Staff, Board of Trustees, & Advisory Boards
The Northland Foundation is staffed by a dedicated team, strategically guided by a regional Board of Trustees, and taps the expertise of two grantmaking Advisory Boards for the Maada’ookiing and Youth In Philanthropy programs.
Foundation Staff
Most Northland Foundation staff work remotely, so email is often the easiest way to reach us. Click on a staff photos to email individuals, or call our main line, below, for individual phone extensions. If you leave a voicemail or email our general inboxes, your message will be forwarded to the right person.
General Email info@northlandfdn.org
Voicemail/Phone Extensions 218.723.4040
Board of Trustees
Strategic leadership of the Northland Foundation is provided by a diverse volunteer Board of Trustees who live and work in communities throughout the region.
Sumair Sheikh, Chair
Executive Director
LISC Duluth
Duluth
Mary Harrelson, Vice Chair
Licensed Psychologist (retired)
Grand Portage Reservation
Jamie Adams, Treasurer
Economic Development Planner
Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
Cloquet/Solon Springs
Ashley Hall, Secretary
Development Coordinator, Rainy Lake Medical Center, and
Owner, Evolve U Fitness & Wellness
International Falls
Ben Benoit
Project Administrator
Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
Cohasset
Elena Foshay
Director of Workforce Development City of Duluth Duluth
Rachel Hedlund
Ely Education & Outreach Manager
Friends of the Boundary Waters
Ely
Tia Marie
Owner
Smoke on the Water
Grand Rapids
Peter McDermott, Immediate Past Chair
Retired
Grand Rapids
Rick Revoir
Vice President of Advancement & Professor
College of St. Scholastica
Duluth
Darren Sheldon
Principal Lakewood Elementary School Duluth
Kristen Vake
Executive Director
Iron Mining Association of Minnesota
Chisholm
Maada’ookiing Advisory Board
Maada’ookiing is led and guided by an Advisory Board made up of regional Native nation representatives and other Native American community members.
Mary Harrelson
Gichionigaming Akiing Gichigami Anishinabeg
Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
Jaylen Strong
Bois Forte Heritage Center and Cultural Museum Director, Bois Forte Band of Chippewa
April McCormick
Secretary/Treasurer, Gichionigaming, Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
Shane Drift
District I Representative Bois Forte Tribal Council, Bois Forte Band of Chippewa
Youth In Philanthropy Advisory Board
The Youth In Philanthropy Advisory Board is made up of high school students from communities across the region with guidance from volunteer adult mentors.
Youth Members
- Jackson Strand, Chair
Superior - Rosemary Huddleston, Vice Chair
Two Harbors - Lili Sakuray, Secretary/Treasurer
Superior - Annika Lahti, Photographer
Cherry - Arwen Levar, Photographer
Cherry - Elizabeth Niemi
Mesabi East - Ally Olmstead
Mesabi East - Adrianna Potter
Duluth - Joey Wallace
Hermantown - Keaira Willis
Duluth
Adult Mentors
- Jamie Adams
Economic Development Planner, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa - Rachel Doherty
Agriculture Teacher & Farm2School Coordinator, Mesabi East Schools - Brad Flynn
Programmer Analyst, ALLETE - Anne Parish
Out-of-School Time Coordinator, Denfeld High School - Tim Stratioti
Branch Director, Superior, Boys & Girls Club of the Northland