Retired, Corporate VP and CTO, Cargill

Ron retired from Cargill in 2009 after 38 years of service. During his career with Cargill he lived in Argentina and Canada and several locations within the USA while engineering, building and operating food processing plants. He had been responsible for Plant Operations, Food safety and Environment, Health and Safety and Engineering. 

Ron has an interest in continuing to help people in the developing world through technology and education. He is supporter of Engineers without Borders. Ron also chairs the Dean's Advisory Board for the Institute of Technology at the University of Minnesota. He has supported the University through scholarships, fellowships and by endowing a chair in renewable energy. He graduated from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1972. He is a registered professional engineer.

Ron is member of the Board of Trustees of Science Museum of Minnesota. An avid outdoorsman, he owns a small woodland that he stewards for wildlife.

Consultant

Cathie Hartnett is a non profit and business consultant in strategic planning, marketing, leadership transition, and crisis management. Cathie was raised in Minnesota but spent 17 years in Washington working in politics as well as starting an entrepreneurial management company that launched new national non profits and small companies. Most recently she is an investor and Director of First Equity Mortgage Inc. Cathie formerly hosted a weekend radio talk show host for Hubbard Broadcasting on FM 107.1. She is a regular on KSTP television providing political commentary and often does public speaking with her "Polichick" show partner on the need for a civil dialogue with those with whom you most disagree.

Her volunteer work in Board service reflects her passion for entrepreneurial work in the non profit and for profit sector including; Mental Health Resources, Sobriety High Foundation, Minnesota Women's Economic Roundtable and Theater Latte Da, St. Paul Almanac and EdVisions.

Cathie was chosen as an American Council of Young Political Leaders – Mexico Delegation, MS Magazine – "80 Women to Watch in the 80's", U of M Alumni Magazine – "40 graduates under 40", President's Leadership Award – Spina Bifida Association of America and Distinguished CLA Graduate of University of Minnesota.

Cathie lives in St. Paul with her husband, John Monto, an artist. She parented two stepsons and has two grandchildren.

Risk Manager, GE Capital

Paul is a returned Peace Corps volunteer who spent 2 years working as a Small Enterprise Development Volunteer in Mali, West Africa. His first exposure to CTI was through an internship for CTI in the early 1990's prior to attending the Monterey Institute of International Studies where he studied development. In addition to an MA in International Policy Studies, he holds a BA from Occidental College in Los Angeles and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas.

Paul has held a variety of positions in Operations and Risk management since joining GE Capital in 1998. Paul, his wife Becky Dankowski, and their 3 young children live in South Minneapolis.

Founder, Watermark Initiative, LLC

Adam is the founder of Watermark Initiative, LLC and the author of its proprietary Hydro Perspective assessment process. He graduated from the University of Denver, Graduate School of International Studies with a Masters of International Development. He also holds a J.D. from the University of Denver and B.A. in Political Science from Trinity College, CT.

Partner, Barnes & Thornburg, LLP

Mark Kalla is a Partner in the Finance, Insolvency and Restructuring Department with the law firm of Barnes and Thornburg LLP in Minneapolis. Prior to joining Barnes and Thornburg, Mark was a partner with the Minneapolis firms of Dorsey & Whitney LLP and Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly. He has also served as a bankruptcy clerk for the Honorable Dennis D. O'Brien. Mark earned his B.A. from Saint John's University in 1980, and his J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1984. Mark has volunteered his services either as a board member or as a volunteer for numerous organizations, including Arc Greater Twin Cities, Habitat for Humanity and The Advocates for Human Rights.

Retired Chief Operating Officer, Schroeder Milk Co.

Carl Schroeder worked for 28 years in the dairy and food processing industry for Schroeder Milk. The family business was sold to Agropur, Inc. in 2008 and in spring 2010 Carl was free to take on his next adventure. He has a great depth of operations experience and knowledge in manufacturing liquid beverages including milk, soy, chicken broths, soups, nutritional drinks, meal replacement and cultured products. He was instrumental in Schroeder Company's strategic move to develop manufacturing capabilities to produce aseptic (shelf stable) products allowing for national distribution of products.

