Vicki Svedarsky is the Chair of the Women’s Fund. Her professional career as a guidance counselor in the Thief River Falls and Crookston schools provided Vicki with a keen awareness of the many challenges facing today’s young women. Her service on the Women’s Fund Advisory Committee is one of many ways she devotes her energies to helping elevate tomorrow’s young women – for themselves, their families, and communities. Vicki provides instructor’s support for Trance-Action Consultants Inc. in Winnipeg, helping students to develop the power within. For several years, she served as Activities Director of the Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) program held each summer at the University of Minnesota, Crookston. Vicki is a Presbyterian Elder, and active in the Northwest Minnesota School Counselor’s Association, Crookston Toastmasters, and the University of Minnesota Women’s Project. She and her husband Dan Svedarsky are devoted environmentalists. Dan is head of the Natural Resources department at the University of Minnesota, Crookston. Vicki holds a Master or Arts degree from the University of North Dakota and a Master of Arts degree from the University of Missouri.

Jeannine Windels is the Vice-Chair of the Women's Fund. She retired in 2006 after 13 years as the President & CEO of the Crookston Area Chamber of Commerce. In that capacity she also directed the Crookston CVB and the United Way, and facilitated a partnership with Explore Minnesota Tourism to operate the Fisher’s Landing Travel Information Center, where she currently works as a part-time Travel Counselor. Previously, she was in Marketing and Customer Service with Bremer Bank for 14 years. Jeannine continues to be actively involved in her community, serving as Secretary of the Crookston Lions and as Region 2 Chairman for Lions District 5M-11, on the Glenmore Foundation Board, the Trinity WELCA Board, Crookston Toastmasters and the U-M Crookston Women’s Project Fund. She has a long history of board and leadership positions with a host of regional and community organizations, and was the first woman elected Governor of Toastmasters International District 20 (ND and NW MN). Jeannine and her husband Harvey have six adult sons and thirteen grandchildren. She majored in Home Economics at the University of Minnesota and is a graduate of the School of Bank Marketing and Chamber Institute.

Gloria Kaste serves as Secretary of the Women’s Fund. She recently retired as the Administrator of the Pioneer Memorial Care Center in Erskine, a leadership position she held from 1996-2006. In addition to the Women’s Fund, Gloria is President of Little Norway Congregation and the United in Christ Lutheran Parish. She serves as Secretary of the RiverView Foundation Board, and as a member of the Polk County Community Health Services Advisory Board and the Polk County EMS Board. She and her husband Paul live close to their farm, Kaste Seed, Inc., northeast of Fertile. Kaste Seed provides quality seed for conservation. Three married children and six grand children are a big part of Gloria’s life. Gloria says her life work with the elderly has given her a deep appreciation for their wisdom and vitality. She sees the Women’s Fund as a way to work toward eliminating the two greatest enemies of successful aging: poverty and the lack of education. Gloria graduated as an RN from the Lutheran Deaconess Hospital School of Nursing. She holds a BA from Moorhead State University, and attended Luther Seminary.

Jody Horntvedt is Treasurer of the Women’s Fund, and a University of Minnesota Regional Extension Educator, with a program focus in “Leadership and Civic Engagement.” Her work enhances the leadership skills of people in communities, primarily in northwest Minnesota. Jody has been program coordinator for the Red River Valley Emerging Leadership Program for local leaders from a 21-county area of northwest Minnesota since 1994. She served as the project team facilitator for watershed districts in the Red River Basin for several years. Her work has also connected to the Horizons Program, a leadership program developed in partnership with the Northwest Area Foundation focused on building the leadership capacity of rural communities to address issues of poverty. She is a consultant for both the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Colors Matrix, and a certified trainer for the Pew Foundation’s Leadership Plenty curriculum. Jody has a Masters of Education degree in Human Resource Development from the University of Minnesota and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin-Stout. She and her husband, Ken live on their farm near Baudette where she is active in the community and volunteers in a variety of roles.

Louise Jackson, Ph.D. is the Director of Women's Studies at Bemidji State University.  Louise is an innovator and catalyst for change.   She was one of the founding mothers of the Women's Studies minor and Women's Center at the University.  In addition she is the Graduate Coordinator of the MS in Counseling Psychology program and a Professor of Psychology at the University.    She was instrumental in the creation of the graduate program.  She is a board member of the Minnesota Counseling Association where she specializes in offering conferences and trainings to professional counselors around the state.   She is an Action Team member of Project THRIVE, an organization supported by the Northwest Minnesota Foundation. She actively promotes infant/toddler/ preschooler mental health awareness and interventions. Dr. Jackson is active on the International Studies Council.  Through a long career of training counselors, she has mentored hundreds of young women seeking a future helping others. She is a traveler and loves working abroad where she prepared counselors in Ukraine, Estonia and Denmark. She maintains contact with professional women from those countries as they continue to mentor young women through educational programs.  As she heads toward retirement, she is learning how to educate via the internet by putting courses online for future generations.

Dawn Ganje has extensive experience in working with non-profit and community service organizations, governmental agencies, collaboratives and other organizations to perform effectively and achieve their mission. She has over 25 years demonstrated success supporting the strategy development and deployment, board development, management, programming, and fund development needs of clients in variety of non-profit sectors. Her distinctive competence is service to non-profit and governmental collaborations and partnerships requiring strategy and resource development for specific projects or roles. She has served as a board member for numerous non-profit organizations and has served as a City Council member in Ada, Minnesota. Dawn holds a BA from Moorhead State University. She and her husband have two children and live in Ada, Minnesota where she is active in the community.

Melodee Monicken worked in Twin Cities metro schools as an English/art history teacher and gifted/talented coordinator for 24 years. She holds a master’s degree from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.  She is currently managing a stock photography business and producing location shoots for assignment photography  www.richardhamiltonsmith.com.

Lisa Peterson serves as the coordinator for the Women’s Fund as a part of her duties as Communications Director for the Northwest Minnesota Foundation (NMF). As coordinator, she serves as a liaison between the fund and NMF and assists the advisory committee with all activities. Lisa has worked at NMF since 1999. Previously she was the Public Relations Specialist for Clearwater Health Services in Bagley. She serves on the Trek North Junior and Senior High School Board, on the Allocations Committee for the Bemidji Area United Way, and has worked as an adjunct professor in the Mass Communications department at Bemidji State University. She attended the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and holds a Bachelor’s degree from Bemidji State. She lives in Bemidji with her husband John, who owns and operates Northwestern Surveying and Engineering.