Board of Trustees

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	KAREN BELL ALWORTH graduated from The College of St. Scholastica in 1982 with a bachelor of arts in Nursing. As an active community volunteer, she has served on the boards of the Duluth Community Health Center and The College of St. Scholastica Alumni Board. Her current volunteer associations include the United Way of Greater Duluth and First Lutheran Church. She lives in Duluth with her husband Royal and their children Colin, Sarah, Emily, and Rachel.
	ABBOT APTER graduated with honors in Sociology and Criminal Justice Studies from the University of Minnesota in 1982, and earned a juris doctorate cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1985. He began his legal career as a clerk for Judge Gerald Heaney of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. Abbot joined the Fryberger Law Firm and in 1990 became its youngest shareholder, officer, and director. He left the practice of law in 1995 to continue pursuing various private equity investments. He is president of Mercury Investment; since 1992 he and his group of investors have purchased more than $800 million of real estate assets in 12 states. Abbot is involved in a variety of non-profit and community-based organizations including the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation and the Greater Downtown Council (currently serving as chair), and has served on the boards of Saint Mary's Medical Center and the Northland Jewish Fund.
	RONDELL (RON) BERKELAND received his BS degree in Occupational Therapy and MA degree in Public Health from the University of Minnesota. His doctoral degree is in Educational Leadership from the University of St. Thomas. His clinical experience is primarily in acute and chronic mental health. Ron also worked as a quality assurance consultant for a national health care corporation that specialized in long term care. He served on the faculty of the University of Minnesota and as the Director of the Program in Occupational Therapy. He was on the graduate faculty of the College of St. Catherine's Occupational Therapy Department and served for six years as the Chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy at the College of St. Scholastica. Ron is currently the Dean, School of Health Sciences at The College of St. Scholastica. In addition to more conventional work settings, Ron has over ten years experience as a consultant for third party payers, non-profit agencies, and community mental health programs.
	RABBI AMY BERNSTEIN is the Rabbi of Temple Israel where she has served for the last nine years. She holds a master of arts degree in Hebrew Letters from and was ordained by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. At graduation exercises she was awarded the distinguished Becker Prize for best original Hebrew composition. She holds a bachelor of arts with a double major in English Literature and Cultural Anthropology from Northwestern University. Since living in Duluth, she has served as the President of the Arrowhead Interfaith Council, has taught several courses at St. Scholastica and MaCabe Renewal Center, has lectured widely in the Northland, and sings and records with the Three Altos. She lives with her partner, their daughter Eliana Fay, and two dogs in Pike Lake.
	SISTER GRACE MARIE BRAUN, O.S.B., is currently the Director of the Associate Program at the St. Scholastica Monastery. Sister Grace Marie graduated from The College of St. Scholastica with a bachelor of science degree in Dietetics. She also holds a master of science in Dietetics from St. Louis University. She has been involved in many professional, civic, college, and community organizations and committees. She has held office in the Head of the Lakes Dietetic Association, the Minnesota Dietetics Association, and the Minnesota Home Economics Association. She served as prioress, president of the Benedictine Sisters Benevolent Association, director of development, and director of human resources for the Monastery.
	SISTER MARY ODILE CAHOON, O.S.B., PH.D., is currently the treasurer of St. Scholastica Monastery and serves on the Board of Directors of the Benedictine Sisters Benevolent Association and the Benedictine Health System. Sister Mary Odile holds bachelor's and master's degrees from DePaul University and a Ph.D. in cellular physiology from the University of Toronto. Since 1954, she has served at The College of St. Scholastica in various capacities in the biology department, natural science division and in academic administration until 2004 when she retired from the position of senior vice president. Sister had been actively engaged in research at Illinois Institute of Technology, Argonne National Laboratory, and DePaul University, including a nine-month period in Antarctica. After going into college administration, Sister was active in the North Central Association, serving as a consultant evaluator on accreditation visits to colleges and universities for 15 years.
