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Leadership & Governance
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Leadership & Governance
Kent Whitworth
Director and CEO
Brian Juntti
Executive Vice President, Mission Enablement
Avi Viswanathan
Executive Vice President, Mission Delivery
David Kelliher
Vice President, Public Policy & Government Relations
Vernon LaPlante
Vice President, Tribal Relations and Native American Initiatives
Kevin Maijala
Vice President, Education & Initiatives
Jack Matheson
Vice President, Strategy
Jennifer Pogatchnik
Vice President, Advancement
Nicole Tuescher
Vice President, People & Culture and General Counsel
Divisional leadership team
Marais Bjornberg
Senior Director, Capital Planning & Archaeology
Mackenson Cange
Senior Director, Technology Services
Benjamin Filene
Senior Advisor, Interpretive Initiatives
Christine Jones
Senior Director, Experience Development
Ben Leonard
Senior Director, Historic Sites & Operations
Rose Miron, PhD
Senior Director, Library, Archives, & Collections
Laura Reller
Senior Director, Integrated Marketing Communications
Kimmy Tanaka
Senior Director, Inclusion, Outreach, & Community Engagement
Leadership & Governance
Management | Executive Council | Emeritus and Honorary Councils
Management
Leadership team
Kent Whitworth
Director and CEO
Brian Juntti
Executive Vice President, Mission Enablement
Avi Viswanathan
Executive Vice President, Mission Delivery
David Kelliher
Vice President, Public Policy & Government Relations
Vernon LaPlante
Vice President, Tribal Relations and Native American Initiatives
Kevin Maijala
Vice President, Education & Initiatives
Jack Matheson
Vice President, Strategy
Jennifer Pogatchnik
Vice President, Advancement
Divisional leadership team
- Marais Bjornberg
Senior Director, Capital Planning & Archaeology - Mackenson Cange
Senior Director, Technology Services - Benjamin Filene
Senior Advisor, Interpretive Initiatives - Christine Jones
Senior Director, Experience Development
- Ben Leonard
Senior Director, Historic Sites & Operations - Rose Miron, PhD
Senior Director, Library, Archives, & Collections - Laura Reller
Senior Director, Integrated Marketing Communications - Kimmy Tanaka
Senior Director, Inclusion, Outreach, & Community Engagement
Divisional leadership team
Kent Whitworth
Director and CEO
Brian Juntti
Executive Vice President, Mission Enablement
Avi Viswanathan
Executive Vice President, Mission Delivery
David Kelliher
Vice President, Public Policy & Government Relations
Vernon LaPlante
Vice President, Tribal Relations and Native American Initiatives
Kevin Maijala
Vice President, Education & Initiatives
Jack Matheson
Vice President, Strategy
Jennifer Pogatchnik
Vice President, Advancement
Nicole Tuescher
Vice President, People & Culture and General Counsel
Divisional leadership team
Marais Bjornberg
Senior Director, Capital Planning & Archaeology
Mackenson Cange
Senior Director, Technology Services
Benjamin Filene
Senior Advisor, Interpretive Initiatives
Christine Jones
Senior Director, Experience Development
Ben Leonard
Senior Director, Historic Sites & Operations
Rose Miron, PhD
Senior Director, Library, Archives, & Collections
Laura Reller
Senior Director, Integrated Marketing Communications
Kimmy Tanaka
Senior Director, Inclusion, Outreach, & Community Engagement
Executive Council
The Executive Council is the Minnesota Historical Society’s governing body.
The Executive Council meets roughly once per quarter. Requests for meeting information or to address the Executive Council may be submitted to informationrequest@mnhs.org.
