Levi Downs, M.D., Chair
Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health,
University of Minnesota Medical School; Medical Director, Women's Health Center
David MacLennan, Former Chair
President and Chief Operating Officer, Cargill, Inc.
Libby Carrier Doran
Principal, LymanDoran
Sara Gavin
President, Weber Shandwick-Minneapolis
Kweilin Ellingrud
Principal, McKinsey & Company
Todd Firebaugh
Co-Head of Public Finance and Fixed Income, Piper Jaffray
Laura Gillund
Vice President of Human Resources, C.H. Robinson Worldwide
Libby Driscoll Hlavka
Community Volunteer
David Larson
Regent, University of Minnesota, Former Executive Vice President, Cargill Inc.
Jim McCorkell
College Possible Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Julie Moore
Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Hospitality, Healthcare and Commercial Businesses, Ecolab, Inc.
Margaret Murphy
Chief Credit Officer, Anchor Bancorp
Michael Newman
Vice President, Travelers Foundation
Barry Nordstrand
Chief Executive Officer, Solutran
Thomas Ranese
Global Director of Marketing Strategy & Operations, Google
Patrick O'Shaughnessy
InZero Systems, CEO
Stephen Smith
President, Naviance
Bee Vue
Systems Engineer, Aerojet, College Possible Alumnus
Levi Downs, M.D., Chair
Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Women's Health and Division Director of Gynecologic Oncology, University of Minnesota Medical School
Levi Downs’ academic career divides his time between clinical practice, biomedical research and administrative leadership. He is the principal investigator of many clinical and laboratory based trials investigating new approaches to the treatment of ovarian and cervical cancer. He is the principal investigator of two trials designed to develop vaccines for the prevention of cervical cancer. He received his undergraduate training at Pennsylvania State University and attended medical school and residence at the University of Pittsburgh. He relocated to Minnesota in 1998 for his fellowship training and has been an active member of the University Of Minnesota community since that time. Among his many awards, he was one of only ten recipients in 2002 of the prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Minority Medical Faculty Development Award. Top
David MacLennan, Former Chair
President and Chief Operating Officer, Cargill, Inc.
Dave MacLennan is the President and Chief Operating Officer at Cargill, Inc, the nation’s largest privately held corporation. Dave joined Cargill in 1991 and has held several management and financial positions, including Director and Chief Financial Officer of Cargill Financial Services Corporation. He was the President of Cargill Petroleum from 2002 to 2004 and Corporate Vice President and Director of Cargill International S.A, Geneva, Switzerland from 2002 to 2005. Dave held leadership responsibilities in the Cargill animal protein business from 2005 to 2008. Most recently, he also held senior leadership positions in the Cargill financial services, energy, transportation and industrial businesses. Prior to joining Cargill, Dave was Senior Vice President with LIT America in Chicago and a member of the Chicago Board of Trade and the Chicago Options Exchange. He was also President of Fixed Income Capital Markets at U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffrey in Minneapolis. Dave holds a bachelor’s degree from Amherst College and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Chicago. Top
Libby Carrier Doran
Principal, LymanDoran
Libby Carrier Doran is a principal at LymanDoran, a company that supports organizations through Executive Search and Organizational Consulting. Before partnering with David Lyman, Libby led To Point B, an executive search and organizational consulting firm which she founded in 2007. From 1999 to 2007, Libby was with The Wood Group, a Twin Cities-based Executive Search firm where she focused on search for small and medium-sized companies, investment firms, and non-profit organizations. Prior to this Libby was a management consultant with Novations Group for over 5 years, developing business strategy, organization structure and people systems for Fortune 1000 clients nationwide. She has a Masters in Public and International Affairs from Princeton University and a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College. Libby was a founding Board Member for College Possible and is also on the Advisory Board of the Minneapolis Foundation’s North Star Fund. Top
Sara Gavin
President, Weber Shandwick-Minneapolis
Sara Gavin is the President of Weber Shandwick-Minneapolis where she leads several of the agency’s largest accounts in the areas of positioning, brand and reputation management, crisis communications, grassroots and advocacy building, media relations, and social media. Sara is the executive leader for public relations for the U.S. Army recruiting communications agency, McCann Worldgroup. In addition, Sara was a member of the 2010 Census Senior Advisory Council for the Integrated Communications Campaign. In her 25 years with the company, Sara has represented Northwest Airlines, CIGNA, CIBA Vision, Novartis, Medtronic, The Coca-Cola Company, Boston Scientific, Hazelden Foundation, The Minnesota Department of Health and the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Before joining Weber Shandwick, Sara spent three years with the Minneapolis-Saint Paul office of the international public relations firm Hill and Knowlton, where she was vice president. She also held public relations positions with Doremus & Company. Sara is on the board of directors of Securian Corporation where she serves on the Governance and Human Resources committees. She also is a trustee of Minnesota Public Radio. She is a member of the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management Brand Enterprise Advisory Board. Sara is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the College of Saint Catherine with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and political science. She has completed graduate courses in the University of Minnesota’s master’s degree in business. Top
