MCA Staff

Sheila M. Smith has been Minnesota Citizens for the Art’s Executive Director since 1996. She was a leader in the 2008 “Vote Yes” campaign, passing a Minnesota state constitutional amendment to create 25 years of dedicated funding for the arts and environment.  Smith has been Chair of the State Arts Action League, part of Americans for the Arts, and was recipient of the 2009 Alene Valkanas State Arts Advocacy Award, which honors an individual who has dramatically affected the political landscape through arts advocacy efforts at the state level. An Adjunct Professor for the University of Minnesota in both Minneapolis and Duluth, she teaches and lectures nationally about the arts, grassroots advocacy, and other issues. For the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, she is part of the Public Policy Cabinet and a member of the Board. Smith has a Masters in Arts Administration from St. Mary’s University and a B.A. in Shakespeare from St. Olaf College. Before joining MCA she served as staff at the Minnesota State Senate and lobbied local governments for Continental Airlines in Houston, TX.  In her off hours, she is a proud member of Minnesota’s 2008 and 2009 Champion WorldQuest team, an international affairs trivia competition of the World Affairs Councils of America, and enjoys kayaking and hiking along the North Shore of Lake Superior.  She received the 2009 Leadership Award from Conservation Minnesota.
Follow Sheila on Twitter.
Mark Albers became MCA’s Operations Manager in November, 2007, after serving as MCA’s Fieldworker and Communications Intern. He graduated from St. Cloud State University in 2005 with a degree in Political Science and Public Relations. Before his time at MCA, he served as an Intern with Senator Steve Murphy at the Minnesota Legislature.
Lawrence M. Redmond is contracted by MCA as a lobbyist. President of Redmond Associates, Inc., Redmond has lobbied at the Minnesota Legislature for more than 30 years. Formerly a State Senate staffer, and later an aide to Senator Hubert H. Humphrey, Redmond has worked with MCA since 1977.

Board of Directors

Donna Bachman rejoined the MCA board in 2009 after previously serving from 2001-2002.  She currently works as manager, special productions for Macy’s and is proud to say she was the Lead Arts Organizer for the Vote Yes Minnesota Campaign. She has also served as the Executive Director for Ballet of the Dolls/Ritz Theater. With 25 years of experience in arts administration and production work, at the Children’s Theatre Co., Minnesota Dance Theatre, and independent work, she is a passionate advocate for the arts in Minnesota.
Sandy Boren-Barrett has worked at Stages Theatre Company in Hopkins since 1990, where she is currently Artistic Director and CEO. Boren-Barrett has directed numerous adult and youth performances and has taught middle school and high school art and drama courses. She obtained a Grade 7-12 Theatre Arts education certification from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and a BA in Speech and Drama with an emphasis on Directing and Performance from Huntingdon College.
Burns Beth Burns has been an Organizational Metro member since 1997. She is the Executive Director for Lutheran Music Program, which produces nationwide programs for youth, including the annual Lutheran Summer Music Academy & Festival. She is also a founding member of the new Minnesota Music Coalition. She has held leadership positions with MacPhail Center, Children’s Theatre Company, and the Guthrie Theatre, where she oversaw touring, education and advocacy programs. She served as senior advisor to the National Endowment for the Arts “Shakespeare in American Communities” program, and as a panelist for the NEA, South Dakota Arts Council, MSAB and MRAC. She is a frequent speaker, panelist and workshop leader on topics in arts management and youth engagement.
Flintrop Brenda Byron, Region Nine Greater Minnesota member, has served as Executive Director of the Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council, Waseca for the past 16 years and also Arts Director for the Region 9 Development Commission from 1989-1993; for a total of 20 years with the Regional Arts Council. From 2000-2004 Flintrop served on the Waseca City Council and was a board member of the Waseca Area Tourism and Visitors Bureau and Human Rights Commission. She also served on the Waseca Community Education Advisory Council, encouraging them to host Prairie Fire Children’s Theater for several years and is active with the Chamber of Commerce. Flintrop also served as a Network Consultant for COMPAS from 1994-1996. She has been active in legislative issues as well, providing information in the Regional Arts Council’s newsletter and mailings about MCA’s activities; and educating her 9-county Region about working with legislators. Flintrop’s knowledge of the arts community’s needs in South Central Minnesota, as well as her skills in nonprofit management, problem-solving, advocacy and leadership, makes her an asset to the MCA Board.