	FRED DE SAM LAZARO is director of the Project for Under-Told Stories at St. John's University, in Collegeville, Minnesota, a program that combines international journalism and teaching. He has served with The NewsHour since 1985 and is a regular contributor and substitute anchor for PBS' Religion and Ethics Newsweekly. He also has directed films from India and the Democratic Republic of Congo for the acclaimed documentary series, Wide Angle. Fred has reported from 35 countries: from Haiti to sub-Saharan Africa to south Asia, he has focused on stories that are under-reported in the mainstream U.S. media. In addition to regularly covering AIDS, public health concerns, development issues and social entrepreneurship, he led the first American crew to report on the crisis in Sudan's Darfur region. Fred is a 1981 graduate of The College of St. Scholastica, in Duluth, MN. He is the recipient of an honorary doctorate, numerous journalism awards and media fellowships from the Kaiser Family Foundation and the University of Michigan. He also has served on the boards of the Asian American Journalists Association and the Children&#sup1;s Law Center of Minnesota. He will be this year's commencement speaker at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. Fred was born in Bangalore, India, and lives in St Paul with his wife Kay (Drechsler, CSS '83) and three children.
	SISTER LOIS ECKES, O.S.B., is prioress of St. Scholastica Monastery and president of the Benedictine Sisters Benevolent Association. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in Elementary Education from The College of St. Scholastica, a master's in Religious Education from Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH, and a certificate in Monastic Formation and Leadership from St. John's University, Collegeville, MN. She is a certified Chaplain, a spiritual director, and a member of the National Association of Catholic Chaplains and Spiritual Directors International. Before being elected prioress, she served as director of McCabe Renewal Center for 11 years. She has been involved in many local organizations and events related to affordable housing and social justice and currently serves on the Damiano Center Board. In the past she served on the St. Mary's Medical Center Board in Duluth, the St. Joseph's Medical Center Board in Brainerd, and The College of St. Scholastica Board of Trustees. Currently she serves on the Benedictine Health System Board and the Essentia Health Board.
	SISTER VERDA CLARE EICHNER, O.S.B., is the vice president for Catholic Health Care Ministry at St. Mary's Medical Center, Duluth, MN, a position she began in the fall of 2000. For the past several years she has held the position of Vice President of Nursing at St. Mary's Medical Center. Sister Verda Clare holds a master of science degree in Nursing Administration from the Catholic University of America. She serves on the Board of Directors for Essentia Health.
	STEVEN GACEK is the Alumni Board representative to the Board of Trustees and has served on the Alumni Board since 2005. He graduated from The College of St. Scholastica in 2002 with a bachelor of arts in Management and in 2003 with a master of arts in Management. Steven is an adjunct faculty member teaching core management classes in the Accelerated Degree Evening Program. Recently appointed as Vice President of Operations for Imagine Print Solutions, he specializes in the management of high-growth and merged and acquired organizations. Steven has served on various boards including North Memorial Cancer Center and the Hubert H. Humphrey Cancer Center. He has also serves as a volunteer with Courage Center and Sharing and Caring Hands. He resides in Mahtomedi, Minnesota, with wife Lisa and daughters Alaina and Julia.
	LARRY GOODWIN, PH.D., is president of The College of St. Scholastica. Prior to his appointment as president, he served as interim president from 1998 to 1999, dean of faculty from 1987 to 1998, and also as vice president for academic affairs from 1993 to 1998. Prior to joining St. Scholastica, Dr. Goodwin was the acting associate academic dean at The College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, MN, where he also taught for 10 years. Dr. Goodwin earned his Ph.D. in Theology from The University of Chicago.
	ANDREW HADRICH is the student trustee. He is a senior at The College of St. Scholastica majoring in Health Science and minoring in Management. During the summer of 2007, he began working towards his Doctorate in Physical Therapy at the College. Andrew graduated with Valedictorian Honors from McGregor High School. There, he served as the captain of the varsity cross-country, basketball, and track teams, lettering in each, as well as academics. He also served as the Vice-President of McGregor High School's Chapter of National Honor Society. At the College, Andrew has served as a Student Senator and is a member of the Student Senate Student Activities Committee, the Alcohol Task Force, College Republicans, and Mayfest. He also works as an Anatomy/Physiology Teaching Assistant and is a Student Support Services Tutor. Andrew enjoys participating in College intramurals as well as hunting, fishing, and alpine skiing.