Kweilin Ellingrud
Principal, McKinsey & Company
Kweilin Ellingrud works for management consulting firm McKinsey & Company on operations and strategy problems for financial services companies. She was a founding Board member of a charter school in Boston and worked full-time for two years at the Center for Women & Enterprise (CWE), a nonprofit organization that helps women entrepreneurs start and grow businesses. At CWE she created a micro-loan program for low-income women to start small businesses and helped high-growth businesses raise venture capital. Kweilin studied economics and political science at Harvard University and has an MBA from Harvard Business School. She is married to Dave Ellingrud and lives in Hopkins, Minnesota. Kweilin loves traveling with her family - her favorite places are Amed and Ubud in Bali, Hua Hin in Thailand, and Antarctica. Top
R. Todd Firebaugh
Co-Head of Public Finance and Fixed Income, Piper Jaffray
Todd Firebaugh is the co-head of public finance and fixed income for Piper Jaffray in Minneapolis. As a member of the firm’s management committee, Todd leads the marketing, human resources, technology, and operations functions. Todd was the chief administrative officer for Piper Jaffray from 2005-2010, joining the firm as head of planning and communications in December of 2003. Prior to joining Piper Jaffray, Todd spent 19 years in marketing and strategy within the financial services industry. Todd serves on the advisory board for Solutran, Inc., a privately held financial services company. He is a former trustee at the Science Museum of Minnesota and the Greater Twin Cities United Way. Todd earned a bachelor’s degree with distinction from Cornell University and a Master of Business Administration degree from New York University. He resides in Woodbury, Minnesota with his wife, Daisy, and sons, Pierce and Jared.Top
Laura Gillund
Vice President of Human Resources, C.H. Robinson Worldwide
Laura Gillund is a pragmatic executive with successful leadership experience supporting business growth and change, leading and partnering with the human resources team and business leaders. Laura has progressively expanded her role and challenging assignments in her 25-year career with transportation and financial services businesses, most recently as the human resources executive for C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. Her experiences range from establishing high performing, talented teams to support emerging growth needs, such as fulfillment of mass hiring and training needs during the refinance boom at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, to defensively positioning organizations facing class litigation through creation and enhancement of a great workplace of high performing teams.
Laura holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations and a Master of Arts degree in Industrial Relations from the University of Minnesota. Laura actively supports the Carlson School of Business Center for Human Resources and Labor Studies as a member of their advisory board.
Laura and her husband, Rob, have two children and reside in Edina, Minnesota. Top
Libby Driscoll Hlavka
Community Volunteer
Libby Driscoll Hlavka serves on the board of directors for College Possible and Franconia Sculpture Park and is an active volunteer and fundraiser for a number of schools and nonprofit organizations. Prior to returning to her home state of Minnesota with her family, Libby had amassed more than fifteen years of experience in strategic planning, program development and financial management within academic, corporate and start-up organizations.
Her most recent position was Director, Special Projects for Stanford Graduate School of Business. She held several other positions within the University, focused on strategy and curriculum development. Prior to Stanford, Libby was an engagement manager with McKinsey & Company, Inc. She began her career as a financial manager with General Electric.
Libby received a bachelor’s degree from Yale University, an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business, and an MFA in Literature and Creative Writing from Bennington College. A native of St. Paul, she now lives in Minneapolis with her husband, Ed, and their three young children, Maggie, Jack and Annie. Top
David Larson
Regent, University of Minnesota
Former Executive Vice President, Cargill Inc.
David Larson currently serves as a Regent for the University of Minnesota and is on the boards of the University of Minnesota Foundation and the Minnesota Historical Society. Recently retired as an Executive Vice President for Cargill Inc., his responsibilities included being a member of the Board of Directors and the Corporate Leadership Team, which sets strategic direction and leadership for Cargill businesses in 66 countries. David also focused on the areas of brand management, employee engagement, business excellence, business conduct and compliance. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota with a degree in political science and a past chair of the American Feed Industry Association. Top
Jim McCorkell
College Possible Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Jim McCorkell has extensive experience in nonprofit management, fundraising, and politics. He taught SAT and GRE test preparation for Stanley Kaplan Test Preparation for nearly eight years. His most recent position was Strategic Organizational Development Manager at City Year, a national youth service organization headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Jim has a Masters of Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard as well as an M.A. in Political Science from the University of North Carolina and a B.A. from Carleton College. He has served on several nonprofit boards of directors, including the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, Growth & Justice and the Girl Scouts Council - St. Croix Valley. Top
Julie Moore
Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Hospitality, Healthcare and Commercial Businesses, Ecolab, Inc.
