Board Members

Ardell Brede

Ardell Brede was elected mayor of Rochester in November 2002. Brede retired from Rochester Methodist Hospital/Mayo Clinic after a 43-year career when elected.

Brede is actively involved in drawing, sketching, and in music. He and his wife Judy are frequent participants in theater, music, and visual arts activities. As mayor, he rejuvenated the Rochester Arts Council, helped establish WinterFest, ARTStoberFest, and an arts exchange with Rochester's partner city Siheung City, South Korea. Following Hurricane Katrina he helped organize the collection of musical instruments in Rochester that were sent to New Orleans. During his presidency of the League of Minnesota Cities, he promoted the arts as a valued asset in every city. As a member of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, he is an active member of the Tourism, Arts, Parks, Entertainment, and Sports Committee.

He holds a degree from Austin Junior College (Austin, MN) and studied management and leadership at the University Minnesota, Brigham Young University, and Rochester Methodist Hospital/Mayo Clinic.

Peggy Burnet

Peggy Burnet is a businesswoman, art collector, and community volunteer. She and her daughter were the owners of the Bookcase independent book store and Watermark Stationery for many years. She is avidly interested in the arts.

She currently serves on the Smithsonian National Board, which supports the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, where she has served as vice chair, chair of science committee, and currently chair of the nominating committee. She is also a trustee of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Burnet has also served on the boards of Minnesota Public Radio, Planned Parenthood, Children's Theatre, and Sheltering Arms in various leadership and fundraising capacities.

Winona
Congressional district 1, Legislative district 28A, Arts region 10
Term: February 2012–January 2016

Michael J. Charron is the dean of the School of the Arts at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota. His previous experience includes: professor of theater arts and chair/artistic director of the theater department at Concordia University (1983-2007); guest artist, University of North Dakota (1985); and high school English and theater instructor at Atwater High School (1979-81).

He served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2004 to 2006, and also served on the Woodbury City Council, the South Washington County Telecommunications Commission, the Woodbury Fine Arts Council, and the Hill Murray Community Theatre board of directors.

Charron has an MFA in theater from the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities, MN); a BA in theater, English, and secondary education from Saint Mary's College, and studied theater at Goldsmith's College, University of London.

Wendy Dayton

Wendy Dayton is an arts and community leader and a philanthropist. Along with her husband, she established the Wendy and Douglas Dayton Foundation. Her previous experience includes: vice president, sales, Robert Terry (1994-1996); vice president, merchandising/marketing, Liz Claiborne, Inc. (1992-1994); partner/director, Whitehall Greetings (1989-1991); cofounder/president/director, Pinstripes Petites (1983-1988); general merchandise manager, Powers (1980-1983); and buyer, Dayton's (1974-1980).

She has served as a board member and volunteer for numerous arts organizations including Artspace, Hennepin Theatre Trust, Cowles Center for Performing Arts, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra; she also has served on the boards of the UM Medical Foundation, the Trust for Public Land, Harriet Tubman Center, and Minneapolis Children's Medical Center Foundation. Her community service also includes involvement with the MS Foundation, UM Children's Foundation, Minnesota Women's Foundation, Blake School, and Breck School.

Dayton majored in stage direction at the School of Performing Arts (San Diego, CA) and studied at United States International University (San Diego, CA).

Sean Dowse

Sean Dowse is the executive director at The Sheldon Theatre in Red Wing. He has worked as associate artistic director and general manager at The Cricket Theatre in Minneapolis and in the literary department at The Guthrie Theater.

He serves on the Minnesota Music Coalition, Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, and the Anderson Center for Interdisciplinary Studies boards of directors. Dowse also directs plays and musicals for Red Wing High School and Red Wing's community theater group, Phoenix Theatre.

Dowse received a MFA in directing from the University of Utah (Salt Lake City, UT).

David Glenn

David Glenn is executive director of The Minnesota Project, which champions sustainable production and equitable distribution of energy and food in Minnesota. His previous experience includes: executive director, Minnesota Crafts Council (1995-2006); director of special events, College of Saint Benedict (1986-1995).

He has been a practicing ceramic artist and teacher for 30 years. He served on the boards of the Paramount Arts District, Central Minnesota Arts Board, and Association of Collegiate Conference and Event Directors-International; and has been involved with the American Craft Council, Craft Organization Directors Association, and National Association of Independent Artists. Under his leadership, Minnesota Crafts Council helped facilitate two significant research studies: The CODA Survey: The Impact of Crafts on the National Economy (March 2001), Appalachian State University; and Artist Count: The Economic Impact of Minnesota Individual Artists (March 2007), Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, Springboard for the Arts, Minnesota Crafts Council.