Carl and his wife Kristin have a strong interest in global food and water issues and recognize these issues as some of the most important global topics.

Sr. Vice President of Marketing and Product Development, DeCare Dental

Gary leads marketing, product development and market research initiatives for DeCare Dental where he heads the company's Broker and Small Group Support Services department. In addition to developing employer-group products, he oversees the company's individual product portfolio. Prior to leading the company's marketing areas, Gary headed DeCare's claims and customer service divisions and currently reports to the CEO. He has 25 years of experience in marketing, product development and research, insurance operations, customer service, customer satisfaction measurement and quality management.

Gary served on the Board of Examiners of the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award Program for three years and holds a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.

Assistant Chief IP Counsel and Assistant General Counsel, 3M Company

Peter Olson is a managing attorney in the Legal Department at 3M Company. He joined 3M in 1990, and is a graduate of the Institute of Technology at the University of Minnesota (B.S.M.E. 1988) and of the University of Minnesota Law School (J.D. 1991). He was a law clerk at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington D.C., and has held legal management positions for 3M at its operations in Austin, Texas and in Brussels, Belgium. Peter lived in Ankara, Turkey in the 1970s, and is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Take Heart America.

Attorney, Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P.

Patrick is a trial attorney with Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. in the Firm's Intellectual Property Litigation Group where he focuses on patent litigation. He represents plaintiffs and defendants ranging from individual inventors to Fortune 100 companies across a vast range of technologies and in numerous courts across the country. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law.

Professor & Department Head, Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics, University of Minnesota

Professor Gary Balas has taught in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Minnesota for 20 years. He currently serves as teacher, researcher, and department head.

Gary has been published in over 50 refereed journals and has received several prestigious awards and fellowships, including the American Automatic Control Council O. Hugo Schuck Best Paper Award in 2006, IEEE Control System Society Control Systems Technology Award in 2005, IEEE Fellow in 2004, IT George Taylor Distinguished Research Award from the University of Minnesota in 2003, ASME Dynamic Systems and Control Outstanding Young Investigator Award in 1999, and a McKnight-Land Grant Professorship, also from the University of Minnesota in 1993.

Manager of Commercial Business Development - Green Energy Products, LLC

As a 5th generation South Minneapolis native, Jared has a community focused approach in all he does. As a steward for the burgeoning renewable energy industry in Minnesota, Mr. Brewington is a leader in bringing the practicality and cost-effectiveness of solar power to businesses, municipalities and utilities around Minnesota. Mr. Brewington is active in legislative affairs regarding renewable energy acceptance and policy, and an active committee member for The St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce (Public Affairs Committee), The St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce (Government Affairs Committee) and The US Green Building Council - Minnesota Chapter (Marketing Committee).

Jared studied technology in Minnesota and held previous positions of senior management in telecommunications and application service. He is also a senior partner for a construction firm based in Excelsior, MN.

Jared is a published author of papers on the business case for renewable energy and a public speaker. He takes great pride in the adoption of solar power throughout the US. As a local musician, he brings a new demographic to CTI and strives to connect sustainable living with international community support.

Mr. Brewington lives in Minneapolis with his wife and 2 daughters and enjoys spending time in northern Minnesota and central coast Florida.

Senior Vice President, Product Management, UnitedHealth Group

Michelle Cooper has Product Management responsibility for UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare Advantage plans for seniors and the disabled. Michelle’s previous roles at UnitedHealth Group include VP of Strategic Development, Chief Financial Officer of Ovations Pharmacy Solutions, and Chief Financial Officer of Senior & Retiree Services. Prior to joining UnitedHealth Group, Michelle served in various financial management and business development positions at Ecolab, Inc. (a provider of industrial cleaning, sanitizing and infection control products and services) and at The Pillsbury Company (a consumer food, restaurant, and agri-products company at that time). Michelle received a B.S. degree in Industrial Administration from Iowa State University, a B.S. degree in Astrophysics from the University of Minnesota, and a Master of Management degree from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