Julie Moore is Senior Vice President and General Manager of Hospitality, Healthcare and Commercial for Ecolab Inc., a Fortune 500 company that provides cleaning, food safety and health protection products and services to customers in more than 160 countries and employs more than 26,000 associates worldwide.
In her current role, Moore is responsible for the strategic development of Ecolab’s North American strategies focused on lodging, long-term care and commercial facilities. This includes the development of laundry, housekeeping, water and floor care programs. Previously, she held key executive positions as Vice President and General Manager of Vehicle Care, Vice President of Global Marketing & Communications and Vice President of Marketing for Pest Elimination.
Prior to joining Ecolab in 2005, Moore held corporate marketing positions with increasing responsibilities at Land O’Lakes, Pillsbury and General Mills. While at Pillsbury she integrated five nationally acquired companies to build the largest baking business in the foodservice industry, and she led key growth strategies at Land O’Lakes. Her background also includes a role as a key strategist at Rapp Collins Worldwide, where she developed growth strategies for clients in diverse industries, including packaged goods, financial services, manufacturing and consumer direct.
Moore is an active board member of Carlson School of Management’s Institute for Research in Marketing at the University of Minnesota and a board member of College Possible, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping promising low-income young people prepare for and earn admission to college. In addition, she is a member of the Board of Directors for the foodservice industry’s Women’s Foodservice Forum, an executive sponsor for the Ecolab Women’s Associate Network and was the 2009 National Chair for the Ecolab United Way/Community Giving Campaign. Moore has also served in several volunteer capacities in her local community.
Moore graduated summa cum laude from St. Cloud State University, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in quantitative methods and information systems. She received her M.B.A. in marketing management from the University of Minnesota. She lives in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area with her husband, Tom, and their two children. Top
Margaret Murphy
Chief Credit Officer, Anchor Bancorp
Margaret Murphy is the Chief Credit Officer at Anchor Bancorp, a privately-held bank holding company with 16 locations in the Twin Cities. Prior to Anchor Bancorp, Margaret was the Chief Operating Officer at Marquette Financial Companies where she held senior management positions leading the commercial finance businesses, shared services and credit administration. Her early career included positions in commercial banking, asset based lending and credit administration with American National Bank and US Bank.
Margaret holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of St. Thomas and an MBA in Finance from the University of Minnesota. She is a member of RMA. Margaret resides in Inver Grove Heights with her husband, Tim, and family.Top
Michael Newman
Vice President, Travelers Foundation
As Vice President of the Travelers Foundation, Mike Newman gives direction to the charitable contributions arm of the company and its foundation. Previously, he was Manager of North American Field Operation where he developed the capacity of field offices to implement the company’s community affairs strategy. He joined The St. Paul Travelers Foundation in February 1997 after spending the early part of his career in the nonprofit and governmental arena.
At the state Department of Human Services, he directed community affairs and human resources, management and organizational development for a department of 8,000 employees and 15,000 volunteers. Prior to that, he served as Chief of Volunteer Services for the department, providing training and consultation in volunteer management to local agencies. Mike has previously directed two local volunteer programs in addition to having done development work with the United Way of Minneapolis.
Mike served from 1995-1999 as President of the international Association for Volunteer Administration and has served in numerous board capacities with the Minnesota College Access Network, Page Education Foundation, Minnesota Association of Volunteer Directors, Dakota Woodlands, Minneapolis Red Cross, Minnesota Social Service Association, Minnesota Children’s Trust Fund, the Arts and Culture Partnership, and other organizations. He has served or continues to serve as a volunteer with a diverse number and type of nonprofit organizations.
Newman has a bachelor’s degree in social work from Bemidji State University and his graduate work was in community development at the University of Minnesota. He and his wife, Deb, live in Eagan with two sons, Zachary and Tyler, daughter Sarah, one dog (Charlie) and two cats (Duke and Mia). Top
Barry Nordstrand
Chief Executive Officer, Solutran
Barry Nordstrand joined Solutran in 2005, a company providing customized treasury management solutions to organizations that process high-volume payment transactions. As Chief Executive Officer, he is responsible for building a company culture that maintains a sustainable competitive advantage and guiding Solutran’s strategic plan.
