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 – Vivian Jenkins Nelsen
Secretary – Anne Vars
Treasurer – Laurie Lafontaine
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)
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
-
Brian Short, Chief Executive Officer of the Leamington Company and former U.S. Magistrate Judge
Board members filling the 11 at-large positions:
- Ellen Denzen, researcher with the National Marrow Donor Program
- Kelly Drummer, President and CEO of the Tiwahe Foundation
- 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
- Vivian Jenkins Nelsen, co-founder of the INTER-RACE Institute, a diversity think-tank at Augsburg College
- Howard Orenstein, Senior Assistant Hennepin County Attorney and former partner at Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Cerisi
- Anne Vars, Health Strategy Project Manager at Target Corporation
Former ClearWay Minnesota Board Members, from one year prior:
- Daniel Johnson (term expired September 2016)
- Joy Rikala (term expired September 2016)
- Thomas Weaver (term expired September 2016)
- Joel Swanson (resigned February 2017)
- Hugh T. Nierengarten (resigned April 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.
2017 BOARD MEETINGS
September 20, 9 a.m. – noon (annual meeting)
November 15, 9 a.m. – noon
2017 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.
2017 ClearWay MinnesotaSM Board Committee Roster and Meeting Schedule
EXECUTIVE/GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE
Bob Boerschel, Chair
Vivian Jenkins Nelsen, Vice Chair, and Chair, Nominating and Board Development Committee
Anne Vars, Secretary, and Chair, Strategic Development and Planning Committee
Laurie Lafontaine, Treasurer
Steven D. McWhirter, Chair, Audit/Finance Committee
Chair, Strategic Planning and Development Committee (currently vacant)
August 30, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
October 17, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
December 20, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
AUDIT/FINANCE COMMITTEE
Steven D. McWhirter, Chair
Laurie Lafontaine
Brian Osberg
Brian Short
August 24, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
October 26, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
December 21, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
NOMINATING AND BOARD DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
Vivian Jenkins Nelsen, Chair
Kelly Drummer
Pamela Lux
Brian Osberg
Three external Committee Members
August 15, 1 – 2:30 p.m.
September 7, 2 – 5 p.m.
PROGRAM GRANTS AND CONTRACTS COMMITTEE
Ellen Denzen, Chair
Gail Amundson
Janet Avery
Nevada Littlewolf
September 7, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
November 2, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING COMMITTEE
Anne Vars, Chair
Ellen Denzen
Karen Kraemer
Pamela Lux
Howard Orenstein
No meetings pending
INVESTMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Laurie Lafontaine, Chair
Lois Buermann*
Kim Faust*
LeAnn Stagg*
Connie Thompson*
*Eternal committee members
Meetings not public