Professor of Law, William Mitchell College of Law
Attorney, Patterson Thuente Christensen Pedersen

Jay Erstling is a professor of law at William Mitchell College of Law and of counsel at Patterson Thuente Christensen Pedersen, an intellectual property law firm in Minneapolis, Minnesota. At William Mitchell, he teaches primarily in the area of international and comparative intellectual property law, and he has a particular interest in the intellectual property systems of emerging countries. He also created and directs the William Mitchell Intellectual Property Law Clinic. At Patterson Thuente, he counsels clients on their international intellectual property strategies and advises on changes in intellectual property law and practice.

From 2002 to 2007, Jay served as the Director of the Office of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) and Director-Advisor to the Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva, Switzerland. He oversaw the development and implementation of PCT policies, including large-scale regulatory and operations reform, and he had responsibility for the processing and examination of more than 150,000 international applications a year.

Jay has written and lectured widely on topics relating primarily to the PCT, Chinese and Indian patent law, international intellectual property policy, and intellectual asset management. He was a Fulbright Scholar in Cyprus and Sri Lanka, and he served as an intellectual property consultant and speaker in South Asia, the Middle East, Western Africa, and the Caribbean for the United States Agency for International Development, the U.S. State Department, and The Asia Foundation. He earned J.D. and B.S. degrees from Cornell University.

Attorney, LeVander, Gillen & Miller, P.A.

Steve was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He is a 1989 graduate of Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. After college, Steve moved to the Twin Cities and worked for a large financial institution before attending law school at Hamline University School of Law. Steve is 1992 cum laude graduate of Hamline, where he served on the Hamline Law Review and on the moot court team. During Law school, Steve was a legal intern at a major Twin Cities financial institution and served as a law clerk at a growing St. Paul computer company.

After law school, Steve served as the judicial law clerk to the Honorable H. Richard Hopper, in Hastings, Minnesota. Steve joined the law firm of LeVander, Gillen & Miller, P.A. in February 1994 where he primarily practices law in the areas of Estate Planning and Administration, Business Transactions and Real Estate. Steve has been involved with CTI on the Board since 2005.

Steve enjoys fresh and saltwater fishing, golf, and spending time with his wife, Margo and daughters Libby and Jane.

Manager of Construction, Brewery Works, Inc; Partner, Bow Street Partners; Co-Owner and Winemaker, Grunau Wines; Co-Owner and President, Hillside Road LLC; Co-Owner, THEY

John has been working in the Construction/Project Development industry for over 9 years.  During his time as Project Manager for Gilbane Building Company and Manager of Construction for Brewery Works, Inc, John has been involved in the construction of multiple award winning projects including Potawatomi Bingo and Casino Expansion, Schuster’s Historic Building Renovation, Convent Hill Housing, The Edge Condominiums, just to name a few.   In addition, John and his wife Adrienne are avid cultivators.  They have an organic vineyard in Santa Barbara County where they produce and sell premium wine grapes.  They are also currently designing and activating a 10 acre organic farm 30 minutes north of Milwaukee.

President, Solar Concepts LLC
Mayor, Los Altos Hills, CA

Rich Larsen is the Mayor of Los Altos Hills, CA and a Board member of the Santa Clara County Cities Association. He is a former Board member of the Santa Clara County Valley Transportation Authority and the Huntington's Disease Society of America.

His professional career is focused on Business Development for renewable energy solutions, including Microgrids and Electric Vehicle infrastructure. His previous experience was in the networking market where he served in global Business Development roles at 2Wire and Sun Microsystems.

Rich lives in Los Altos Hills, CA and has been married for 33 years. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Arizona State University and his MBA from Pepperdine University. He has two grown sons and now 3 grandchildren. He drives a Nissan LEAF and has 7.1kW of solar panels on the roof of his home.

