BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Officers

Chairman and CEO
Ronald J. Schutz                                      
Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P.

Ronald J. Schutz is chairman of the Intellectual Property Litigation Group at the national law firm of Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P and a member of the firm's Executive Board.  He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and has received many other rewards and recognitions for his legal skills including being named as one of 15 Attorneys of the Year in 2004 by Minnesota Lawyer and being included in the Best Lawyers in America (Eleventh Edition to the present).  Mr.  Schutz is very active in civic affairs.  He served as President of the University of Minnesota Law Alumni Association and is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the YMCA of Metropolitan Minneapolis and the Alumni Advisory Board of the University of Minnesota Law Review.  Mr. Schutz also serves as an at-large member of the Governor's Judicial Selection Commission.  Mr. Schutz received a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Marquette University, which he attended on a fully paid ROTC Scholarship, and his law degree from the University of Minnesota.  Mr. Schutz served four years on active duty in the United States Army JAG Corps.

President
Mitchell B. Pearlstein

Mitchell B. Pearlstein, Ph.D. is president of Center of the American Experiment, which he founded in 1990.   Before that, he served in the U.S. Department of Education, in the administrations of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, and worked as an editorial writer and columnist for the St. Paul Pioneer Press prior to that.  Mitch is chairman of the Partnership for Choice in Education and a director of the General John Vessey, Jr., Leadership Academy in St. Paul.  He also is a member of the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute Advisory Council, the University of St. Thomas School of Education's Public Policy Advisory Committee, and the Hiawatha Leadership Academy's Board of Advisors.  Mitch earned his bachelor's degree at the State University of New York at Binghamton and his doctorate, in educational administration, at the University of Minnesota. 

Vice Chair
Thomas J. Stauber
Edwards Sales Corporation

Thomas J. Stauber is a leader in the Minnesota business community, having served as president of the Construction Production Manufactures Council, chair of the Dow Chemical Agents Council, and president of the Construction Industry Business Associates.  For the past 15 years, he has served as the owner/president of Edwards Sales.  Tom is a Cubmaster, a member of the board of directors of the Chaska Valley Family Theater, and a Sunday school teacher.  He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Duluth.

Treasurer
Bruce A. Thomson
Tomsten, Inc.

Bruce A. Thomson is a founder and a principal investor in Tomsten, Inc., which has 40 "Archivers" retail stores in 14 states.  Previously, he was the founder and president of ProEx Photo Systems, Inc., a retail photofinishing and portrait company and of Pemtom Inc., a land-development and home-building company.  Bruce holds a degree in accounting from the University of Minnesota.

Secretary
Mark S. Larson
Messerli & Kramer

Mark S. Larson is a shareholder with Messerli & Kramer P.A., where he chairs the firm's general business and banking department.  He is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association, the Hennepin County Bar Association, and the Business Law, Tax, and Health Law Sections of the Minnesota State Bar Association.  Mark has a bachelor's degree and a law degree from the University of Minnesota.

Board Members

Randy Ahlm
Cretex Concrete Products

Randy Ahlm has over 20 years of general management and consulting experience in various manufacturing companies across the United States and Canada.  He is currently president of Cretex Concrete Products North, a construction products manufacturer.  Randy has become a leader in the transportation industry in Minnesota through leadership roles for the Transportation Alliance, the Minnesota Concrete Pipe Association, and Minnesotans for Better Roads and Transit.  Randy graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in mechanical engineering.

Edward C. Anderson
National Arbitration Forum

Edward C. Anderson is widely published in the areas of litigation, litigation reform, and alternative dispute resolution.  He is the managing director and chief executive officer of the National Arbitration Forum, a nationally acclaimed alternative dispute resolution organization.  Before joining the Forum, Edward taught and practiced law in Minneapolis and Washington DC.  His community involvement has included service on the boards of the Minnesota Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the Federalist Society.  He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School.

Megan Doyle
Hope For The City

Megan Doyle is a co-founder of Hope For The City, a humanitarian aid organization that fight poverty, hunger, and disease by collecting overstock products from top retailers, medical companies, and food distributors nationwide an donates the items to people in need around the world.  Megan's writings have appeared in leading Christian publications.  She serves on the boards of directors for several social service organizations.

Susan K. Gaither

Susan Gaither has extensive experience in commercial lending and financial analysis and has held positions in marketing and sales in both emerging and mature companies.  She most recently served as a senior vice president at Wells Fargo Business Credit and was responsible for operations, technology, business systems, and audit compliance.  Since her retirement in 2000, Susan has served as a community volunteer, focusing her energy on youth, education, and political activities.

John F. Gibbs
Comcast

John F. Gibbs has more than 20 years of legal and telecommunications experience.  He is currently vice president of state government and regulatory affairs for Comcast Corporation, in which role he oversees state-level government affairs activities across Comcast's 39 state service area.  Over the past several years, he provided counsel to the franchise transfer activities associated with Comcast's acquisition of AT&T Broadband and other major industry transactions, including the mergers of AT&T and MediaOne, AT&T and TCI, and AOL and Time Warner.  John is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and of William Mitchell College of Law.

Harrison T. Grodnick                           
Minneapolis Portfolio Management Group

Harrison T. Grodnick established Minneapolis Portfolio Management Group, LLC, in 2004.  Prior to that, he served as senior portfolio manager for the Minneapolis Portfolio Management Group at Wachovia Securities and as an assistant account manager in the institutional trust department of Firstar Bank of Minnesota.  Harrison holds a bachelor's degree in international relations/global economics and political science from the University of Wisconsin.

