ClearWay MinnesotaSM has a 19-member Board of Directors comprising 11 at-large positions and eight appointed members. Board Members have expertise in areas of governance, finances, communications and marketing, grant-making, health care and insurance, tobacco control and cessation, community organizing, populations at risk, public affairs and/or human resources. Board and Board Committee meetings are held at the ClearWay Minnesota office.
Board of Directors
Board Officers:
Board Chair – Bob Boerschel
Vice Chair – Laurie Lafontaine
Secretary – Nevada Littlewolf
Treasurer – Brian Osberg
Board Members:
Governor Mark Dayton appointed:
- Karen Kraemer, R.N., former Vice President of Disease and Case Management with HealthPartners
- Brian Osberg, former Program Director at the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, former Minnesota Assistant Commissioner of Health Care Administration and former Minnesota State Medicaid Director
Speaker of the House Kurt Daudt appointed:
- Bob Boerschel, eFinancial Senior Counsel at Wells Fargo (note: Mr. Boerschel was originally appointed by former Speaker Kurt Zellers and reappointed by Speaker Daudt)
Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka appointed:
- Duane Benson, farmer, former State Senator, charter member of the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, former executive director of the Minnesota Business Partnership and former professional football player
Former Speaker of the House Paul Thissen appointed:
- Janet Avery, former manager of the state’s asthma program at the Minnesota Department of Health
Former Senate Majority Leader Thomas Bakk appointed:
- Gail Amundson, M.D., health care consultant, former Medical Director for Quality, Measurement and Provider Incentives at HealthPartners, and founder and past board chair of Minnesota Community Measurement
Attorney General Lori Swanson appointed:
-
Steven D. McWhirter, Executive Vice President of Dougherty & Company, LLC
-
Gregory Wulf, President and CEO of First Farmers & Merchants Bank
Board members filling the 11 at-large positions:
- Mae Brooks, Director of Human Resources for the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board
- Judy Brown, District Program Facilitator at Minneapolis Public Schools
- Pamela Lux, Director of Human Resources Communications at Medtronic and former Vice President at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
- Laurie Lafontaine, former Vice President of Allina Health
- Nevada Littlewolf, Executive Director and founder of Rural and American Indigenous Leadership
- Sarah Oquist, an attorney and Chief Operations Officer at Sapientia Law Group, PLLC, and a board member at Woodlands National Bank
- Anne Vars, Senior Merchandise Finance Manager at Target Corporation
Former ClearWay Minnesota Board Members, from one year prior:
- Howard Orenstein (resigned December 2017)
- Ellen Denzen (term expired September 2017)
- Kelly Drummer (term expired September 2017)
- Vivian Jenkins Nelsen (term expired September 2017)
- Brian Short (term expired September 2017)
- Hugh T. Nierengarten (resigned April 2017)
- Joel Swanson (resigned February 2017)
Board and Committee Meetings
The ClearWay Minnesota Board of Directors meets every other month throughout the year. Board Meetings are open to the public.
Board Meetings are typically held from 9 a.m. – noon in the ClearWay Minnesota office.
2018 BOARD MEETINGS
May 16, 9 a.m. – noon
July 18, 9 a.m. – noon
September 19, 9 a.m. – noon
November 14, 9 a.m. – noon
2018 COMMITTEE MEETINGS
Committees of the ClearWay Minnesota Board meet throughout the year. Most meetings are open to the public and are held at the ClearWay Minnesota office at Two Appletree Square, 8011 34th Ave. S., Ste. 400, Minneapolis, MN 55425.
2018 ClearWay MinnesotaSM Board Committee Roster and Meeting Schedule
EXECUTIVE/GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE
Bob Boerschel, Chair
Laurie Lafontaine, Vice Chair
Nevada Littlewolf, Secretary
Brian Osberg, Treasurer
Steven D. McWhirter, Chair, Audit/Finance Committee
Pamela Lux, Chair, Nominating and Board Development Committee
Karen Kraemer, Chair, Program Grants and Program Contracts Committee
Anne Vars, Chair, Strategic Development and Planning Committee
June 21, noon – 2 p.m.
August 16, noon – 2 p.m.
October 18, noon – 2 p.m.
AUDIT/FINANCE COMMITTEE
Steven D. McWhirter, Chair
Laurie Lafontaine
Sarah Oquist
Brian Osberg
Gregory Wulf
No meetings pending
NOMINATING AND BOARD DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
Pamela Lux, Chair
Mae Brooks
Brian Osberg
Three external Committee Members
No meetings pending
PROGRAM GRANTS AND CONTRACTS COMMITTEE
Karen Kraemer, Chair
Gail Amundson
Janet Avery
Judy Brown
Nevada Littlewolf
May 3, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
July 9, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING COMMITTEE
Anne Vars, Chair
Karen Kraemer
Pamela Lux
No meetings pending
INVESTMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Laurie Lafontaine, Chair
Lois Buermann*
Kim Faust*
LeAnn Stagg*
Connie Thompson*
*Eternal committee members
Meetings not public