including this year’s World Refugee Day in June.

Since 2006, Rogelio Muñoz has served as the executive director for the Chicano Latino Affairs Council of the State of Minnesota, where he works to inform and advise the governor and state legislature on important issues that face Minnesota’s Latino community. Previously, he worked for the Honorable Ruben Hinojosa, U.S. Congressman representing the 15th district of Texas, the Office of Examination at the U.S. Farm Credit Administration in McLean, Virginia, and at the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, Virginia. Rogelio holds a masters degree from the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.

Japhet Nyakundi is a program specialist with the Minnesota Department of Health and works in the STD and HIV section. Japhet has over eleven years of grant management experience in HIV health education risk reduction programming, with extensive management experience in grants program development, implementation, coordination, monitoring, reporting and evaluation.

Jon Pratt has served as executive director for the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits since helping found the organization in 1987. He is public policy committee co- chair of the National Council of Nonprofit Associations, a contributing editor of the Nonprofit Quarterly, and has been recognized several times by The Nonprofit Times as one of the 50 most influential nonprofit leaders in the United States. Prior to his work at MCN, Jon worked in nonprofit organizations as an attorney, lobbyist and director. Pratt has a law degree from Antioch School of Law, Washington, D.C., and a Masters in public administration from Harvard University.

Carleen Rhodes provides leadership for the staff that supports the Minnesota Community Foundation, The Saint Paul Foundation and two private foundation clients, F. R. Bigelow Foundation and the Mardag Foundation. She has more than 30 years of experience in nonprofit management and fundraising, including previous experience with the Minnesota Children's Museum, the College of Saint Benedict, Minnesota Private College Fund, the American Heart Association and as a partner in the national consulting firm Bentz Whaley Flessner. Carleen serves on numerous boards of directors and advisory committees, including Minnesota Council on Foundations, among others.

Mark Ritchie serves as Minnesota's Secretary of State, the state's chief elections officer. Mark previously worked in the administration of Minnesota's Governor Rudy Perpich in the Department of Agriculture, responsible for addressing the economic crisis facing family farmer and rural communities. Mark served for twenty years as the president of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), a Minnesota-based public research center working with businesses, churches, farm organizations, and other civic groups to foster long-term economic and environmental sustainability in Greater Minnesota.

Brian Rusche, executive director, Joint Religious Legislative Commission

Jodi Sandfort research, teaching, and practice at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs focus on improving the implementation of social policy, particularly those policies designed to support low-income children and their families. As a result, she works with and studies the networks of public, private, and philanthropic organizations and leaders that come together to develop and deliver social programs. Her current research and practice projects include examinations of nonprofit organizational finances, strategic philanthropic investment, and management innovation and organizational effectiveness within human service organizations. Jodi is also a senior fellow at the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, where she develops programming for their Leadership Development initiative. Jodi received a Ph.D. in political science and social work from the University of Michigan. She holds a Master's degree in social work from the University of Michigan and a B.A. from Vassar College.

Erin Sapp is an independent consultant in public policy. She currently serves as the project director for both the Heartland Democracy Center, as well as the League of Women Voters State of Democracy project. She is also a project manager for the Citizens League Minnesota Anniversary Project, overseeing citizen outreach and policy development for redistricting reform, as well as spearheading the development of the first ever civic networking platform, CitiZing!. Past clients include The Saint Paul Foundation, Center for Financial Services Innovation, and Visa. She holds a MSc from the London School of Economics.

Deborah Schlick, executive director, Affirmative Options Coalition

Patty Schulz, vice president of resource development at Neighborhood House, has a broad range of experience including 13 years of direct development work as well as 8 years as an ELL instructor in Western Europe. Previously, held several positions at Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity and was vice president of development for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities. Patty has also dedicated over 20 years to a wide array of volunteer activities with various groups and organizations, including Minneapolis Public Schools, South High School Site Council, Kingfield Neighborhood Redevelopment Committee, Minneapolis Crisis Nursery, and the Minnesota Literacy Council.

Frank Schweigert

Sandi Scott has spent 16 years at Tunheim Partners, where she has developed and executed public relations and communications strategies for clients across multiple industries, including business-to-business, technology, retail, consumer products and nonprofit organizations. As a team leader, Sandi seeks to thoroughly understand her clients and their business environment and works to ensure clients’ objectives are met. Her experience includes managing national, regional and local-market media relations campaigns, new product launches, writing press materials, opinion pieces and articles, arranging media tours, corporate positioning and key message development and managing and executing special events.