Barry previously served as head of Fixed Income at Piper Jaffray. In this role, he ran one of Piper Jaffray’s three divisions, reporting directly to the CEO, and acted as a member of the firm’s Management Committee. Prior to accepting this position in 2002, Barry served in various product management, trading management, and trading roles in Piper Jaffray’s Fixed Income and Equities divisions.
Barry holds a bachelor’s degree from St. Olaf College and a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. Top
Global Director of Marketing Strategy & Operations, Google
Thomas Ranese currently leads Strategy and Operations for the Global Marketing team at Google, where he plays a Chief of Staff role to the Global VP of Marketing, Lorraine Twohill, overseeing a $1B+ budget as well as annual planning and performance management, among other responsibilities.
Prior to joining Google, Thomas was appointed the first Chief Marketing Officer for economic development in New York State. His specific responsibilities include corporate marketing for Empire State Development and its business programs, oversight of the Governor’s Office of Motion Picture and Television, and tourism marketing, including revitalization of the “I LOVE NY” brand in its 30th anniversary year.
Thomas has over 15 years experience in both the public and private sectors. In the public sector, Thomas worked at the local and national levels, for nonprofit organizations as well as city and federal governments. This includes the Corporation for National Service during the Clinton administration and as a Fellow in the Office of the Mayor of Washington DC under Anthony Williams. In the private sector, Thomas worked as a strategy and brand management consultant for McKinsey & Company and Interbrand where his clients included Intel, JP Morgan Chase, State Farm and McDonalds as well as Habitat for Humanity, Teachers College at Columbia University and the New York Philharmonic.
Thomas received a BA with Honors in Political Science from Stanford University and a Masters in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He was also selected as a Leadership NY Coro Fellow in 2001.
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Patrick O'Shaughnessy
InZero Systems, CEO
Patrick O’Shaughnessy is the Chief Executive Officer of InZero Systems. Previously, he held the position of Chief Operating Officer of the Trustwater Group, the world’s leading manufacturer of alternative cleaning and disinfection technologies. He has extensive experience with start-up and growth phases of organizations and companies, and serves as a Director for Catholic Charities and on the I.A. O'Shaughnessy Foundation microfinance group. Patrick’s commitment to College Possible began when he started training for the Mount Everest Ultrathon and used the opportunity to raise money and encourage support for College Possible. Patrick holds a bachelor’s degree and joint JD/MBA from the University of St. Thomas.
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Stephen Smith
President, Naviance
Stephen is president and co-founder of Naviance, a Hobsons company. Mr. Smith has led Naviance since 2002, successfully guiding the organization from start up to its current position as the leader in delivering college and career readiness solutions for schools and school districts, serving more than 100,000 educators and 3.7 million current students in 72 countries worldwide. Naviance was acquired and became the K-12 division of Hobsons in 2007. Mr. Smith is a member of Hobsons’ global executive board, helping to shape the strategy of the company’s offerings from pre-school through graduate school and beyond. Prior to founding Naviance, Mr. Smith was vice president of digital product development at Peterson’s, then a division of The Thomson Corporation, where he played a key role in transforming a traditional print publishing business into the premier on-line services company in the field of education information and admissions. Prior to joining Peterson’s, Mr. Smith worked with the Thomson Technology Services Group as a founding member of its Internet consulting practice. Mr. Smith has also served as a practitioner faculty member at The Johns Hopkins University where he taught graduate level coursework in marketing and technology. Mr. Smith earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history, cum laude, and an MBA from Cornell University. Top
Bee Vue
Systems Engineer, Aerojet, College Possible Alumnus
Bee is a first generation Hmong-American, born in a refugee camp in Chiang Kham, Thailand where his parents lived as refugees of the Vietnam War. Mr. Vue’s family resettled in America in 1987 in Saint Paul, MN where he graduated from High School in 2004 in the top ten in his graduating class. After high school, Mr. Vue attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts where he completed a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering, subsidized by a Gates Millennium scholarship. During his four years at MIT, Mr. Vue interned with NASA, General Electric Company and Aurora Flight Sciences. He graduated from MIT in 2008 and went on to complete a Masters of Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 2009. Mr. Vue is now employed by Aerojet Corporation in California as a Systems Engineer, and works on the Orion main engine team, a NASA-funded space program that aims to support and make possible the next human space exploration vehicle. Top