Board of Directors and Staff
West Central Regional Sustainable Development Partnership is directed by a of Board Directors composed of citizens and University faculty and staff representing geographic, racial, gender, age and economic diversity of the region. Following are descriptions of current board members.
Nan Haggerty of Starbuck,
nhaggerty@hcinet.netDavid Mulla of St. Paul,
mulla003@umn.edu
Cecilia Alvarez,
triplecrowns@hotmail.com
Bob Bonawitz of Willmar,
ribb470@gmail.comCheryl Kittle of Wheaton,
kitgraphics@gmail.com Maureen Aakre-Ross of Granite Falls,
aakreplace@gmail.comBen Winchester of Hancock,
benw@umn.eduJohn Baumgartner of Olivia,
jbaumgartner@bei-ec.comRyan Pesch of Fergus Falls,
pesch@umn.eduAnn Degenausen of Benson,
adelgehausen@charter.netChuck Walters of Graceville,
jchasbcr@natesnet.comMarie Ostby of Spicer,
marie@imagetrack.comJenna Sandoe of UM Morris,
sand0894@morris.umn.edu
Staff Dorothy Rosemeier of De Graff, rosemeie@umn.edu
Nan Haggerty of Starbuck
Nan is a a licensed attorney working with family cases in area counties. She also has experience in planning and zoning, and has worked for district courts in west central Minnesota counties.
David Mulla of St. Paul
David is a professor with the U of M Department of Soil, Water and Climate. David recieved a B.S. in Earth Science frm the University of California in 1979, obtained M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Agronomy from Purdue University. He was Professor of Soil Physics at Washington State University, where he started his career in 1983. Since 1995 he has been Professor and W.E. Larson Chair for Soil & Water Resources at the University of Minnesota. Research and interest in water quality issues and regional economic viability in the Minnesota River basin lead Dr. Mulla to join the West Central Partnership board in 2009.
Jenna Sandoe of MorrisJenna is a senior at University of Minnesota Morris majoring in Environmental Studies and Political Theory. Jenna is active with the organic garden club on campus and President of MPIRG, a campus organization that works towards sustainability through educational campaigns, lobbying for policies, and other grassroots methods. Jenna was successful in starting a composting pilot on campus and is currently working with the Morris Healthy Eating Initiative, a Blue Cross Blue Sheild project with the U of M Morris campus. Jenna's interest in serving on the board is it's focus on community sustainability, especially agriculture policies toward sustainability.
Cecilia Alvarez of Granite Falls
Cecilia is a consultant working with rural entrepreneurs and communities in west central Minnesota. She is orginally from California and moved to Minnesota two years ago bringing 24 years of experience working with small and large corporations and citiy revitalization projects. In her current work, Cecilia counsels aspiring or practicing Entrepreneurs in business development and management. She believes small businesses are the backbone of rural Minnesota and essential to providing necessities and amenities of those living in small towns.
Marie Ostby of Spicer
Marie grew up on a small dairy farm in Stearns County, influencing her interest in agriculture and the environment. She has degrees in applied sciences and computer sciences and business. For the past 25 years she has owned and operated a computer consulting business. Marie has a number of leadership and board experiences including Dovre Township Supervisor and President of Willmar League of Women Voters as well as other community and civic organizations. Marie is interested in serving on the board as she enjoys collaborating with other citizens in working towards achieving the goal of sustaining our natural resources for the enjoyment of future generations.
Bob Bonawitz of Willmar
Bob, orginally from Moorhead, moved from the Twin Cities to Willmar seven years ago so that he and his wife Donna could retire near her relatives. Bob has devoted most of his time since moving to Willmar to teaching, counseling as a member of SCORE, consulting and volunteering. He is presently the president of the Willmar Municipal Utilities Commission and a member of the Allied Power Board of Directors. Bob is interested in serving because he believes in the scope and mission of the organization and the fact that it requires active participation by the members of the board.