Judy Sharken-Simon is responsible for MAP for Nonprofit’s volunteer program, where she also provides board training to current and future board members. Judy has also consulted in the nonprofit sector, served as Assistant to the Director and Alumni Relations Coordinator for the Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs (HECUA) and served as a senior consultant with the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation. Among her published works is The Five Life Stages of the Nonprofit Organization: Where You Are, Where You're Going, and What to Expect When You Get There. Judy has a B.A. in Employee Relations from Michigan State University and a M.A. in Organization Development from the University of Minnesota.

Dane Smith is the president of Growth & Justice, a progressive think tank that advocates for tax fairness and smart public investments that will produce shared prosperity. Dane came to Growth & Justice after concluding a 30-year career in journalism covering politics and government for the Minneapolis Star, the St. Paul Pioneer Press, and the Star Tribune. During that time he wrote about local government, including the St. Paul City Council and Ramsey County Board of Commissioners, worked as the Pioneer Press’ national correspondent in Washington D.C., and was the lead state political reporter for the Star Tribune. He and Dennis McGrath co-authored “Professor Wellstone Goes to Washington,” which chronicled the late Sen. Paul Wellstone’s 1990 campaign.

Jono Smith is responsible for marketing Network for Good's online fundraising services to nonprofit organizations. Prior to this, Jono spent eight years at SunGard Higher Education, where he was responsible for managing the company's marketing efforts in Europe and the Middle East. Jono also held marketing and sales positions at SCT and Campus Pipeline, before their acquisitions by SunGard. Jono holds an undergraduate degree in English from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. In his personal time, Jono has raised over $10,000 for AIDS vaccine research.

Sheila Smith has been Minnesota Citizens for the Art’s Executive Director since 1996. She also recently served as a Public Policy Consultant for the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and is part of MCN’s Public Policy Cabinet. Before joining MCA, Smith served as staff at the Minnesota State Senate and lobbied local governments for Continental Airlines in Houston, TX. She received a M.A. in Arts Administration from St. Mary’s University and has a B.A. in Shakespeare from St. Olaf College. She is also a proud member of Minnesota’s 2008 champion WorldQuest team, an international affairs trivia competition of the World Affairs Councils of America.

Drawn to Bedlam Theatre's community bike shop and photographic darkroom in 1998, Tom Snell has worked within Bedlam as a performer, bartender, and most recently, Managing Director. His current responsibilities include strategic planning, financial management, and human resources support. He studied Studio Art in college, plays traditional Ghanaian music, and is planning to become an ESL teacher.

Elizabeth Stephens has been in the field of Grants Management for over 10 years. Currently the Acting Director of the Minnesota Department of Education Program Accountability and Improvement (PAI) Division, she oversees multiple aspects of grants management from the development of the grant opportunity (request for proposals) and review process, to the full execution of an award and its compliance with MDE policies and federal and state laws and regulations. Elizabeth was also instrumental in the development and design of the Electronic Grant Management System (created to centralize and ensure public notification of availability of grant opportunities). As former consultant, she assisted existing and new programs with business start up planning & development, grant writing tips, site visits, observations and program analysis to achieve quality standards.

Sarah Strickland, senior consultant at Cincinnatus, is an experienced leader with 25 years of organizational management and consulting experience in the health and social services sectors. Her passion is to partner with an executive or board and bring their vision into focus and action through strategic business planning, coaching for implementation, performance assessment and transition planning. She also provides interim executive management services to organizations moving from a start-up enterprise into a significant growth and capacity building phase. Before joining Cincinnatus, she offered similar consulting services through her own practice, SBS Associates. Her community involvement includes past and current board leadership and volunteer roles for St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, Planned Parenthood of Minnesota/South Dakota, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and Leadership Minneapolis.

Cathy ten Broeke is the regional coordinator for Heading Home Hennepin, one of seven regional initiatives of Heading Home Minnesota. She has experience speaking to diverse audiences about Heading Home Hennepin and will represent the regional level work of Heading Home Minnesota. Prior to this appointment, Cathy was an Archibald Bush Leadership Fellow and spent 16 months studying the national movement to end homelessness, including an in-depth look at national best practices. She also was a policy aide to Hennepin County Commissioner Gail Dorfman and spent 8 years as Advocate and Shelter Director at St. Stephen’s Shelter in South Minneapolis. She holds a Masters degree from the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.

