Darnell Allen
Year Elected to Board: June 2007
Darnell Allen is the vice president of human resources for Albertsons,
Inc. He is responsible for a human resources division that spans 14 states
and employs more than 36,000 associates.
Janet Benway
Year Elected to Board: September 1997
Janet Benway, CLU, ChFC, CFP, is a senior financial advisor for American
Express Financial Advisors in Wayzata, Minnesota. Janet's expertise in
financial planning allows her to help her clients achieve their financial
objectives, prudently and thoughtfully, through a long-term financial
planning relationship.
Laureen Carlson, Vice Chair
Year Elected to Board: October 2007
Laureen Carlson is currently President and Founder of Portage Marketing,
a marketing and media placement agency located in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Portage Marketing assists companies in a wide variety of sectors on strategic
marketing, tactical marketing execution, media planning and placement
and website development.
Tami Farrell-LaQua
Year Elected to Board: April 2002
Tammy Farrell-LaQua is the managing director of finance and administration
for Fixed Income Capital Markets. She has 17 years of experience in the
financial services industry, including banking, brokerage and investment
banking. Previous to her current term, Tammy was a Board member for Nexus
from 1996 to 1997.
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Peter Freeman, Chairperson
Year Elected to Board: February 2005
Peter D. Freeman, Ed.D., LICSW, is an assistant professor and the director
of alternative learning initiatives for the College of St. Catherine and
University of St. Thomas School of Social Work. He is an experienced clinical
social work therapist, social-work educator, organization development
consultant and trainer to organizations and leaders, and clinical supervisor
of social workers for licensure.
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Kevin Gray
Year Elected to Board: June 1998
Kevin Gray has an extensive background in financial planning, human resources,
office and technology services, and facilities management. Currently,
he is the director of administration for the Minnesota Department of Transportation,
Metro Division.
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Susan Krook
Year Elected to Board: October 2007
Susan Krook is an audit manager for LarsenAllen in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
She is a certified public accountant with eleven years of strategic planning,
financial analysis, reporting, accounting and auditing experience.
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Larry Riesselman, Vice Chairperson
Year Elected to Board: March 2001
Larry Riesselman was the senior information systems director supporting
human resources technology for St. Paul Travelers until 2006 when he retired.
Larry has completed several office automation studies for nonprofits such
as AMICUS and the Frogtown Action Alliance.
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Father Jerry Schik
Year Elected to Board: July 1996
Fr. Jerry Schik offers parish missions and retreats and provides weekend
assistance to parishes. He is an avid proponent of restorative justice
and that is what attracted him to serve on the Nexus Board.
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Jeffrey Talley
Year Elected to Board: June 2007
Jeffrey Talley has extensive experience in human resource management.
He is currently the vice president of employee resources for Twin Cities
Fan Companies, LTD.
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Laurie Zenner, Secretary
Year Elected to Board: March 2001
Laurie Zenner has an extensive background in the creation of business
plans, analysis, product development, and policy and procedural development.
Currently, she is a partner with Carmichael Lynch and Spong.
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