Glenn has a BS degree in recreation from Northern State College (Aberdeen, SD). He participated in the Shannon Leadership Institute, and in intensive training at the Arts Management School (Wheeling, WV).

Benjamin Klipfel

Alexandria
Congressional district 7; legislative district 08B, arts region 4
Term: February 2012-January 2016

Ben Klipfel is executive director of the Alexandria Area Arts Association, a multifaceted producing and presenting organization in the Alexandria lakes region. His previous experience includes: executive director, Grand Forks Community Theatre (2007-2011); marketing and event coordinator, University of North Dakota (2007-2009); director, Grand Forks Marketing Services Partnership (2003-2007); and managing director, TechLink Web Media (2000-2003).

Klipfel has extensive theater experience as a producer, director, set designer, and actor. He lectured in arts management and marketing at the University of North Dakota (Grand Forks, ND); and has served on the boards of the North Valley Arts Council, Waldorf College Alumni Association, Information Technology Council of North Dakota, Grand Forks County Historical Society, and many others. He also served as a member of the Ashley, ND, city council.

Klipfel earned a MA in theater arts at the University of North Dakota (Grand Forks, ND), and a BA in communications from Waldorf College (Forest City, IA).

Ellen McInnis

Robbinsdale
Congressional district 5, Legislative district 45B, Arts region 11
Term: February 2012–January 2016

Ellen McInnis is director of Twin Cities government relations at Wells Fargo. Previously she held positions with Minnesota Citizens for the Arts and the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners.

She serves on the Bottineau Boulevard Partnership and is a volunteer with the MN Opera and Big Brothers and Big Sisters. She has served on numerous boards, including the Hennepin County Library Board, the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee, the Hennepin County Board of Equalization, and the Minneapolis Foundation.

McInnis holds a BA in political science from the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities, MN).

Thomas Moss

Tom Moss is a consultant to nonprofit organizations and government agencies, working independently and with Public Strategies Group. His previous experience includes: interim CEO, MacPhail Center (2010-2011); director of results management, Office of Governor Jesse Ventura (2001-2003); deputy commissioner (1996-2001) and director of long term care (1993-1996) Minnesota Department of Human Services; vice president, National Chronic Care Consortium (1991-1993); executive director, Episcopal Homes (1983-1990); and administration and direct service, Ebenezer Society (1978-1983).

He has served on the boards of the MacPhail Center for Music and his Saint Paul neighborhood council. He is the treasurer at his church, La Misión El Santo Niño Jesús, and was a Bush Leadership Fellow.

Moss has an MA in public affairs from the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs (Twin Cities, MN); an MPA from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government; and a BA in social work from the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities, MN).

Jan Sivertson

Jan Sivertson has been the owner of the Sivertson Gallery, art of the north, in Grand Marais since 1980; and owner of Siiviis in Duluth since 1995. Her previous experience includes: owner/operator, Sivertson Gallery in Bayfield (1997-2000).

She is a practicing artist and grew up in a family of artists. For over thirty years, she has worked with the visual artists of northeastern Minnesota as well as Canadian Inuit and Alaskan Eskimo artists. She has served on the boards of the Grand Marais Art Colony, Arrowhead Regional Arts Council, Duluth Art Institute, North House Folk School; she also has served on the Lutsen Tofte Tourism Association, Grand Marais Area Tourism Association, and the Cook County Economic Development Agency. She currently serves on the Grand Marais City Council, Grand Marais Library Board, Cook County Chamber of Commerce, and the North Shore Management Board.

Sivertson has a BS in art education and a BFA in studio art from the University of Minnesota (Duluth, MN).

Anton Treuer

Anton Treuer is executive director of the American Indian Resource Center at Bemidji State University. He is editor of the only academic journal of the Ojibwe language and author of eight books, including: The Assassination of Hole in the Day and Ojibwe in Minnesota, named “Minnesota's Best Read for 2010” by The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. Treuer has championed Minnesota's traditional indigenous art forms and worked tirelessly to expand the definition of the arts to include oral narrative and story performance, especially as they intersect with the Ojibwe language. His dedication to preserve, revitalize, and educate others about Ojibwe language, culture, and artistic heritage have earned him over thirty prestigious awards and fellowships from many organizations, including the MacArthur Foundation, the Bush Foundation, and the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation.

He has served on many organizational boards, ranging from the White Earth Land Recovery Project to Sanford/MeritCare Health System.

Treuer received a BA from Princeton University (Princeton, NJ), and both a MA and PhD from the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities, MN).