Shakespeare Hal Cropp represents Region Ten Greater Minnesota. Hal is the Artistic Director of Commonweal Theatre Company in Lanesboro where he has been in a leadership role since 1994, as well as an actor/director/teacher with the company. He serves on the Southeast Minnesota Art Council’s Board of Directors and has been a theatre panelist for the State Arts Board for the past fourteen years. Hal has been a Lanesboro City Council Member and currently serves on Lanesboro’s Economic Development Authority. This is Hal’s second tour of duty on the MCA board.
Pat Dove At Large Member of Greater Minnesota, Pat Dove has recently retired to northern Minnesota after spending working life as an educator in southern Indiana.  Small town life became more fulfilling after co-founding the Northern Light Opera Company and helping organize the Park Rapids Lakes Area Arts Council which has representatives from 16+ arts groups in the Park Rapids area.  Pat encourages everyone to check out the beautiful Park Rapids lakes area where the arts are alive and well.
Dowse Greater Minnesota Organizational member Sean Dowse is a past MCA Board President. Dowse has an exemplary dedication to the arts. He has served as Executive Director of the T.B. Sheldon Theatre, a board member for the Anderson Center and Red Wing Arts Association, a director of community theater productions and high school musicals, an arts educator, and a fundraiser for local arts activities. Dowse believes that the arts are a vital element of local community building, and that government should be a partner in nurturing an enlightened and engaged electorate. He has been a member of the board since 1997.
Dunn Craig Dunn, Metro Organizational member and current MCA Board Past President, has been active as a board member and Executive Director of VSA Minnesota since 1992. In addition to this work, he serves as a committee member of the Arts Education Consortium of Minnesota and is active in all things arts/disability/education. He has been a participant in MCA’s annual Arts Advocacy Days at the Capitol in addition to lobbying our congressional delegation in Washington D.C. during VSA’s national conferences and occasional national Arts Advocacy Days. Dunn joined the MCA Board in 1998.
Tony Goddard is Executive Director of the Paramount Arts Resource Trust, the nonprofit manager of the Historic Paramount Theatre and Visual Arts Center in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Goddard has more than twenty years experience in government and nonprofit management, focused on economic development, legislative relations, workforce training, and association management. Goddard was President of the Greater Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce, Dean of the Center for Innovation and Economic Development at the St. Cloud Technical College, and President of the St. Cloud Area Economic Development Partnership. He continues to serve as Executive Director of St. Cloud Opportunities, a developer of business park properties in the City of St. Cloud. Goddard believes in the importance of MCA saying, “I believe that MCA is the single most important voice for arts organizations in Minnesota and that future decisions on how Legacy Amendment funds are distributed will be critical to the health of the arts in the state.”
Hunter Amy Hunter, Region 5 Greater Minnesota representative from Staples, is a Program Coordinator for the Freshwater Education District Schools in Central MN and works in the areas of Community Education, School Age Child Care, MN ENABL (a teen pregnancy prevention program), GCT (Gifted, Creative, and Talented) and Drug and Violence Prevention. She serves on the Staples Motley Area Arts Council and sings in the Staples Area Women’s Chorus. She has been active in theater as an actress, production support crew member, and a director. Amy is also a Personal and Professional Coach and Consultant specializing in facilitating individual growth through staff development within professional organizations and in the community. Hunter has been involved in many community arts initiatives over the years and was previously on the MCA board in the 1990′s.
