This group, composed of leaders of the largest community institutions, meets quarterly and provides key leadership to Northfield Promise. Champions are committed to using their “organizational muscle” to advocate for Northfield Promise and access resources to help achieve Action Team plans.

• Krista Danner, Northfield Area Family YMCA Executive Director
• Bonnie Jean Flom, WINGS Board
• Sandi Gerdes, Laura Baker Services Association Executive Director
• Clarice Grabau, Northfield City Council
• Joe Hargis, Carleton College Associate Vice President for External Relations
• Charles Hayes, Sheldahl Flexible Technologies, Inc., Director, Quality Assurance
• Penny Hillemann, Rice County Area United Way, Director
• Matt Hillmann, Northfield Public Schools Superintendent
• Ellen Iverson, Northfield Public Schools, School Board Vice Chair
• Teresa Jensen, Northfield Public Library, Director
• Ben Martig, City of Northfield City Administrator
• Monte Nelson, Northfield Police Chief
• Lynne Pederson, FiftyNorth Executive Director
• Steven Poskanzer, Carleton College President
• Rhonda Pownell, City of Northfield Mayor
• Julie Pritchard, Northfield Public Schools, School Board Chair
• Deb Purfeerst, Rice County Public Health Director
• Mark Shaw, Rice County Social Services Director
• Rev. Todd Smith Lippert, Northfield Area Interfaith Association Co-Chair
• John Stenz, FORCE America, Inc. Chairman & CEO
• Simon Tyler, Prairie Creek Community School Director
• Steve Underdahl, Northfield Hospital & Clinics Chief Executive Officer
• Scott Wopata, Community Action Center Executive Director

This group is composed of committed community partners, HCI board members and the chairs of the Action Teams. The committee oversees day-to-day efforts, assists with framework development, leads communications efforts and recruits members and stakeholders.

• Ashley Anderson, Northfield Healthy Community Initiative Coordinator
• Erin Bailey, Northfield Public Schools Community Services Director
• Carrie Duba, Northfield Public Schools, School Psychologist
• Mark Ensrud, Northfield High School Guidance Counselor
• Kris Estenson, St. Olaf College Piper Center for Vocation and Career Associate Director (Steering Committee Chair)
• Meleah Follen, Northfield Healthy Community Initiative Youth Engagement Coordinator
• Candace Godfrey, Northfield Promise Alumni Coordinator
• Mary Grace Hanson, Northfield Public Schools Director of Teaching and Learning
• Hope Langston, Northfield Public Schools District Assessment Coordinator
• Janet Lewis Muth, Carleton College Director of Health Promotion
• Sandy Malecha, Northfield Healthy Community Initiative, Assistant Director
• Rachel Matney, Accelerate Northfield Co-founder
• Connie Nelson, Retired Northfield Public Schools teacher
• Michael O’Keefe, Northfield Middle School Assistant Principal
• Zach Pruitt, Northfield Healthy Community Initiative Executive Director
• Kristin Stets, Northfield Promise Connectedness Action Team Co-Chair
• Marnie Thompson, Northfield High School Assistant Principal
• Laura Turek, Northfield Promise Evaluation and Community Engagement Coordinator

Each Action Team is composed of any individual or institution interested in the Action Team’s focus area. Each team is charged with developing a plan to help see community change in 1 or 2 of the Northfield Promise benchmarks. Northfield Promise is rolling out teams to cover all 10 benchmarks over the next two years.

Active Action Teams include:

• Ready for Kindergarten
• Reading
• Career and College Readiness
• Social-Emotional Action Team

Teams are open to anyone who is interested in being involved. Contact us to learn more and sign up!

Ready for Kindergarten Action Team

• Erin Bailey, (Chair), Northfield Public Schools, Community Services Director Email
• Brianna Barrett, Northfield Public Schools, Early Ventures Coordinator
• Theresa Bauman, Parent
• Kristen Cade, Bridgewater Elementary, Kindergarten Teacher
• Kim Decker, Parent
• Christine Fankhanel, Reading & Math, Inc
• Alison Flannery, Parent
• Luci Gonzalez Miron, Parent
• Mary Grace Hanson, Northfield Public Schools, Director of Teaching and Learning
• Gretchen Heil, Sibley Elementary, Teacher
• Jenny Kelly, Parent
• Heidi Kram, Allina Health, Pediatrician
• Sara Line, Northfield Public Schools, Early Childhood Coordinator
• Marianne Moser, Prairie Creek Community School, Teaching Assistant
• Ashley Petterson, Longfellow School, Psychologist
• Susan Prieve, Rice County Public Health, Family and Child Health Supervisor
• Pat Rogne, Early Childhood Professional
• Dawn Tommerdahl, Three Rivers Community Action Center Head Start, Parent-Family-Community Engagement Coordinator
• Lucy Velazquez de Barojas, Parent
• Laurie Williams, Rotary Club of Northfield, Representative

