Chair

Carol Veldman Rudie, Self-Employed Writer/Lecturer; Vice President, CRC Publications; Board of Trustees Member, Dordt College (Sioux Falls, South Dakota); Past Board Member, Center for Public Justice; Past Board Chair, Citizens for Educational Freedom; Past Board Chair, Pathways International. Carol Rudie is politically independent.

Vice Chair 

Roann Cramer, Project manager and business analyst consultant for Bloomington-based Willow Group; Associate Chair, Senate District DFL 60; volunteer for the 2006 Minneapolis Better Ballot Campaign and 2009 voter education campaign; worked on several candidate and issue campaigns.

Treasurer

Sandy Sandell, Retired; Community Volunteer.

Secretary

Ken Bearman, Editor/Writer for Minnesota Department of Human Services. Ken Bearman is politically independent.

Directors

Ellen Brown, Independent consultant in strategic analysis and public policy with extensive background in both the private and public sectors, including past Owner and President of Brown Partners, Inc.; Former Executive Director, Greening the Great River Park; Former Vice President, Control Data Corporation; and Assistant Commissioner for government and Community Relations, MN Department of Transportation. Active volunteer, currently serving as Director Emeritus of the Great River Greening; Reader for the MN State Services for the Blind and board member of Northland College. Past board member of Citizens League, Hmong-American Partnership, MN Museum of Art, CommonBond and Responsible Credit Partnership.

Carl "Buzz" Cummins, President and CEO, Workers Compensation Reinsurance Association. He has practiced law, served as legal counsel to Governor Al Quie and was responsible for government, regulatory and community affairs at Minnegasco. He has served on the boards of Allina Hospitals and Clinics, the Citizens League; United Hospital, Park Square Theater and Minnesotans for Impartial Courts.

Robin Garwood, City Council Aide; Former Steering Committee Member, Minneapolis/5th District Green Party.

Roger Heegaard, CEO of medical device firm Enova Medical Technologies and former president/CEO of MedTreo Inc and HomeStyles, a home design and architectural publishing company (1988 – 2002); former attorney, ESL teacher in Latin America and high school English in Minnestoa; current board member of the United Theological Seminary and former board member of the Pangea World Theater and Lowry Hill Neighborhood Ass.

John Hottinger, former Minnesota state senator and majority leader; executive committee chair, Sierra Club - Northstar Chapter; board member, Northwest Midwest Institute; consultant in deliberative democracy processes, early childhood education and environmental issues.

Dag I. Knudsen, Licensed Professional Engineer; Fellow of the American Council of Engineering Companies; principal owner of Dag Knudsen, Inc. a management consulting firm with an international client base; frequent speaker at national conferences, author of numerous technical and business papers, active in technical associations. He lives in Lake City, Minnesota.

Tim Penny, former United States Congressman and Minnesota Senator; 2002 gubernatorial candidate; current President of the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation; Senior Fellow at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute and professor at Winona State University; serves on the board of several public policy related organizations, including the Concord Coalition, the ACDI/VOCA (an international development agency) and the University of Minnesota's Institute of Law and Politics and Energy Literacy Advocates; co-author of three books, Common Cents, Payment Due and The 15 Biggest Lies in Politics, and regular public speaker, radio commentator and editorial writer. He lives in Waseca, Minnesota.

Michael Vallante, Executive Management and Public Relations Consultant for nonprofit organizations; member of the Republican Party and chief of staff for the Saint Paul Republic Convention Host Committee, consultant for the California Recovery Team and Giuliani for President and COO for the California Republican Party;  as a nonprofit consultant, he launched the Latino Report, a nationwide communication, and has provided public relations, fundraising and program planning services to several grassroots organizations; member and volunteer for several nonprofit and business organizations, including the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce and Pasadena Humane Society.