	MICHAEL HANSON is the staff trustee. He is the Network Security Manager at the College. His primary responsibilities include the prevention of data loss and theft, disaster recovery, and management of the campus-wide wireless network. Mike earned a bachelor of science degree in Dietetics from Mankato State University and a graduate certificate in client server technology from Creighton University. Mike volunteers for Second Harvest Food Bank and numerous student-centered events on campus. Mike lives in Duluth with his wife Kara.
	SISTER KATHLEEN HOFER, O.S.B., is the chair of the St. Mary's Medical Center/St. Mary's Hospital of Superior Board of Directorsand active chair of the Board of Directors of St. Mary's/Duluth Clinic Health System. She also serves as senior vice president of Benedictine Sponsorship for Essentia Health. Sister Kathleen holds a master of business administration from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Sister Kathleen has served as chief executive officer of St. Mary's Medical Center and the Benedictine Health System and prioress of the St. Scholastica Monastery. Past professional and civic activities include membership on boards of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, Minnesota Hospital Association, United Way of Greater Duluth, Duluth Chamber of Commence, chair of The College of St. Scholastica's Board of Trustees and president of the Minnesota and American Medical Record Associations.
	MARY IVES is currently the vice chair of The College of St. Scholastica Board of Trustees. She is a self-employed business woman working in the housing and lodging industry. She is passionate about healthy children and healthy communities and is involved in leadership positions with many professional, civic, and community organizations. Mary was appointed by Governor Tim Pawlenty to the Minnesota Higher Education Facility Authority and currently serves as the Vice-Chair. She is a member of the Board of Architecture, Engineering, Land Surveying, Landscape Architecture, Geoscience and Interior Design, which enforces the education, licensing, and professional rules of conduct for the State of Minnesota. She is a graduate of advanced training with the Blandin Foundation Leadership Program. She has held elected positions on the Sauk Rapids School Board and the Itasca County Board of Commissioners. She and her husband, Michael, live in Grand Rapids, MN. They have two married children, Michelle and Mike, Jr., who have blessed them with two granddaughters and a grandson.
	LINDA KLOSS, MA, RHIA, CAE, is the executive vice president and chief executive officer of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), a national, not-for-profit association of over 51,000 members serving the health information management (HIM) community. Linda serves on the Board of Directors for AHIMA and its subsidiary, the Foundation for Research and Education (FORE). She also oversees AHIMA's industry outreach and partnership activities with key stakeholder organizations. Her current board of director/trustee roles include the Certification Commission for Health IT (currently serves as Chair) and the National Alliance for Health Information Technology. She also serves as a member of the Steering Committee of Connecting for Health, a public-private partnership funded by the Markle Foundation and Robert Wood Johnson foundation and a convener of the Healthcare Administrative Simplification Coalition and the Leadership Council for the e-Health Initiative. Linda is a 1968 graduate of The College of St. Scholastica, where she received a B.A. degree in Medical Record Science. In 1999, Linda received her M.A. degree in Organizational Development with a concentration in Change Leadership from DePaul University in Chicago.
	JOHN LABOSKY was named president and CEO of the Capital City Partnership in 1996. The Partnership is a private/non-profit corporation funded by over 50 larger Twin Cities metropolitan area businesses dedicated to revitalizing the urban core of Minnesota's capital city. John has a record of achievement as a CEO in a variety of assignments including start-up firms, turnaround situations, and repositioning of established firms. John earned a bachelor of science degree in Architectural Engineering from Penn State University in 1971 and a juris doctor degree from the University of Detroit School of Law in 1978. He also completed one semester of law school in residence at Oxford University in England. John has received a series of honors and awards from educational institutions and professional societies, including Penn State's Outstanding Engineering Alumnus Award (the highest award the University bestows on a graduate). He serves as director of many for-profit and non-profit organizations in the Twin Cities. John lives with his wife Julie in Edina, Minnesota.