Cheryl Kittle of Wheaton
Cheryl moved back to rural Minnesota 2 years ago after 6 years in Wellington, New Zealand. There she worked for a trade lobbyist organization that represented over 70% of New Zealand's export market. Cheryl is concerned that trade for gain of private interests, over our health and environment is fatally flawed and could move the region in the wrong direction - away from peace, security and sustainability. Currently Cheryl works for herself in web and application development. She also sustains herself as an independent artist.
Maureen Aakre-Ross of Granite Falls
S. Maureen returned home to Granite Falls following a professional and academic career as a citizen of the world. A 23 year resident of Alaska, Maureen earned her Masters in Social Sciences from Northern Arizona University and completed PhD. course work in Global Affairs at the Fielding Institute. Maureen taught social sciences at the U. of Alaska, Fairbanks and Anchorage campuses, and Western Businss Culture at the Follo International Academy in Norway, at the U. of Wuhan, China (PRC), and at the U. of Latvia in Riga during both the Soviet and independent regimes.
Ben Winchester of Hancock
Ben is the coordinator of Data Analysis and Research at the Center for Small Towns, located on the U of Minnesota, Morris (UMM) campus. He received a dual BA in Mathematics and an Area of Concentration in Statistics at UMM in 1995. In 2001, he completed his MS in Rural Sociology at the University of Missouri, Columbia. His research interests include community development, social justice, GIS data visualization, and the Rural Development Industry.
Ryan Pesch of Fergus Falls
Ryan is an Extension Educator in Community Development. In this role, he delivers programs in the areas of economic development, public finance, and tourism throughout West Central and Northwest Minnesota. As a native of East Grand Forks he is pleasd to serve his home territory. Prior to the Extenison Service, Ryan worked in the produce business as a retailer, organice grower, and direct marketer. He also pursued research on farmers markets, industry cluster development, and the eocnomic impact of tourism as a planning student at the Humphrey Institute. Ryan is currently presiden of the Lakes Area Farmers Market in Detroit Lakes, MN and grows produce for market and his CSA subscriptions with his wife and daughter in Otter Tail County.
John Baumgartner of Olivia
John is the President of Baumgartner Environics, Inc. (BEI), based in Olivia, MN. BEI is an environmental consulting firm that focuses on environmental solutions for agriculture and the rural community. BEI's long term focus is to help agriculture develop its renewable energy capability and to reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere. John was appointed Minnesota's Assistant Commissioner of Agriculture from 1980-83 and was appointed as the Midwest Area Director for the U.S. Agricultural Stabilitzation and Conservation Service (now the Farm Service Agency) from 1990-1993. He is a native of Olivia and resides there with his wife, Cathy. They have three grown children, Becky, Matt and Ben, all of whom currently live in Olivia.
Chuck Walters of Graceville
Chuck is a U of M graduate in Agronomy and has been farming for the past 23 years. Chuck and his wife Deb have four children ages 15-25 with two currently enrolled at the U of M Twin Cities Campus. He is currently Chairman of the Board for Tri Company Co-op. Before farming he worked in plant breeding and was Secretary of the Crop Quality Council. He loves living in Western MN and enjoys working with people dedicated to bringing sustainable growth to this area.
Ann Delgehausen of St. Paul
Ann moved to Benson in early 2006 from St. Paul, Minnesota where she became active in the community including the Swift county Rural Development Finance Authority. Ann is a book editor and co-owns with two partners a small business, Trio Bookworks, that adheres to sustainability principles and a collaborative management model. She has experience on other boards and community organizations including Midtown Greenway Coalition, Mud Lake Neighborhood Association, and Lyndale Neighborhood Assocation. Ann returned to St. Paul in 2009, but maintains relationships and works on projects in western Minnesota.
Dorothy Rosemeier of De Graff
Dorothy lives near De Graff, MN and serves as the Executive Director to the WCRSDP board. She moved to west central MN in 1978 for a job as an Extension Educator in Swift County. Prior to working with WCRSDP, her extension work focused on community development and active citizenship/leadership. Dorothy's interest in the Partnership stems from her interest and values in "grassroots" work and "social justice" issues, which were influenced by her up bringing with eight siblings on a small family farm in southeast Minnesota.
