Children's Theatre Company Adds New Board Members
By: Gabrielle Sierra Jun. 28, 2011
Children's Theatre Company (CTC) today announced the addition of nine new community volunteers and business leaders to its Board of Governors. Among the new Board of Governors (full biographies attached) are:
Michael Blum, Vascular Solutions, Inc. - Blum serves as general counsel, responsible for monitoring and ensuring compliance with general corporate laws, security laws and NASDAQ listing requirements. He previously served as intellectual property counsel for Supervalu, Inc., where he also chaired the company's $1 million 2010 Greater Twin Cities United Way campaign.
Jim Carlson, Microsoft Corporation - Carlson has been with Microsoft for nine years. A University of Minnesota graduate, Carlson spent 15 years in sales and sales management in organizations such as IBM, Silicon Graphics and Computer Associates, before joining Microsoft. Carlson and his wife live in South Minneapolis with their two daughters, ages 13 and 12.Rusty Cohen, MPLS/St. Paul Magazine, Twin Cities Business Monthly - Cohen has a long association with the CTC Board of Governors. She is currently a special events consultant for MPLS/St. Paul Magazine (of which she is a co-founder) and Twin Cities Business Monthly. Cohen has a lifelong involvement with events and promotions planning for arts, educational and social service organizations.Helen W. Kurtz, General Mills - As marketing director in the baking division of General Mills, Kurtz has P&L responsibilities for all baking products brands, from Gold Medal flour to Bisquick and an extensive variety of Betty Crocker products. In her role, she manages all new product launches, advertising and consumer communications as well as sales and manufacturing strategies. She also leads the division's Continuous Improvement efforts, which have resulted in more than $20 million in savings. Kurtz has worked on Yoplait, Big G cereals, Pop Secret, Chex Mix and Fruit Snacks accounts and has an M.B.A. from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College.
Jeff von Gillern, U.S. Bancorp - von Gillern is responsible for technology and operations services at U.S. Bancorp and is a member of the U.S. Bancorp managing committee. A 23-year financial services veteran, von Gillern has spent most of his career overseeing technology and operations in both rapid growth and consolidating industries. Previous to joining U.S. Bank, he was senior vice president of processing services at Visa International, where he had responsibility for the technology infrastructure and global operations for VisaNet services in Japan, the U.S. and United Kingdom. Barb Wigley, Community Volunteer - Wigley, whose professional career included 12 years in the personnel field, has served as a Board member for Great Plains Companies, Inc., (a group of businesses associated with the building industry) for 22 years and for Northern Pines Choir. She has been an active member of the Breck School community for 19 years, volunteering extensively and focusing her efforts as chair and co-chair of Encore, the parent group supporting extra-curricular Theater Productions at Breck.Mary Beattie, Beattie Group - Beattie, who began her real estate career in 1984 and currently operates as part of Beattie Group of real estate advisors, was the first parent liaison to serve on CTC's board. Her community involvement includes being a member of The Women's Club. She serves on the business committee and membership committee. Her husband, John, is an attorney with Messerli and Kramer. Beattie will chair CTC's Emerald & Ruby Curtain Call Ball this year. Board Chair Peter Carter, Dorsey & Whitney LLP, will welcome the new Board members with the start of their term on July 1. "This is an outstanding group of community volunteers, who all share a passion for the mission of Children's Theatre Company," says Carter.Children's Theatre Company (CTC) is the first theatre for young people to win the coveted Tony® Award for Outstanding Regional Theater (2003). Founded in 1965, CTC serves more than 300,000 people annually and is one of the 20 largest theater companies in the nation. CTC is noted for defining worldwide standards for youth theatre with an innovative mix of classic tales, celebrated international productions and challenging new work.
CTC New Board of Directors Members
June 2011
Michael Blum serves as general counsel, responsible for monitoring and ensuring compliance with general corporate laws, security laws and NASDAQ listing requirements, for Vascular Solutions, Inc. He previously served as intellectual property counsel for Supervalu, Inc., where he was responsible for supporting the company in all aspects of intellectual property law. Blum was selected as the legal representative for two five-member strategic support initiative groups charged with reviewing and revising the organization's pricing and private brand strategies. At Supervalu, Blum also chaired the company's $1 million 2010 Greater Twin Cities United Way campaign. Blum received his law and undergraduate degrees at the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, Pa.
Jim Carlson is an account executive with Microsoft Corporation. He has been with Microsoft for nine years. Prior to Microsoft, Jim spent 15 years in sales and sales management in the IT industry with companies such as IBM, Silicon Graphics and Computer Associates. Jim also helped lead a Minnesota startup software company as vice president of sales. Jim is a native of Minnesota with a degree from the University of Minnesota. Jim and his wife, Emily, live in South Minneapolis with their two daughters, who attend Lake Harriet Community School. They are active in sports, music, dance and theatre both at school and in the community. Jim is an active volunteer in the community. He also enjoys sports, music, theatre and travel.