Lowell Hellervik                                                 
Personnel Decisions International
 
Lowell W. Hellervik is chairman of the board, president, and chief executive officer of Personnel Decisions International.  He is an expert in helping executives clarify and achieve objectives for organizational change.  Under his direction, Personnel Decisions International has grown from a small, local consulting firm to a premier, international consulting firm with 27 operating offices around the world.  Lowell completed his doctorate at the University of Minnesota, where he is currently on the adjunct staff as a clinical associate professor.

Scott W. Johnson                                                              
LHJ Family Foundation

Scott W. Johnson is a Minneapolis attorney and an executive at TCF Bank.  For more than ten years, he has written about public policy issues, including income inequality, income taxes, campaign finance reform, affirmative action, and welfare reform.  He is a fellow of the Claremont Institute.  Scott is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the University of Minnesota Law School.

A.M. Sandy Keith
Rochester Downtown Alliance

A.M. "Sandy" Keith has worked in the area of family law for over 30 years.  He was appointed to the Minnesota Supreme Court in 1989 and became chief justice in 1998.  He has served on numerous boards and is active in the YMCA, Minnesota Bar Association, Rochester Network for Re-Entry, and more.  Sandy has degrees from Amherst College and Yale Law School.

Robin Norgaard Kelleher                                             
Seaton, Beck & Peters, P.A.
 
Robin N. Kelleher is an expert on a wide range of employment and labor-related matters.  She is currently an attorney with the firm of Seaton, Beck & Peters.  She first joined the firm in 1996, and after serving for a time as the deputy commissioner and acting commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, she recently returned to the firm.  Previously, Robin taught music at the elementary school level, and she worked as a realtor and residential real estate developer.  She is active in fundraising for the American Cancer Society and for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.  She is a graduate of William Mitchell College of Law.

Thomas F. Kordonowy
Real Estate Investor

Thomas Kordonowy is retired from the real estate development business.  During his career, he was a partner at Steiner & Koppelman, Inc., a custom home building firm, and he founded and served as president of Steiner Development, Inc., a commercial real estate firm in the Twin Cities.  Tom earned a degree in economics from St. John's University, where he later served on the board of alumni.

John J. Lanners
F.T.L. Corporation

John J. "Jack" Lanners is chairman of the Metropolitan Airports Commission.  He is president and chief executive officer of F.T.L. Corporation, which owns MGM Liquor Warehouse stores; president of R.P. Royalties, Inc.; and officer/partner with LannCo LLC, which specializes in commercial real estate development.  Jack serves on the boards of directors of the Woodbury Chamber of Commerce and the Minnesota Licensed Beverage Association.  He attended Marquette University.

Kenneth W. Morris
The Apercu Group

Ken Morris is an author and speaker on topics related to leadership development, human resources, business development, diversity, and emerging market opportunities.  He is currently the vice president of diversity and inclusion at Boston Scientific.  Ken is a graduate of the Hamline University School of Law.

Mary Jo O'Brien

Mary Jo O'Brien is a nationally recognized health care policy expert and lobbyist.  She is currently assistant director of worldwide public affairs for Pfizer, Inc.  Previously, she served as commissioner of health and was the governor's lead person in the development and implementation of Minnesota's landmark 1992 health reform legislation, "MinnesotaCare."  She has assisted numerous national and state foundations, federal agencies, state agencies, legislatures, and other national organizations in designing, implementing, and evaluating health policies.

Richard W. Perkins                                           
Perkins Capital Management Inc.

Richard W. Perkins has over 50 years of experience in the investment business, at a number of high-profile and highly successful companies.  He is currently president and portfolio manager and director of Perkins Capital Management, Inc.  He is also president and director of the Perkins Foundation.  Perk is on the boards of directors of a numerous companies.  He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration from the University of Wisconsin "and is a Chartered Financial Analyst".

Bryan S. Reichel
PureChoice, Inc.

Bryan S. Reichel is chairman of the board and president of PureChoice, Inc.  Previously he was the owner of the family business, Reichel Construction and Development.  He is a nationally recognized expert and speaker on the topic of indoor air quality and monitoring.  Bryan is the founder of America's Team Properties, whose foundation each year bestows the America's Team Award on qualifying sports teams, based on their sportsmanship, integrity, teamwork, excellence, and achievement.

Scott C. Rile                                                
Bernstein Global Wealth Management

Scott C. Rile is a principal at Bernstein Global Wealth Management.  Previously, Scott worked in account management at Comdisco, Inc., and in marketing at Eastman Kodak.  He has a bachelor's degree in business from the University of Wisconsin and a master's in finance from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management.

William H. Spell                                                                   
Spell Capital Partners

William H. Spell has been involved in the investment banking industry for over 25 years.  He has expertise in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, raising capital, and financial management.  He is president of Spell Capital Partners.  He has served on the boards of directors for a number of public and private companies, including several nonprofit organizations.  He has a bachelor of science degree from the University of Minnesota and a master's in business administration from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management.

Charles E. Spevacek                                                      
Meagher & Geer, P.L.L.P.

Charles E. Spevacek has over 25 years of experience litigating complex commercial disputes, much of it in the trial and appeal of insurance coverage disputes.  A partner at Meagher & Geer, he currently serves on the firm's management committee.  Chuck has been involved with several noteworthy cases that have produced landmark verdicts.  Chuck is widely recognized, having been named a "Top 100 Super Lawyer" and a "Top 10 Appellate Law Super Lawyer."  He was named by Minnesota Lawyer as one of its 15 "Attorneys of the Year" for 2006. Chuck has served on the board of directors of the Purdue Alumni Association.

R. Scott Wright                                                                                   
Mayo Clinic

 R. Scott Wright is a professor of medicine at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic.  He holds a doctorate in medicine from the University of Kentucky and did his residency in internal medicine at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine

 

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