Noah Keesecker Noah Keesecker, Organization Metro members, is a Program Manager at Springboard for the Arts in St. Paul, MN.  Springboard provides economic development programs for artists in the 5-state Upper Midwest. Noah travels all over the region, teaching workshops and working one-on-one with individual artists to improve their capacity to make a living and a life in the arts.  Noah manages the Artist Loan Fund, legal services, and directs Springboard’s social media initiatives. In addition to his work at Springboard, Noah is a composer and multimedia artist and has helped organize the Spark Festival of Electronic Music and Arts. He has had numerous awards and commissions of his work, including a 2008 McKnight Foundation Fellowship and American Composers Forum Subito grant. Noah has an M.A. in Music Composition, with a minor in Art, from the University of Minnesota and a B.A. in Music Composition & Theory from Central Michigan University.
Lee Koch is currently the Vice President/External Relations at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. At the Ordway Koch works to build relationships & partnerships both inside and outside the arts community in Minnesota. During that time she has worked with the state government on a $12 million bonding request for the Ordway and $16 million bonding request for the Arts Partnership. Over the years she has also served on the Arts Culture & Entertainment Committee under Mayor Randy Kelly as well as the Arts & Culture Partnership for 8 years. Koch looks forward to working with the MCA Board, which has fought so strongly on behalf of the arts saying, “I have great respect for all that MCA has accomplished on behalf of the arts in Minnesota.”
David Marty, Greater Minnesota At-Large member, has been President & CEO of the Reif Arts Council in Grand Rapids, Minnesota since 1996. He is on the board of the MCN (Minnesota Council of Nonprofits), and is active with both Minnesota Presenters Network and the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council. In Grand Rapids, Marty is extensively involved with the Chamber of Commerce, Visit Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids Players and the Rotary Club, and is active both on and off the stage. Years ago he worked with arts organizations in Holland and Grand Rapids, Michigan, and in North Dakota, and once taught arts appreciation classes in Vienna, Austria. Marty’s extensive work in community-based arts organizations around the world helps him recognize the importance of public support for the arts.
Kahlo Carla McGrath, Metro At Large member, is the Executive Director and co-founder of the Highpoint Center for Printmaking in Minneapolis. Prior to starting Highpoint, she was Art Lab Coordinator at the Walker Art Center in the Dept. of Education and Community Programs. She has a J.D. from Hamline University School of Law and has worked with a variety of politically active attorneys. McGrath works with a diverse arts community to bring hands-on art-making experiences to a broad audience, and is dedicated to finding as many ways as possible to help people discover why art does make a difference in their lives. “Serving on the board of MCA is another important way I am able to promote and support art in the lives of Minnesotans.” She has served as a panelist for the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, and is an Advisory Board Member of Interact Center for Visual and Performing Arts.
M. Miller Margaret Miller is the founder and Executive Director of the Textile Center in Minneapolis. Her experience as an arts leader, as well as a past volunteer for various political campaigns, makes her a great addition to MCA’s board. When asked why she was interested in being a part of MCA, Miller stated, “I want to contribute to securing the state’s commitment to the arts into the future. Minnesota has a rich culture because of the arts and I believe that it is incumbent upon us to continue this heritage.”
Heather Miller-Shiell, Minnesota Orchestra, Director of Development and Institutional Giving. Heather co-leads the development department, providing leadership to the institutional giving team, which includes all corporate, foundation and government support. Heather has over fifteen years of nonprofit management and fundraising experience. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management and a master’s degree in Nonprofit Management. She lives in Southwest Minneapolis with her partner, Lori, and their two daughters. Miller-Shiell is very excited to join the MCA Board and said , “I personally enjoy and am committed to Minnesota’s thriving arts scene, and the impact of the arts on our quality of life; I will bring this dedication to my service on the MCA Board of Trustees.”
Nuechterlein Metro organization member John Nuechterlein has been the President and CEO of the American Composers Forum, since 2003. His service in the field of music spans 30 years, and for fifteen years was a marketing professional in the for-profit sector. In addition to his work with MCA for the past 6 years, Nuechterlein was involved in the formation of the Arts and Culture Partnership of St. Paul, served as an MSAB panelist, and was a two-term Board Member of the Minneapolis-based vocal ensemble Cantus. The American Composers Forum partners closely with several other arts organizations in collaborative programming and Nuechterlein enjoys being more involved in the political process as an advocate and Board Member with MCA.