Reading Action Team

• Danielle Amundson, Greenvale Park Elementary, Companeros 2nd grade teacher
• Fritz Bogott, (Co-Chair), Reading Team, Accelerate Northfield Founder
• Sue Bolton, Bridgewater Elementary School. Reading Support
• Pam Charlton, Bridgewater Elementary 1st Grade Teacher
• Sue Couture, St. Olaf College Education Department
• Jenna Dardis, Benjamin Bus, Safety Director Manager
• Ben Flannery, Northfield Hospital and Clinics, Pediatrician
• Becky Gainey, Sibley Elementary, Instructional Coach, Literacy
• Melissa Gonzalez, VISTA Literacy Leader
• Natalie Gonzalez, Northfield High School, Student Representative
• Mary Grace Hanson, Northfield Public Schools, Director of Teaching and Learning
• Alison Haider, Northfield Area Family YMCA, Child Watch Coordinator
• Penny Hilleman, Northfield Area United Way, Executive Director
• Diana Huseth, United Methodist Church, Families First Committee, Operation Backpack
• Maggie Jacoby, Minnesota Reading Corps
• Jane Jeffries, St. Dominic’s School, first grade teacher
• Emily Lloyd, Northfield Public Library, Children’s Librarian
• Connie Nelson, (Co-Chair), Reading Team, Retired Teacher, Literacy Coach
• Karleen Sherman, Sibley Elementary, Special Education Teacher
• Diane Torbenson, Greenvale Elementary, Instructional Coach, Literacy
• Laura Turek, Northfield HCI, Reading Coordinator
• Christa Udelhofen, Prairie Creek Community School, Librarian
• Laurie Williams, Rotary Club of Northfield, Representative
• Mary Beth Youngblut, Greenvale Park Elementary, Teacher

Career and College Readiness Action Team

• Beth Berry, TORCH, Founder (retired)
• Kimberly Briske, Northfield Public Schools, Director of Technology
• Mark Ensrud,(Co-chair), Northfield High School, Counselor, StriveTogether Equitable Results Training Program, Email
• Sandi Gerdes, Laura Baker Services Association, Executive Director
• Candace Godrey, Northfield Promise Alumni Coordinator
• Mary Grace Hanson, Northfield Public Schools, Director of Teaching and Learning
• Kelly Hebzynski, Northfield Middle School, Math Teacher
• Joe Jorgensen, Northfield High School, Work-based Learning Teacher/Coordinator
• Dan Kapaun, Syngenta, Research Assistant
• Shari Karlsrud, Northfield High School, FACS Teacher
• Daryl Kehler, Northfield ALC, Director
• Emily Kerling, Northfield Retirement Community, Director of Health Services
• Hope Langston, Northfield Public Schools, District Assessment Coordinator
• Michelle Lasswell, Frago & Lasswell, PA Lawyers and Rotary
• Joel Leer, Northfield High School, Principal
• Sarah Lunemann-Schrader, Allina Health, Northfield Clinical Services Manager
• Michelle Mahowald, City of Northfield, Communications & Human Resources Manager
• Sandy Malecha, Northfield Healthy Community Initiative, Assistant Director
• Lisa Malecha, Arcadia Charter School, Social Worker
• Michael O’Keefe, (Co-chair), Northfield Middle School, Assistant Principal, StriveTogether Equitable Results Training Program Email
• Heather LaCroix, FORCE America, Executive Administrative Assistant
• Maren Peterson, POST Consumer Brands, HR Business Partner
• Julie Pritchard, Northfield Public Schools, School Board Member
• Zach Pruitt, Northfield Healthy Community Initiative, Executive Director
• Leah Rich, Neuger Communications Group, Senior Communications Counselor
• John Stenz, FORCE America, President
• Vicki Stevens, Northfield Hospitals and Clinics, Human Resources Executive/Clinical Operations Administrator
• Brian Stevens, Northfield High School,  Social Studies (Econ) Teacher
• Jenny Streefland, Northfield Middle School, School Counselor
• Katie Theis, Northfield HCI, Northfield Community College Collaborative Director
• Eric Van Brocklin, ISD 917 Rosemount, Principal
• Steve Taggart, Northfield Middle School, CTE Teacher
• Sarah VanSickle, Project Friendship
• Lisa Weis, Northfield Middle  School, Teacher, StriveTogether Equitable Results Training Program
• John Whitney, Northfield High School, Teacher, StriveTogether Equitable Results Training Program
• TJ Wiebe, Northfield High School, Science Teacher (Academy)
• Andrew Wilt, Mechanical Systems Inc., Director of Apprenticeship & EHS Advisor
• Mike Witt, Witt Bros Car Repair
• Mark Woitalla, Northfield High School, CTE Teacher
• Julie Wolner, Northfield High School, CTE Teacher

