Our Team

Minnesota Compass and related projects are managed and implemented by the staff at Wilder Research. The following Wilder Research staff are involved in the project.

More than 2,000 people have shared their expertise in the development of Compass.

Project advisors

Stephanie Andrews, Talent, Learning, and Evaluation Director, Bush Foundation
Susan Brower, State Demographer, Minnesota State Demographic Center
Armando Camacho, President, Wilder Foundation
Nancy Fasching, Vice President of Community Impact, Southwest Initiative Foundation
Lue Her, Director of Philanthropy, Otto Bremer Trust
Stephannie Lewis, Associate Vice President, Community Impact, Greater Twin Cities United Way
Carolyn Link, Foundation President, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation
David Nicholson, Director, Vibrant and Equitable Communities, McKnight Foundation
Alissa Oeltjenbruns, Vice President of Philanthropy, Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation
Erica Orton, Principal Evaluation Program Manager, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation
Patty Pannkuk, Senior Vice President - Social Impact & Sustainability,  Wells Fargo & Company
R.T. Rybak, President and CEO, The Minneapolis Foundation
Tony Sertich, President and CEO, Northland Foundation
Michael Stroik, Vice President, 3MGives
Brian Voerding, President, Initiative Foundation
Anna Wasescha, President and CEO, West Central Initiative Foundation
Karen White, President and CEO, Northwest Minnesota Foundation

Kassira Absar, Learning and Evaluation Manager, Bush Foundation
Jessica Aleshire, Program Manager, Global Community Engagement, Boston Scientific
Eric Antonson, Manager of Research, Otto Bremer Trust
Jacqueline Berry, 3Mgives Manager, Education Strategy and Communications; 3Mgives
Cory Boushee, Director of Programs, Northwest Minnesota Foundation
Susan Brower, State Demographer, Minnesota State Demographic Center
Veronica Deenanath, Greater
Veronica Deenanath, Senior Director of Evaluation and Learning, Greater Twin Cities United Way
Nancy Fasching, Vice President of Community Impact, Southwest Initiative Foundation
Katie Godfrey Demmer, Communications Director, Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation
Sarah Hernandez, Program Officer, Vibrant & Equitable Communities, McKnight Foundation
Don Hickman, Community Development Program Officer, Initiative Foundation
Jake Loesch, Executive Director, Citizens League
Tim Murphy, Program Officer, McKnight Foundation
Michael Neusser, Senior VP of Programs, Northwest Minnesota Foundation
Adaobi Okolue, Executive Director, Twin Cities Media Alliance
Stephanie Peterson, Director of Learning, Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation
Dr. Priyank Shah, Executive Director of The Center for Data Access and Analytics, MN State Colleges and Universities
Jo-Anne Stately, Senior Program Officer, The Minneapolis Foundation
Shonda Thomas, Sr. Social Impact & Sustainability Specialist, Wells Fargo
Greg Wagner, Director of Business & Economic Development, West Central Initiative
Katie Wehr, Senior Program Officer, McKnight Foundation

Our co-conveners helped bring together experts in their field and facilitate some great conversations around specific topics. The list includes the co-conveners' professional role held at the time of each convening.

 

Aging – Dawn Simonson, Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging

Arts and Culture – Arleta Little, The McKnight Foundation

Children and Youth – Chris Ganzlin, The McKnight Foundation

Civic Engagement – Sean Kershaw, Citizens League

Civic Engagement (2015) – Diane Tran, HealthEast Care System

Disparities – Sandra L. Vargas, The Minneapolis Foundation

Early Childhood – Barbara Yates, Minnesota Early Learning Foundation

Economy and Workforce – Michael Gorman, Split Rock Partners

Economy and Workforce (Statewide) –
   Bill Blazar, Minnesota Chamber of Commerce
   Kathy Tunheim, Senior Advisor to the Governor for Job Creation

Education – Alice Seagren, Minnesota Department of Education

Education (Statewide) –
   Brenda Cassellius, Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Education
   Marilee Grant, Boston Scientific

Environment – Steve Morse, Minnesota Environmental Partnership

Environment (2022) - Ben Passer, The McKnight Foundation

Health – Mary Brainerd, HealthPartners

Housing – Tim Marx, Commissioner, Minnesota Housing

Immigration –
   Bill Blazar, Minnesota Chamber of Commerce
   Sandra L. Vargas, The Minneapolis Foundation

Public Safety – Tom Johnson, Council on Crime and Justice

Public Safety (2023) – Justin Terrell and Dr. Katie Remington Cunningham, Minnesota Justice Research Center

Transportation (2007) – Bob Johns, Center for Transportation Studies, U. of M.

Transportation (2014) – Charles Zelle, Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Transportation