Petersen Rebecca Petersen represents Region Four Greater Minnesota. Rebecca is the Executive Director of A center for the Arts in Fergus Falls and a past MCA Board Chair. She is also an Early Childhood teacher, a board member of the Fargo Moorhead Symphony, and is a private violin and piano teacher. Petersen has also been involved with the Minnesota Alliance for Arts in Education, the MacPhail Center for the Arts, the Fergus Fall United Way, and the Courage Center. . A graduate of the University of Vermont with a degree in music, she has received the Sally Ordway Irvine Award, a Bush Fellowship and a Jerome Travel Study Grant.
Jeff Prauer has been the Executive Director of the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council (MRAC) since January 2008.  MRAC provides grants, services, and technical assistance to small arts organizations in the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area of Minnesota.  In addition to his duties as the chief executive officer of MRAC, Jeff is the director of MRAC’s Arts Learning grant program, which provides grants for projects addressing lifelong learning about and through the arts. Previously he was the executive director of COMPAS?Community Programs in the Arts?for 14 years, and was its development director for five years prior.  He has also worked in the field of symphony orchestra management. He has served on the board of directors of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and is a past chair, and is the immediate past president of the Jewish Community Center of the Greater Saint Paul Area.  He also served as chair of the Arts & Culture Partnership of Saint Paul, and was a founding board member of the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, a charter arts high school.  Jeff holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Northwestern University and continues to perform in the Twin Cities as a professional freelance trombonist.
FayePrice Faye M. Price is the Co-Artistic Producing Director of Pillsbury House Theatre in Minneapolis. As co-producer she has overseen a variety of Pillsbury House Theatre productions including Angels in America: Millennium Approaches, Perestroika, The Gimmick, Phoenix Fabrik, Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train and Bulrusher. A former dramaturg at the Guthrie Theater she has served as the production dramaturg for over a dozen shows, including Summer and Smoke directed by David Esbjornson, Crowns directed by Timothy Bond, Thunder Knocking on the Door, directed by Marion McClinton, A Month in the Country directed by Mark Brokaw, Big White Fog directed by Lou Bellamy, A Dolls House directed by Michael Langham and Helen Burns, and Philadelphia, Here I Come!, directed by Joe Dowling. Faye also served as the production dramaturg for the Penumbra Theater production of The Coming of the Hurricane, and Inner City Opera at the Great American History Theater. As an actress, she most recently appeared in the Park Square Theatre production of Well directed by Michael Bigelow Dixon. In the Twin Cities, Faye has appeared numerous times at Penumbra, Mixed Blood, the Guthrie and Illusion theaters. Faye has also performed nationally at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, ACT in Seattle, Baltimore Center Stage, the Hudson Guild Theatre and the Circle-in-the-Square Theatre in New York, among others. Faye is an alumnus of the Salzburg Seminar. and served as a dramaturg at the New Harmony Project in 1999 and 2000. Faye has also served as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts, Jerome Foundation, the Minnesota State Arts Board, McKnight Fellowships for Theater Artists, literary reviewer for the NEA/TCG Theater Residency Program for Playwrights, and an adjudicator for both the Minnesota Association of Community Theatres Festival and the American Association of Community Theatres. Faye is the recipient of the 2006 Catharine Lealtad Service to Society Award from Macalester College. Awarded the August Wilson Fellowship to study Dramaturgy and Literary Criticism, Faye received her graduate degree from the University of Minnesota.
Pulk Mary Ann Pulk joined the staff of VocalEssence as managing director in 2003. In this role she has partnered with artistic director Philip Brunelle to expand the resources and programs of VocalEssence, with emphasis in the areas of governance, education, community partnerships and recording projects. Prior to joining VocalEssence, Mary Ann served as executive director of the Phoenix Boys Choir and director of education for The Phoenix Symphony. Active in the Minnesota arts community, Mary Ann is a member of the board of Minnesota Citizens for the Arts and the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, the Minnesota Boychoir advisory board and the Minnesota Women’s Economic Roundtable. She also served on the Advisory Committee of the Minneapolis Plan for Arts and Culture. Mary Ann participated in the inaugural class of the National Arts Strategies Executive Nonprofit Leadership training program for arts administrators, held in partnership with Stanford University.  She serves as a faculty member in the development area for Chorus America’s annual Chorus Management Institute, and as a national consultant in chorus management.  Mary Ann also performs as an oboist with the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra.