Tom Triplett focuses on financial restructuring of nonprofits and social sector systems as well as strategy development and business planning. Tom is an executive fellow and adjunct faculty member at the University of St. Thomas and serves on several nonprofit boards. Prior to his current roles, Tom was policy advisor to the Mayor of St. Paul, interim president of the St. Paul Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, president of the College of Visual Arts, executive director of the Minnesota Business Partnership, deputy counsel to the Minnesota Attorney General, commissioner of three Minnesota state agencies: Finance, Revenue and Planning, and an attorney.

Sandra Vargas is the president and CEO of The Minneapolis Foundation. Previously, she served as Hennepin County administrator, which is the top executive position in Hennepin County government. She began her career as a small-business consultant in the Minnesota Department of Economic Development, and held management positions at the City of Minneapolis and the Minnesota Department of Transportation before becoming deputy county administrator at Hennepin in 1997. She graduated from the College of St. Catherine and holds a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Bao Vang is the Leadership Program Coordinator at the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. She has over 10 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, including Lao Hmong Community, Inc., in Detroit, MI and the Hmong American Partnership.   Bao is an active member of Asian American Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy – MN Chapter, Hmong Women’s Giving Circle, and the Capital Campaign Committee for the Asian Pacific Cultural Center.  She helped found and start the Hmong Student Organization at Michigan State University.

Arlene Vernon provides Human Resource management consulting and training for Stanton Group. Her consulting projects cover a variety of HR areas, including HR practice audits, employee handbooks, employee relations activities and interventions, harassment investigations, and employment services. She has a B.A from the University of Massachusetts in Psychology, an M.B.A in Organizational Behavior and an M.Ed. in Counseling both from Boston University.

Paul Verrette joined the Charities Review Council in January 2006. Paul manages the Council’s participatory nonprofit review process, the Accountability Wizard, and is the project lead for the 2008 Accountability Standards Project. Paul has a diverse background in nonprofits and has worked as both a grant seeker and grant maker. He began his nonprofit career as a Peace Corps volunteer in Togo, West Africa. Paul earned the master’s in Public Administration from New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service.

Cathy Weik is the senior vice president and administration/compliance officer of Stratis Health, where she manages and directs all human resource and administrative/office service activities. She is also responsible to provide leadership and direction to the Finance/Contracts and Information Services functions. Cathy has been with Stratis Health for over 17 years, during her tenure she has been actively involved in employee development, staffing, compensation and benefits, personnel policy development, strategic management, development of organizational values, board governance, compliance, confidentiality and security as well as facilities management. She has a BS in Sociology from Winona State University and a Masters in Leadership from Augsburg College.

Nicole Weiler, Free Store director at St. Stephen's Human Services in South Minneapolis, recruits and trains out-of-work program participants to gain the skills and mindset necessary to succeed in a livable wage position. Active in the community, Nicole passionately volunteers much of her time to improving the transportation situation in Minneapolis, focusing mainly on pedestrian and bicycling accessibility and safety. Nicole sits on the board for the Twin Cities Chapter of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network.

Christina Wessel joined the staff of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits in January 2001. She is Deputy Director of the Minnesota Budget Project, an initiative of MCN, which provides independent research, analysis, and advocacy on budget and tax policy issues. She also produces the Minnesota Nonprofit Economy Report, an annual study examining nonprofit employment, wages, and finances. Christina has an M.A. in Political Science from the University of Minnesota and holds a B.A. in Political Science from Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois.

Mike Wynne is the executive director of Emerge Community Development, a non-profit affiliated with Pillsbury United Communities (PUC) in Minneapolis. Previously, Mike was vice president, unit and center director and line staff person for PUC. Mike received a BA from Hamline University in Sociology and Urban Studies and has completed numerous advanced education and certification trainings in non-profit leadership, management, program evaluation, finance and social entrepreneurship. He is an active participant in Metropolitan Alliance for Connected Communities, Alternative Staffing Alliance, MCN and several other non-profit boards and community advisories.

Christine Wroblewski

Reid Zimmerman, Ph.D., CFRE, has worked in Minnesota’s nonprofit sector for almost three decades in capacities of teacher, board member, development officer, executive director and evaluator. In addition to “encouraging nonprofit excellence” through his consulting work Reid teaches in the graduate schools of nonprofit management at both Hamline University and St. Thomas. Reid is also a regular presenter at the Performance Management Institute in Washington, D.C.