Leadership

Leadership team

Kent Whitworth

Kent Whitworth
Director and CEO

Jennifer.

Jennifer Jones
Associate Executive Director

Brian.

Brian Juntti
Executive Vice President of Shared Services

Amber Annis.

Amber Annis, PhD
Associate Vice President of Tribal Nation Relations and Native American Initiatives

David.

David Kelliher
Vice President of Public Policy & Government Relations

Ben Leonard.

Ben Leonard
Senior Vice President of Historic Sites Network & Operations 

Kevin

Kevin Maijala
Senior Vice President of Education & Interpretation

Jack Matheson.

Jack Matheson
Associate Vice President Strategy Implementation

Fred.

Fred Neher
Vice President of Finance

Jennifer Pogatchnik.

Jennifer Pogatchnik
Vice President of Advancement

brenda.

Brenda Raney
Senior Vice President, Library, Research, & Collections

Nicole Tuescher.

Nicole Tuescher
Vice President of People & Culture

Avi.

Avi Viswanathan
Senior Vice President of Inclusion, Outreach, and Community Engagement

Governing board

Officers

  • Peter M. Reyes, Jr., President
  • Thomas M. Forsythe, Vice President, Treasurer
  • David R. Hakensen, Immediate Past President
  • Kent Whitworth, Secretary

Executive council

  • Ford W. Bell
  • Barbara E. Burwell
  • Grant W. Davis
  • M. Mitchell Davis
  • Elizabeth Driscoll Hlavka
  • Joanell M. Dyrstad
  • Richard E. Engebretson
  • Carolyn M. Essig
  • Stephanie L. Fehr
  • Thomas M. Forsythe
  • David R. Hakensen (Ex Officio - Immediate Past President)
  • Dustin B. Heckman
  • Monica Little
  • Linda Brekke Mona
  • Jennifer J. Murray
  • Richard C. Nash
  • Krista E. O’Malley
  • Peter M. Reyes Jr.
  • Sharon Sayles Belton
  • Daniel J. Schmechel
  • Diana L. Schutter
  • Roger J. Sit
  • Anton S. Treuer
  • John R. Tunheim
  • Noelle P. Turner
  • Gwen N. Westerman
  • Kent Whitworth (Ex Officio - Director and CEO)

Ex Officio

  • Tim Walz, Governor
  • Julie Blaha, State Auditor
  • Keith Ellison, Attorney General
  • Steve Simon, Secretary of State
  • Peggy Flanagan, Lieutenant Governor

Emeritus council

  • Nina M. Archabal+
  • Charles W. Arnason+
  • Annette Atkins+
  • Sharon Avent+
  • Bruce W. Bean+
  • Gretchen U. Beito+
  • Diane Berthel
  • Kathleen Blatz
  • Suzanne Blue
  • Robert Bruininks
  • Judith S. Corson
  • Mark Davis+
  • Michael J. Davis
  • Charlton Dietz+
  • D. Stephen Elliott
  • Michael B. Farnell
  • Harold A. Frederick
  • Ram Gada+
  • Phyllis Rawls Goff
  • William Green
  • James T. Hale
  • MayKao Y. Hang
  • Stanley S. Hubbard
  • Karen A. Humphrey+
  • Ruth S. Huss
  • Lucy R. Jones+
  • Sylvia Kaplan+ 
  • Dennis L. Lamkin
  • Jean M. Larson
  • Elizabeth S. MacMillan+
  • Charles Mahar
  • Susan B. McCarthy
  • William C. Melton+
  • Joseph S. Micallef+
  • Dean M. Nelson
  • Richard H. Nicholson
  • Elizabeth M. Nordlie
  • Peter R. Reis
  • Mark Ritchie
  • Kennon V. Rothchild+
  • Susan Kenny Stevens
  • William R. Stoeri
  • Edward C. Stringer
  • Bo Thao-Urabe
  • Karen Wilson Thissen
  • Missy Staples Thompson
  • Kathy H. Tunheim
  • Benjamin Vander Kooi
  • Eleanor C. Winston
  • Warren J. Zaccaro

Honorary council

  • Lowell C. Anderson
  • Marvin R. Anderson
  • Nina M. Archabal+
  • Charles W. Arnason+
  • Annette Atkins+
  • Sharon Avent+
  • Bruce W. Bean+
  • Gretchen U. Beito+
  • Ford W. Bell
  • S. K. Dash
  • Mark Davis+
  • Charlton Dietz+
  • Elizabeth S. Driscoll
  • Dennis Dvorak
  • Richard L. Ferrell
  • Michael J. Fox
  • Ram Gada+
  • Karen A. Humphrey+
  • John Huss
  • Ruth Huss+
  • Lucy R. Jones+
  • Sylvia Kaplan+
  • Colles Larkin
  • Robert C. Mack
  • Elizabeth S. MacMillan+
  • Terry McGibbon
  • Peg Meier
  • William C. Melton+
  • Joseph S. Micallef+
  • Richard Moe
  • Stephen Nelson
  • Larry G. Osnes
  • Donald G. Patton
  • Fred Perez
  • Mark Peterson
  • Kennon V. Rothchild+
  • Ramedo J. Saucedo
  • Jeff Savage
  • Gerald Vizenor
  • Vernell Wabasha
  • Jeanette E. Warner
  • Annette M. Whaley
  • Mary Lethert Wingerd

+ Emeritus and Honorary Council Member