Rasmussen At-large Greater Minnesota member Chris Rasmussen was a high school art teacher in the Foley Public School system for 34 years. A long time local arts advocate and current chair of the Central Minnesota Arts Board, Rasmussen brings vast political experience to MCA; she has served as Chair of the Benton County DFL for over 20 years and has been an active participant in the legislative activities of Education Minnesota. “I would like to continue my involvement in promoting the arts for our schools and communities. Since my retirement from teaching, I feel becoming a part of MCA is the next stage in my development as an arts advocate.”
Metro Organizational member Michael Robins founded the Illusion Theater in 1974 and currently serves as its Executive Producing Director. He has guided the company as it produced more than 100 world premieres, bringing the work of a diverse and important group of American artists to the state. In addition to directing, Robins has authored or co-authored eight original plays. He also co-adapted and directed two Illusion film projects, including TOUCH, featuring Lindsay Wagner. An original member of the Twin Cities Arts Over AIDS committee, Robins has served as a panel member for United Arts, the Minnesota Dance Alliance and the Minnesota State Arts Board’s Cultural Pluralism Task Force. He has also studied in France with Etienne Decroux, the father of modern mime. Robins has served on MCA’s Board since 1995.
Schumacher Leslie Schumacher, Greater MN At Large member, has served as the Executive Director of the Central MN Arts Board (CMAB) since 2003.  The CMAB is one of Minnesota’s eleven regional arts councils. She is a freelance artist, and a former Minnesota elected official having served four years on the Sherburne County Board of Commissioners and eight years in the House of Representatives. While in the Legislature the committees she served on included: K- 12 finance, Education policy, Agriculture policy, Transportation, Local Government and the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCMR). She studied art and psychology at St. Cloud State University. Her hobbies include pyrography, drawing, mosaics, writing, camping, fishing and hunting. She is well known throughout the district for her articulate and persuasive advocacy for the arts. She says “I believe in the MCA mission and its activities. Art is part of the Soul of Humanity thereby worthy of public support.”
Spencer Organizational Metro representative Ann Morelli Spencer of Bloomington served on the board of the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council for 6 years, including serving as a member of the Council’s Liaison Committee and as Board Chair. Spencer is active in arts organizations in her community, currently serving on the board of the Skylark Opera. She has a particular interest in ensuring that suburban communities have opportunities for local arts activity. A graduate of Oberlin College and Harvard Law School, she is also an attorney with her own practice in Bloomington.
Stearns At-large Greater Minnesota member Amy Stearns manages the Historic Holmes Theatre in Detroit Lakes. A graduate of Augustana College and the University of St. Thomas MBA program, she has had the opportunity to work throughout the United States and abroad for both nonprofit and Fortune 500 companies. Currently, she and her husband have chosen to live in the beautiful lakes area of Minnesota to raise their children. Stearns is an advocate for other nonprofit organizations in Detroit Lakes, recently helped save and renovate the DL Pavilion, and is actively involved in the Chamber of Commerce, Minnesota Presenters Network, Detroit Lakes Noon Rotary Club, and Rossman Elementary School. She believes the arts are vital to the sustainability of rural areas and the quality of life in our state.