	SISTER JUDINE MAYERLE, O.S.B., Ph.D., is a graduate of The College of St. Scholastica with a double major in English and History, a master of arts degree from The University of California/Los Angeles; and a Ph.D. from Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. She has taught at The College of St. Scholastica where she created the Department of Media Arts, now known as the Department of Communication and Theatre Arts; Northwestern University; the University of Minnesota/Minneapolis; and Marquette University/Milwaukee, where she chaired the Department of Broadcast and Electronic Communication and served on the Executive Board of the College of Communication. She has done extensive scholarly research and publication in motion picture and television history, with an emphasis on live anthology television drama of the 1950s, and contextual criticism of prime-time television programming. She has served as script consultant for major television studios and has been active in the Broadcast Education Association, the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, the International Film Association, and The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences/Education Division. She is a freelance writer currently working on the sequel to her first mystery, The Blue Horse, set in Duluth and the Arrowhead Region of Northeastern Minnesota. She is also writing a social/cultural history of St. Scholastica Monastery and is a member of the Monastery Vocation Ministry Team.
	MIKE MILES is president and CEO of Space Center, Inc., a 92-year-old real estate and energy company which has developed and owns over 18 million square feet of buildings in major cities throughout the United States and operates over 500 oil and gas wells. Mike practiced law for 30 years in various capacities including as a managing attorney in the Minnesota Attorney General's Office and General Counsel and COO of the Greater Minnesota Corporation. He earned his bachelor of science degree from Iowa State University and holds a juris doctorate degree from the University of Iowa. Mike has served as lecturer on various legal topics and educator at numerous continuing legal education seminars. He is currently chair of the Board of Directors for the Minnesota State Fair Foundation and a board member of the Minnesota Council on Crime and Justice; he is a trustee for the Lee and Rose Warner Foundation and the Manitou Fund. Mike and his wife Shirley live in White Bear Lake, Minnesota.
	JAY MITCHELL has served over the past 29 years in both the public and private sectors as a healthcare executive. Jay is currently serving as the Managing Director of the University of Massachusetts Medical School--Jamaica Plain Campus and is past Assistant Deputy Chancellor for Administration and Finance at the University's main campus. Prior to this position, he served as an executive for the Alliance Health and Human Services Company; as the executive director of the Massachusetts State Lottery; as CEO of the Massachusetts Respiratory Hospital, COO of BayRidge Hospital; and as vice president of AtlantiCare Medical Center. Jay is a 1978 graduate of The College of St. Scholastica with a bachelor of arts in Business Administration and Psychology. He also holds a master of public administration from Harvard University. He lives in Brookline, MA, with his wife Beth Everett and their two children, Joe and Grace.
	LEON ROYER is a native Duluthian who graduated from Denfeld High School and the University of Minnesota-Duluth. At the University of North Dakota he earned a master of science degree in Organic Chemistry. He spent 36 years with 3M, primarily developing new products and new businesses. He was the technical director for Post-it Brand Notes when they were introduced to the market. He was the only person awarded the 3M Most Outstanding New Product of the Year Award twice within five years. His work afforded him significant global travel; he lived in Germany with his family for three years while establishing two laboratories. Prior to his retirement he was responsible for Global Leadership Development, where he developed the virtual Global 3M University via satellite TV (3MTV) and was a member of the 3M Executive Conference. Since his retirement he has served on several boards and has been active with Start-Ups, SCORE, and Habitat for Humanity. He is currently serving on the Mary's Shelter Board (a caring home for homeless pregnant women and their unborn) in the alabama area. Leon and his spouse Mary Ann (St. Scholastica Class of 1959) reside in Gulf Shores, AL.
	ROBERT (BOB) RYAN is CEO and founder of Odyssey Development, Inc., a Minnesota-based real estate development company that specializes in the development and construction of resort and vacation properties. A lifetime Minnesota resident, he graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1977. His community involvement includes a term as president of the Recreation Management Corporation, the founding entity of Superior National Golf Course, Lutsen, MN, as well as membership in the Lutsen Tofte Tourism Association. He currently is serving on the Board of Northspan, a Duluth based economic development agency. He is active at Our Lady of the Rosary Church and has coached various sports in which his children participate. Bob and his wife Kristin reside in Duluth with their four children.
