Northland Foundation Welcomes New Trustees and 2009-2010 Officers

The Northland Foundation is pleased to announce three new members have joined the Board of Trustees. Trustees are elected by the current Board to serve a nine-year term.

Steve Downing is the Development Director at the Myles Reif Performing Arts Center. He has served on the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council, Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, and has been a Minnesota State Arts Board panelist. His other board experience includes Minnesota Discovery Center, Grand Rapids Area Library Foundation, Itasca GLBTA Alliance, and the Grand Rapids Human Rights Commission. Steve is a published poet and essayist, is a regular commentator on KAXE/91.7, and has been a musician all his life. He and his wife, Katherine Dodge – Executive Director of the Itasca Orchestra & Strings Program – live just north of Grand Rapids on Shoal Lake.

Lynn Goerdt owns Lynn Goerdt Consulting and has worked in human services planning for the past 12 years at the community and regional level. She also teaches as an adjunct faculty for The College of St. Scholastica’s Department of Social Work. Lynn currently serves on the board of Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial, Inc., HealthShare, and the Duluth PTSA Council. She has a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) and is currently enrolled in the Doctor of Education program at UMD. Lynn and her partner Eric also own Northern Waters Smokehaus in Duluth.

Nevada Littlewolf currently works as a Rural Field Leadership Organizer with the White House Project, developing and expanding leadership opportunities for women in rural Minnesota. She serves on the Virginia City Council, is an advocate for American Indian children and families in the Sixth Judicial District Guardian Ad Litem Program, and is a member of the St. Louis County Racial and Ethnic Oversight Committee. In 1994, Nevada received the Minnesota Governor’s Award for Excellence for development of the VISIONS Youth Program. She is a graduate of Mesabi Community and Technical College and attended the University of Minnesota Duluth majoring in Studio Art. She is a member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and lives on the Iron Range with her two children.

Officers elected for 2009-10 are, Chair: Cindy Hansen, Co-owner of Sawbill Canoe Outfitters, Tofte; Vice Chair: Ken Johnson, Consulting Engineer, Aitkin; and Secretary/ Treasurer: David Clusiau, Co-owner, Hibbing Chrysler Center, Hibbing.

Northland gratefully acknowledges the service of two Trustees whose terms expired on August 6th. Ed Crawford, Principal, Denfeld High School, Duluth; and Barbara Dorry, Executive Director, KOOTASCA Community Action, Grand Rapids, each fulfilled nine-year terms as well as chaired the Board in 2005-07 and 2007-09 respectively.

Visit our web site for a complete listing of Northland Foundation's Board of Trustees.