Staff & Leadership

At The Friends, our employees power our mission. We strive to create a work environment in which each employee feels valued, supported, and engaged.  

Meet Our Team

Liz Boyd

Director of Special Events & Donor Relations

651-366-6490 | [email protected]

 

Carrie Fink*

Institutional Relations Manager

651-366-6484 | [email protected]

Allison Haberstroh

Individual Giving Manager

651-288- 0413 | [email protected]

Kim Horton*

Senior Director of Communications

651-366-6489 | [email protected]

David Katz

Assistant Director of Programs and Services

651-366-6492 | [email protected]

Diana Konopka

Senior Director of Development

651-366-6494 | [email protected]

Mary Stalowski

Senior Accountant

651-366-6482 | [email protected]

Wendy Werdin*

Programs and Services Coordinator

651-366-6497 | [email protected]

Beth Burns*

Executive Director

651-288- 0411 | [email protected]

Alisa Gay

Accounting and Development Assistant

651-366-6485 | [email protected]

 

Alayne Hopkins

Senior Director of Programs and Services

651-366- 6488 | [email protected]

Leslie Johnson

Senior Director of Finance and Administration

651-366-6481 | [email protected]

Richmond Kinney

Programs and Services Manager

651-366-6498 | [email protected]

Delaney Peterson*

Administrative & Technology Coordinator

651-366-6480 | [email protected]

Megan Unrau

Development Operations Coordinator

651-366-6499 | [email protected]

Mike Yang

Graphic Design & Marketing Coordinator

651-366-6495 | [email protected]

*Denotes member of The Friends Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Guiding Team

Current Board Members

Board Chair

Scott Zastoupil, Chief Financial Officer – Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation

Chair Emeritus

George Latimer (dec.), Professor of Urban Studies – Macalester College; Former Mayor of the City of Saint Paul

Immediate Past Chair

Erin Bailey, Deputy Chief of Staff, Governor's Office – State of Minnesota

Board Secretary

Mario G. Paez, National Cyber Risk Leader – Marsh McLennan Agency

Board Treasurer

Ahna Minge, State Budget Director, Minnesota Management and Budget, State of Minnesota

Directors

Nate Annan, Controller Greater Twin Cities United Way

Lesa Bader, Vice President of Marketing Communications Ryan Companies

Carol Bagnoli, Market & Competitive Intelligence Thrivent

Kristin L. Beckmann, Principal Consultant KLB Consulting LLC

Charlene Bradley, Program Director, Saint Paul John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

JP Bond, Facilities Project Manager State of Minnesota/ Department of Human Services

Loren Danielson, Accountant – Minnesota Public Radio

Catherine Reid Day, Founder – Storyslices LLC.

Ann Dixon, Engineering Sr. Manager – Securian Financial

Raymond Eby, No current affiliations

Melissa Gilbertson, Chief Operating Officer – Mairs & Power, Inc.

Duchess Harris JD, PhD, Chair, History Department – Macalester College

Laura Harris, No current affiliations

Bettina Hoye, No current affiliations

Peter Jandric, Financial Advisor – Baird

Greg Johnson, Vice President of Human Resources, Talent & Strategy – Children’s Minnesota

Stephanie Johnson, Community Relations Director – Blaze Credit Union

Christine Kain, Partner - Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath

Christine Kalla, Executive Vice President, General Counsel – Travelers

Sean Kershaw, Director, Department of Public Works – City of Saint Paul

Martin Ludden, Managing Director, Twin Cities – Compass Pro Bono

Melissa Manderschied, Attorney – City of Bloomington

Kelly McQueen, Regional President and Head of Corporate Banking – PNC Minnesota

Anthony S. Mendoza, Officer – Fredrikson & Byron, P.A.

Bryce Miller, Partner – Collins, Buckley, Sauntry & Haugh PLLP

Joanne Mullen, No current affiliations

Deepa Nirmal, Associate Vice President, Senior Training and Development Consultant – RBC Wealth Management US

Kim O'Brien, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives – Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce

Mercedes Parker-Newell, IT Operations Manager, North America Digital Services – Ecolab

Barbara Regal, Newsroom Office Manager – Pioneer Press

Christine Rider, Board Liaison – Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity

Krystel Russo, Social Investments Lead – Xcel Energy

Juliana Sanchez Castillo, Global Downstream Marketing Leader – Solventum

Toccara Stark, EdD, Senior Group Manager – Medtronic

Chris Tolbert, Executive Officer – Ramsey County Attorney's Office

Jennifer L. Wolf, Second Vice President, Investment Law – Securian Financial

Carolyn Wollan, Adjunct Faculty – St. Catherine University

Der Yang, District Court Judge – Minnesota Judicial Branch

 

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