Christopher Stevens, Organization Metro member, has worked at the Walker Art Center since 1994.  As Chief of Finance and Development, he oversees all aspects of the Walker’s budgeting and fundraising activities.  He successfully planned and executed the Walker’s $100 million capital campaign which was completed in 2006.  Prior to working at the Walker, Stevens held development positions at the Henry Street Settlement and South Street Seaport Museum in New York City.  In 2007, he served as the Co-President of the Art Museum Development Association. Stevens has served as a faculty member of St. Mary’s University of Minnesota for three years where he taught fundraising to graduate students in the Arts & Cultural Management Program.  He was the first man to graduate with a degree in Women Studies from the University of Wisconsin and has a Masters Degree in History from New York University.  Stevens currently serves on the boards of AchieveMpls and the Minnesota Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
DaVinci At-Large Metro member George Sutton, an arts consultant in Minneapolis, is the former Managing Director of the Jungle Theatre. Sutton led the Jungle’s successful fundraising effort for a new theater location in Minneapolis, including lobbying the Minnesota Legislature for bonding funds. Sutton is a tireless advocate for the arts, having served on the MCA Board since 1994. He is also currently a member of the Minnesota State Arts Board.
Venus Sheila Terryll, At-Large Metro member, is the principal consultant at Strategic Development Consulting for Non-Profits. Her involvement in the arts community has been broad: she has worked with Zorongo Flamenco Dance Theatre, Minnesota Center for Book Arts and the Open Book capital campaign, and the Minnesota State Arts Board. Terryll has been politically active as well, working on several local, state and national campaigns including the Vote Yes Minnesota constitutional amendment campaign. Terryll is passionate about the work of MCA and the importance of providing arts access to all Minnesotans.
Audrey Thayer Audrey Thayer hails from the Region 2 Arts area. She has served on the Anishinabe Arts board for this region for a number of years. The history of Audrey has a huge list of social justice work but her love is in theater. She performed in numerous live theater productions in northern Minnesota for over ten years. With volunteers and minimal dollars organized the Anishinabe Independent annual Film Festival. Ms. Thayer has a passion for community which reflects through her work for the Greater MN Racial Justice Project (ACLU-MN) and is an enrolled member of the White Earth Reservation.
Amanda Thompson Rundahl joined MCA’s board in 2007. A resident of Braham, Thompson Rundahl served as chair of the East Central Regional Arts Council for four consecutive terms, representing Isanti County from 2001-2007 and 2010-2011 and serving as as an emeritus board member from 2008-2009. In addition, she has worked in the Division of Learning and Innovation at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts since 1998, first as Associate Educator and presently as the museum’s Innovation Engineer and Manager of Innovative and Interpretive Strategies & Participatory Spaces. She notes: “I have the unique perspective of living in rural Minnesota while working in the Metro and am involved in the arts community in both places. I want to do everything I can to help ensure that the arts are available and accessible to every Minnesotan they are a critical piece of our state’s culture and heritage!”
Vincent Ben Vander Kooi Jr. is an attorney and DFL activist from Luverne in Southwestern Minnesota. He is President of Blue Mound Area Theatre, the non-profit organization which is restoring the historic Palace Theatre built in 1915 as an all-hemp vaudeville theater and later converted to a movie theater. He also serves on the Council for Arts and Humanities in Rock County, and is a former President of Green Earth Players. He is a Life Trustee of Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, and served as President from 1996 to 1997. He has served two non-consecutive terms on the Minnesota State Arts Board, and most recently as Chair from 2000 to 2002.
Wafler James Wafler, At-Large Metro member, is President of the Highway Construction Industry Council. He served for nearly 22 years as a staff member for the Minnesota House of Representatives, including nine years as Executive Director of the House Majority Caucus and several years as Executive Director of the Speaker’s Office. Prior to his legislative career, Wafler taught political science for several years in the eastern U.S. He also currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Orchestra and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. Wafler has been on MCA’s Board since 1998.
Region One Greater Minnesota member Mara Wittman of Warren is the Director of the Northwest Regional Arts Council in Warren. She has a bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Minnesota Duluth. A fiber artist, she is a strong advocate for rural Northwest Minnesota arts and for small communities. Wittman has also been a dance instructor and musical choreographer for the past 17 years. She has been a member of the MCA Board since 1995.
Zielske Daniel Zielske, Greater Minnesota At-Large. Dan has worked throughout Greater Minnesota. “If our state is to remain competitive with the rest of the world we need to attract the best and brightest companies and individuals to live among us. To do this, we need a well-funded arts community. I am confident MCA can make that difference.”

Board Members: Click here to visit the MCA Board of Directors webpage.