Officers
- Thomas M. Forsythe - Minneapolis
President - Krista E. O’Malley - St. Paul
Vice President and Treasurer
- Kent Whitworth - White Bear Lake
Secretary - Peter M. Reyes, Jr. - Roseville
Immediate Past President
Elected members
- Lisa P. Bayley - Red Wing
- Ford W. Bell - Wayzata
- Alicia M. Belton - Minneapolis
- Sharon Sayles Belton - Minneapolis
- M. Mitchell Davis - St. Peter
- Joanell M. Dyrstad - Red Wing
- Carolyn M. Essig - Sartell
- Stephanie L. Fehr - Edina
- Jesse Bethke Gomez - St. Paul
- Stephanie J.S. Harbott - Crookston
- Dustin B. Heckman - Two Harbors
- Elizabeth Driscoll Hlavka - Minneapolis
- Bridget A. Larson-Lindner - Warroad
- Linda Brekke Mona - Edina
- Jennifer J. Murray - Mahtomedi
- Richard C. Nash - New Prague
- John Pacheco Jr. - Minneapolis
- Diana L. Schutter - Mendota Heights
- Daniel W. Shogren - North Oaks
- Roger J. Sit - Wayzata
- Anton S. Treuer - Bemidji
- John R. Tunheim - Stillwater
- Noelle P. Turner - Minneapolis
- Kyle R. Ward - Mankato
- Gwen N. Westerman - Good Thunder
Ex Officio members
According to state law, Minnesota’s constitutional officers also serve as members of the Executive Council:
- Julie Blaha, State Auditor
- Keith Ellison, Attorney General
- Peggy Flanagan, Lieutenant Governor
- Steve Simon, Secretary of State
- Tim Walz, Governor
Emeritus and Honorary Councils
Emeritus Council
The Minnesota Historical Society’s Emeritus Council is an honorific group recognizing and maintaining connection with distinguished former members of the Executive Council. Emeritus Council members are elected to lifelong terms by the Executive Council.
- Nina M. Archabal+
- Charles W. Arnason+
- Annette Atkins+
- Sharon Avent+
- Bruce W. Bean+
- Gretchen U. Beito+
- Diane Berthel
- Kathleen Blatz
- Suzanne Blue
- Robert Bruininks
- Barbara E. Burwell
- Judith S. Corson
- Grant W. Davis
- Mark Davis+
- Michael J. Davis
- D. Stephen Elliott
- Richard E. Engebretson
- Michael B. Farnell
- Ram Gada+
- Phyllis Rawls Goff+
- Dr. William Green+
- David R. Hakensen
- James T. Hale
- MayKao Y. Hang
- Stanley S. Hubbard
- Karen A. Humphrey+
- Ruth S. Huss
- Lucy R. Jones+
- Sylvia Kaplan+
- Dennis L. Lamkin
- Jean M. Larson
- Monica Little
- Elizabeth S. MacMillan+
- Charles Mahar
- Susan B. McCarthy
- William C. Melton+
- Joseph S. Micallef+
- Dean M. Nelson
- Richard H. Nicholson
- Elizabeth M. Nordlie
- Peter R. Reis
- Mark Ritchie
- Susan Kenny Stevens
- William R. Stoeri+
- Edward C. Stringer
- Bo Thao-Urabe
- Karen Wilson Thissen
- Daniel J. Schmechel
- Missy Staples Thompson
- Kathy H. Tunheim
- Benjamin Vander Kooi
- Eleanor C. Winston
- Warren J. Zaccaro
Honorary Council
The Minnesota Historical Society’s Honorary Council recognizes individuals who through their good works have given extraordinary service related to the mission of MNHS. Honorary Council nominees are developed by the Executive Council and elected by the membership of MNHS to lifelong terms.
- Lowell C. Anderson
- Marvin R. Anderson
- Nina M. Archabal+
- Charles W. Arnason+
- Annette Atkins+
- Sharon Avent+
- Bruce W. Bean+
- Gretchen U. Beito+
- Ford W. Bell
- S. K. Dash
- Mark Davis+
- Elizabeth S. Driscoll
- Dennis Dvorak
- Richard L. Ferrell
- Michael J. Fox
- Ram Gada+
- Phyllis Rawls Goff+
- Dr. William Green+
- Karen A. Humphrey+
- John Huss
- Ruth Huss+
- Josie R. Johnson
- Dr. Maureen Kelly Jonason
- Lucy R. Jones+
- Sylvia Kaplan+
- Colles Larkin
- Lynn Lohr
- Robert C. Mack
- Elizabeth S. MacMillan+
- Terry McGibbon
- Peg Meier
- William C. Melton+
- Joseph S. Micallef+
- Stephen Nelson
- Larry G. Osnes
- Donald G. Patton
- Fred Perez
- Mark Peterson
- Ramedo J. Saucedo
- Jeff Savage
- Barbara W. Sommer
- William R. Stoeri+
- Gerald Vizenor
- Vernell Wabasha
- Jeanette E. Warner
- Annette M. Whaley
- Mary Lethert Wingerd
+ Emeritus and Honorary
Council Member