Rusty Cohen has a long association with the CTC Board of Governors. She is currently a special events consultant for MPLS/ St. Paul Magazine (of which she is a co-founder) and Twin Cities Business Monthly. Since her graduation with a B.S. degree from the University of Minnesota, she has held a variety of positions including office manager for a Georgia law firm, nursery school teacher and special events and tour planner for Modern Medicine Publications. Rusty enjoys walking, reading, traveling, gardening, swimming, tennis, attending concerts and the theatre, and spending time with her grandchildren. She also has a lifelong involvement with special events and promotions planning for arts, educational, and social service organizations. She is committed to helping CTC maintain its position as a uniquely important community and national organization.
Scott Friesen currently leads the Best Buy analytic team for the Consumer Insights Unit, the mission of which is to bring actionable and relevant consumer and customer insights to the business to enable profitable growth for the enterprise. He was one of 25 inaugural Black Belts and 5 Master Black Belts in Best Buy's Lean Six Sigma Program. He has also held positions in BestBuy.com, Enterprise Strategy, and Geek Squad services. Best Buy Co. Inc. is North America's leading specialty retailer of consumer electronics, personal computers, entertainment software, and appliances. Outside of his immediate business responsibilities, he works on broadening the understanding of analytics methods both inside and outside Best Buy. Scott holds an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School in New York and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Swarthmore College.
Carrie Higgins is an active volunteer and fundraiser for a number of schools and nonprofit organizations. She formerly served as a board member at Grace Neighborhood Nursery School and as a volunteer with The Junior League of Minneapolis. She currently volunteers at The Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery, Admission Possible, and The Blake School, where her 2 girls attend. Prior to moving to Minneapolis in 2000, she and her husband, Rich, lived in Frisco, Colorado, where she worked for Vail Resorts in a number of capacities, including heading up their internet reservations department. She has also worked for Walt Disney World in Orlando. Carrie is a native of Racine, Wis., and has a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Stout. She and her family enjoy skiing, spending time at their cabin and attending shows at CTC.
Helen W. Kurtz is a marketing director in the baking division at General Mills, where she has P&L responsibility for all baking products (from Gold Medal flour to Bisquick to Betty Crocker cake mixes, frosting, cookies, brownies, and muffins). In her role, Helen manages all new product launches, advertising and consumer communications, and sales and manufacturing strategies. She also leads the division's Continuous Improvement efforts, which have resulted in over $20 million in savings and improved employee morale. Prior to her current role, Helen worked on Hamburger Helper, Fruit Snacks, Chex Mix, Pop Secret, Yoplait, Bisquick, and Big G cereals. Helen hails from Lexington, Mass., and received her B.A. from Pomona College and her M.B.A. from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College. She worked in a San Francisco-based money management firm, after college. Helen lives with her family in the Kenwood neighborhood of Minneapolis. In her free time, Helen enjoys frolicking with her 3 year-old son and 3 month-old daughter. She is an active reader and fitness enthusiast, aiming to keep up with her cyclist husband Mike.
Jeff von Gillern is responsible for technology and operations services at U.S. Bancorp. He is also a member of the U.S. Bancorp managing committee. A 23-year financial services veteran, von Gillern has spent most of his career overseeing technology and operations in both rapid growth and consolidating industries. Prior to joining U.S. Bank in 2001, he was the senior vice president of processing services at Visa International where he spent 12 years. There he had responsibility for the technology infrastructure and the global operations of VisaNet services from the Visa processing centers in Japan, the U.S. and the United Kingdom. Jeff serves on the boards of Viewpointe, one of the largest providers of check image exchange and archive services in the United States; and Syncada, a joint venture between Visa and U.S. Bank that provides an online global payment network. Mr. von Gillern attended the University of Arizona, where he earned a bachelor's degree in Business Administration, and the University of London in the United Kingdom. Jeff lives in Minneapolis, with his wife and two children.
Barb Wigley's undergraduate training is in psychology with graduate training in labor and human resources. She worked for 12 years in the personnel field, both public and private sector, ranging from a start-up company to a large university. Her responsibilities included placement, training, staff relations and management. Over the past 25 years she has worked as a volunteer in many organizations, while parenting three daughters. She was active in Northern Pines Choir for seven years and served as a board member for two years. In addition, she served on the board of Great Plains Companies, Inc., (a group of businesses associated primarily with the building industry) for the past 22 years. As an active member of the Breck school community for 19 years, Barb volunteered in many areas, including a concentration on Encore, the parent group which supports all the extra-curricular Theater Productions at the school.
Mary Beattie, who began her real estate career in 1984 and currently operates as part of Beattie Group of real estate advisors, was the first parent liaison to serve on CTC's board. Her community involvement includes being a member of The Women's Club. She serves on the Women's Business Committee and Membership Committee. Her husband, John, is an attorney with Messerli and Kramer. Beattie will chair CTC's Emerald & Ruby Curtain Call Ball this year.
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