	GREGORY (GREG) SCHERER previously served on the College's Board of Trustees for 13 years. He served as chairman of the Board from 1998 to 2001. He received his bachelor's degree in Biology from St. John's University and a master's degree in National Park Administration from the University of Minnesota. Greg was an executive vice president for Scherer Brothers Lumber Company before retiring in November of 2001. He is the past president and current member of the board of directors of Common Hope Project for Guatemala. He is a lay missionary to Guatemala and helped design and construct an innovative biomass sewage treatment plant in the village of Neuva Esperanza in Guatemala. Greg and his wife Linda have four children and one foster daughter. They reside in Long Lake and, more frequently, in Trumansburg, New York, to be near their children.
	BOB SCHROEDER is the President and CEO of Warehouse Specialists, Inc., in Appleton, WI, a firm he joined in 1984. Warehouse Specialists is one of the largest national warehousing/logistics companies in North America having 40 plus locations in 13 states nationwide and employing 1,200 people. Bob earned his bachelor of arts degree from The College of St. Scholastica and his juris doctorate degree from the University of Minnesota. He practiced law in the Twin Cities from 1978-1984, specializing in entertainment and real estate law. At present, he is licensed to practice law in Minnesota and Wisconsin. He is a board member and coach for various hockey organizations. He is also a member of several logistics organizations.
	JACQULIN (JACQUIE) SEBASTIAN graduated from The College of St. Scholastica with a bachelor of arts in Religious Studies in 1989. In 1992 she earned a master of arts degree in Theology from the College of St. Catherine. In 1996 she achieved a juris doctorate from the William Mitchell College of Law. She does not practice law; she is a self-employed businesswoman who works in Alternative Dispute Resolution, in mediation as a Parallel Protection Process facilitator, in family dispute resolution, in court-ordered custody evaluations and as a Guardian ad Litem for children. She is an appointed member of the Minnesota Children's Justice Initiative and does medical ethics consulting and teaches medical ethics and general ethics to master-level students. She is a long-standing member of the St. Luke's Hospital Ethics committee. Jacquie and her husband Jim have four grown children-Mila, Joel, Jon, and Marnie-and five grandchildren. Jacquie and Jim live by Lake Superior in Knife River, Minnesota.
	DAN SEELER is the president, CEO, and co-founder of Midwest Industrial Coatings, Inc. (MICI); a privately held coatings distribution company with corporate headquarters in Shakopee, MN. MICI supplies coatings to original equipment manufacturers around the world in the power sports, agricultural, mega-yacht, golf, and general industrial markets. Dan earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from the College of St. Scholastica in 1982. He has been actively involved in the Menttium 100 mentoring program (mentoring high performing female managers) for the past three years. He has also volunteered his time coaching youth sports in the city of Eden Prairie over the past 15 years. He established the Daniel Seeler Management Scholarship in honor of Sister Ramona Ewen '43 and the Seeler Family Endowed Scholarship in honor of Sister Janelle Cahoon '46. In 2008 he was awarded the Sister Timothy Kirby Benedictine Spirit Award. This award is given annually to an alumnus/alumna for his or her professional achievement and who exemplifies the Benedictine values. Dan is married to wife Kristin. They have three children; Ashley 21, Kelly 18, and Nick 15.
	DONALD (DON) SHIPPAR began his career at ALLETE in 1976. In 1978, he was promoted to Supervisor of Telecommunications and later became Superintendent of Telecommunications in 1981. Don has held several positions within the company including Director, Human Resources, Vice President, Transmission and Distribution, Senior Vice President-Customer Service and Delivery, and Executive Vice President and COO-Minnesota Power. In February 2004, Don was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer-ALLETE. Don serves on the boards of the Edison Electric Institute; Association of Edison Illuminating Companies; North Central Electric League; North Central Electric Association; Kitchi Gammi Club Board of Directors and St. Luke's Foundation Board of Directors. Don and his wife Patricia have three children, Brenda, Debra, and Jeffrey.
