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.
	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 health insurance companies, 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.
	ALISON CHAMPEAUX is the staff trustee. She is the International Student Advisor for the College. Her primary responsibility is to work with international students preparing for their arrival to the U.S. and to support students during their time on campus. Alison holds a bachelor of Land Economy degree from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. Alison is a native of Scotland and has lived in Kenya, Tanzania, Bahrain, and Italy. Alison lives in Duluth with her husband Jarod and daughter Sierra.
	FRED DE SAM LAZARO balances a combination of international journalism and management at the Minneapolis/St. Paul PBS affiliate. He has served PBS' The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer since 1985, including a stint as medical correspondent in the early 90s. At TPT, Fred serves as an executive producer for local documentaries, including the highly-acclaimed Death of the Dream, Seth Eastman: Painting the Dakota and Made in China. His reporting assignments today range widely: from AIDS in Thailand and India to reconciliation in Bosnia and Rwanda. In recognition of his early reporting on the AIDS pandemic from India and Africa, Fred was awarded an honorary doctorate by St. John's University, in Minnesota. Fred is recipient of media fellowships from the Kaiser Family Foundation and the University of Michigan. He is a 1981 graduate of The College of St. Scholastica, in Duluth, MN. He has served on the board of the Asian American Journalists Association. He serves on the board of the Children's Law Center of Minnesota. With spouse, Kay (Drechsler, CSS '83) and three children, he lives in St. Paul.
	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 conducted graduate studies in Monastic Formation and Leadership at 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 Healthcare Ministry at St. Mary's Duluth Clinic Health System, 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 (STEVE) GACEK is the Alumni Board representative to the Board of Trustees and has served on the Alumni Board since 2005. Steven graduated from The College of St. Scholastica in 2002 with a bachelor of arts degree in Management and a master of arts degree in Management in 2003. He is an adjunct faculty member teaching core management classes in the Accelerated Degree Evening Program. Recently appointed as vice president of Operations for Sign Zone, Inc., he specializes in the management of high-growth and merged and acquired organizations. He has served on various boards including North Memorial Cancer Center and the Hubert H. Humphrey Cancer Center. Steven has also served 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.
	SISTER KATHLEEN HOFER, O.S.B., is the chair of the St. Mary's Medical Center/St. Mary's Hospital of Superior Board of Directors and active chair of the Board of Directors of St. Mary's/Duluth Clinic Health System. She 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.
	SUSAN KRAMER, Dr.P.H., is the vice president of preclinical development at Anesiva. Susan joined Anesiva from BAS Medical, where she was a co-founder and served as vice president of research and development from 2003 to 2006. She was instrumental in the initiation of the company's preclinical and clinical programs and participated in the raising of Series A and B funds. Prior to BAS Medical, Susan worked at Genentech for 18 years in a number of roles of increasing management responsibility, including director of product development, senior director of bioanalytical technology and ultimately as senior director of development sciences operations and strategic planning. She served as project team leader for products Actimmune® and Raptiva®. She led numerous pharmacology subteams and served on several key committees, including the Product Development Committee. Prior to Genentech, Susan served as the director of Medical Laboratories in Montes Claros, Minas Gerais, Brazil as a Peace Corps Volunteer, followed by a stint as head of the clinical virology laboratory at the UCSF Medical Center at the onset of the AIDS epidemic. Susan holds Dr.P.H. and M.P.H. degrees in Biomedical Sciences from the University of California, Berkeley, a M.A. degree in Education from Central Michigan University and a B.A. degree in Medical Technology from The College of St. Scholastica.
	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 has begun archival research for her next project, a cultural/social history of St. Scholastica Monastery. She is a member of the Vocation Ministry Team.
	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.
	THE HONORABLE CAROL PERSON, served as a district court judge from 1993 to 2004. She has been certified as a civil trial specialist by the Minnesota Civil Practice Board and by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and was a practicing attorney in Duluth between 1981 and 1993, before being appointed to the State District bench. She was the first woman to serve as president of the Eleventh District Bar Association, and has served on the Board of Governors of the Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association. Her judicial activities have included serving as Assistant Chief Judge for the Sixth Judicial District, and on the Joint Supreme Court Advisory Committee for Judicial Evaluations, and the Supreme Court Advisory Council on the Rules of Civil Procedure. She is a native of Lanesboro, MN, and graduated summa cum laude from the University of Minnesota-Morris with bachelor of arts degrees in English Literature and American History. In 1978 she achieved a juris doctorate from the William Mitchell College of Law. She has served as chair of the boards of Northwood Children's Home and Residential Services of Northeastern Minnesota, served on the Greater United Way Trust Board. and also served as an instructor of Native American Law and Policy in the Accelerated Degree Evening Program at the College. She is currently a board member of the Ordean Foundation and a mentor through the Mentor Duluth Program.
	PHILIP (PHIL) D. ROLLE is the Executive Vice President and Division Manager for Wells Fargo's Business Banking Support Group. A long-time Duluth resident, he earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Minnesota-Duluth. He joined Norwest (now Wells Fargo) in Duluth in 1977, and was named Norwest's Northern Minnesota Controller in 1981. In 1985 he was named director of corporate planning and analysis for Norwest Corporation in Minneapolis. He later was Regional Controller for Community Banking in Minnesota and Wisconsin. He returned to Duluth in 1989 and managed Norwest's trust, commercial banking, private banking, and community banking groups. He is on the board of L.H.B. (a local architectural engineering firm) and is a member of the Chancellor's Advisory Committee for UMD.
	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 SCORE and Habitat for Humanity. 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 reside in Long Lake and have four children and one foster daughter.
	BOB SCHROEDER is the President and CEO of Warehouse Specialists, Inc., in Appleton, WI, a firm he joined in 1984. Warehouse Specialists is the fifth largest national warehouse logistics company in North America having 40 plus locations 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.
	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.
	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-president 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 Catholic Charities Bureau 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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