Social-Emotional Action Team

• Carrie Duba, (Co-Chair), Northfield Public Schools, School Psychologist
• Janet Lewis Muth, (Co-Chair), Carleton College, Director of Health Promotion
• Naomi Bartley, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor
• Greg Gelineau, Northfield Public Schools, Principal
• Daryl Kehler, Northfield Area Learning Center, Director
• Stacey Klempnauer, MSW/LICSW, Clinical Social Worker/Therapist
• Katie Reed, Rice County Chemical and Mental Health Coalition, Coordinator
• Kristin Stets, Community Member
• Marnie Thompson, Northfield High School, Assistant Principal
• Laura Stelter, Arcadia Charter School, Executive Director
• Ben Heath, Northfield Union of Youth, Assistant Director

This group is composed of individuals with expertise in evaluation and data analysis. They work with the Action Teams to review and analyze data to assist each team’s work. Data Team members also assist with the annual compilation of data into Northfield Promise’s Report to the Community.

• Austin Bauer, Northfield Healthy Community Initiative, Director of Reporting & Analytics
• Debra Ehret Miller, Allina Health, Community Benefit and Evaluation Manager
• Ellen Iverson, Science Education Resource Center’s Director of Evaluation
• Hope Langston, Northfield Public Schools District Assessment Coordinator (Co-chair) Email
• Rachel Matney, Accelerate Northfield co-founder (Co-chair) Email
• Tom Richard, Northfield Hospital & Clinics
• Paul Roback, St. Olaf College Professor and Director of Statistics Center
• Katie St. Clair, Carleton College Associate Professor of Mathematics and Statistics
• Laura Turek, Northfield Healthy Community Initiative
• Tina Dokken, Northfield Middle School Math Teacher

Rahmah Abdulai
Junior, Northfield High School

Keith Argabright
Chief Sales Officer, Roundbank-EVP

Erin Bailey
Director, Northfield Public Schools Community Services Division

Claudia Bauer
Latino Youth Coordinator, Office of Latino Ministry
Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis

Bridget Conway
Chiropractor/Owner, Cannon Pointe Chiropractic

Kris Estenson
Associate Director, Alumni and Parent Engagement, St. Olaf College

Natalie Ginter
Director of Community Engagement and Development, Allina Health

Marika Matney
Sophomore, Arcadia Charter School

Mark Mohlke
Bremer Bank Owatonna President

Connie Nelson (Co-Vice Chair)
Master Coach, Minnesota Reading Corps

Monte Nelson
Chief of Police, Northfield Police Department

Randy Olson (Co-Chair)
Senior Vice President, Chief Credit Officer, Community Resource Bank

Stefany Perez Dorantes
Junior, Northfield High School

Athena Pitsavas (Co-Chair)
Northfield High School Student

Tanner Schieck (Treasurer)
Co-owner, Schieck Orthodontics

Betsy Spethmann
Director of Communications, Northfield Hospital + Clinics

Laura Stelter
Executive Director, Arcadia Charter School

Marnie Thompson
Assistant Principal, Northfield High School

Linda Thornton
Comptroller, Carleton College

Adam Vazquez Rosales
Senior, Northfield High School

Brisa Zubia
Assistant Director, Office of Intercultural and International Life, Carleton College