	SISTER SARAH SMEDMAN, O.S.B., Ph.D., graduated with a bachelor of arts in English from The College of St. Scholastica, and holds a master of arts in English from The University of Minnesota, and a Ph.D. from Indiana University, Bloomington, with concentrations in prose fiction and eighteenth-century British literature. Subsequently, she developed a specialty in children's and young adult literature. She has been a professor at The College of St. Scholastica, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC), and Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM), serving terms as department chair at St. Scholastica and at MSUM. At UNCC she was Director of Graduate Studies in English and at MSUM, Coordinator of the master's in Reading program. At UNCC she developed and taught their first course in Women in Literature. An active faculty member, she chaired/served continuously on various major university committees. Equally active in professional organizations during her academic career, she served in many capacities, most notably as president of the International Children's Literature Association. The recipient of both teaching and research awards, she has published numerous articles in refereed journals, particularly in the area of her major research interest-children's and young adult fiction-and in 2003, Bridges for the Young: the Fiction of Katherine Paterson, which she coedited with a colleague from Southwestern Missouri State University. After retiring from academia, she returned in November 2004, to Duluth and the Monastery, where currently she is the Director of Continuing Education and Life Development. Sister Sarah also serves on the Boards of Saint Mary's Duluth Clinic, Saint Mary's Medical Center/Saint Mary's Hospital Superior, and Monastic Interreligious dialogue (an international group that fosters dialog and events between Benedictine and Buddhist monastics-men and women).
	ELIZABETH (BETH) STAUBER-JOHNSON, Ph.D., is an alumna of The College of St. Scholastica. She was an elementary teacher and math specialist in the Duluth Public Schools for over 20 years. She also served as an assistant professor in the Department of Teacher Education at the University of Wisconsin-Superior. She earned her doctor of philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction degree with an emphasis in Elementary Mathematics Education at the University of Minnesota. Currently she serves as a Trustee for The Marshall School in Duluth, President of Equine Allies, Inc., and a member of Alpha Delta Kappa. Beth has been named in Who's Who in American Women as well as Who's Who Among American Teachers and in Education. She and her husband A. Ronald Johnson reside in Duluth and own and raise Champion Quarter Horses at their farm, Three Acre Wood Farms, near Barnum, MN. They have three sons, Todd (Cathy), Dean (Laura, and Shane (Sara), and one stepdaughter, Heidi (Kraig) Rudstrom; and grandchildren Nate and Reilly Johnson, and Alek, Logan, and Teagan Rudstrom.
	DR. LOUISE TOWN is a 1953 nursing graduate of the College. She earned a master of nursing administration and an M.D. from the University of Minnesota, where she also served as a clinical associate professor of neurology. She is Board Certified in Neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and is a fellow in the American Academy of Neurology. She retired as a neurologist with the Minneapolis Clinic of Neurology. In 1993 she won the Sister Alice Lamb Award, presented by the St. Scholastica Alumni Association in honor of an alum who shows commitment to her/his profession and to St. Scholastica. Currently she serves with the Stroke Prevention Program at Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina, MN.
	JAMES (JIM) ZASTROW is currently the chair of The College of St. Scholastica Board of Trustees. He is president and chief executive officer of M&I Bank - Duluth/Superior, an organization of which he has been a part of since 1978. M&I Bank is an affiliate of the Marshall & Ilsley Corporation located in Milwaukee, WI. Jim holds a master of arts degree in Management from The College of St. Scholastica. He is past board chair and honorary life member of the Duluth-Superior Symphony Association, past board chair of the Superior-Douglas County Development Association and the St. Luke's Hospital Foundation, and serves as a board member of the School District of Superior Foundation and the Kitchi Gammi Club in Duluth. Jim lives in Superior with his wife, Mary, and their children, Mark and David.
Trustees Emeriti/ae:Martha Alworth Peter Bartzen M.D. Sister Grace Marie Braun, O.S.B. William M. Burns Mark Carlson M.D. Edwin Erickson Manley Goldfine Sharon Labovitz Robert S. Mars. Jr. James J. Monge, M.D. Arend J. Sandbulte Greg Scherer Links How the Board Works

Board of Trustees Handbook | Current Board Meeting Schedule
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