Orthopaedic Surgeon

James R. Larson, MD, is a board certified orthopaedic surgeon specializing in knee arthroscopies, knee reconstructive surgery and minimally invasive knee replacements. He earned his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Minnesota in 1973, and received the Upjohn Achievement Award honoring the medical school's outstanding graduate. 

A well known and respected orthopaedic surgeon in the Twin Cities, James received Abbott Northwestern Hospital's Bruce E. Linderholm, M.D. "Young Physician of the Year" Award in 1991. He has served in many leadership positions including president of the medical staff at Abbott Northwestern Hospital and president of the Minnesota Orthopedic Society. In addition, he has been a Diplomat to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery since 1983.

His expertise has been demanded at professional medical societies all over the world, and he has given more than 50 US and international lectures on topics such as knee injuries and reconstructions, skiing injuries and hip fractures.

President, Steve Murphy Consulting

Steve Murphy is the President of Murphy Consulting specializing in transportation, energy/environment, labor and dispute resolution issues on a state and national basis. Besides providing consulting work, Mr. Murphy also works part-time for Target Field Tours as a tour guide giving baseball fans an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at Target Field and professional baseball operations. As a long-time baseball fanatic, this has been what Steve calls his "dream job."

Steve is a retired Minnesota State Senator who served the state of Minnesota from 1993-2010. He was the past Chairman of several committees, including the Claims Committee, Agriculture & Veteran Affairs and Transportation. Mr. Murphy is also a retired employee of Xcel Energy/Northern States Power where he worked for almost 30 years as a Shift Engineer and Fuels Technician.

Mr. Murphy spent 4 years in the United States Marine Crops serving in Japan and San Diego. He has a long history of volunteerism at numerous organizations including the Arthritis Foundation, American Cancer Society, Red Wing Battered Women's Shelter, Great River Homes, American Legion Post, Toys for Tots and the Alzheimer's Association.

President and Chief Executive Officer, MinnPar LLC

Shirish Pareek is the founder and Chief Executive of Hydraulex Global. Hydraulex Global was formed in August 2010 with the mission of becoming the premier worldwide remanufacturer and distributor of all major makes and brands of quality hydraulic pumps, motors, valves, servo and cylinders for a vast variety of industrial, mobile off-highway, mining and oil-field equipment sectors.

Shirish previously acquired and managed MinnPar, a heavy equipment parts business in Minneapolis, MN. He is now an owner and Board Member of MinnPar. He has also worked at international management-consulting firm McKinsey & Company and at Halliburton on the oil and gas exploration and production rigs in India and Indonesia.

Shirish earned a B.S. with University Honors in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, India and an MBA with specialization in Operations and Strategy from Carnegie Mellon University.

Shirish Pareek is a member of the Young Presidents Organization. He has served on the board of Carnegie Museum of Art, First Voice International, and a Working Board Member of Indian American Council. Along with his wife, Komal, Shirish is involved in a CTI project to address severe malnutrition amongst children in India.

Managing Director at CPP North America, Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area Financial Services

Dave Pearce is an experienced business leader, NGO chairman, and world traveler.  He brings decades of hands-on, working knowledge of brand strategy, marketing, and organizational messaging. Dave is passionate about the places and people CTI serves as customers, partners, and stakeholders in food and water resources projects.

Attorney

Kate Blanck Radsan is a retired equity partner from the law firm now known as Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins, a 180-attorney firm based in San Diego, California. In her 13 years of practice at that firm, she specialized in complex class action lawsuits related to securities fraud, representing both individual shareholders and institutional clients. Kate continues to serve as a consultant to Coughlin Stoia. Kate previously was a business litigation associate at Corbett & Steelman in Irvine, California. She graduated with a journalism degree, cum laude, from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1987 and a law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law in 1990, where she was the Associate Editor of the San Diego Law Review. She is a current member of the Minnesota Bar and the State Bar of California.

Philanthropist, Community Volunteer

Katherine Walker-Griffith is a native Minnesotan who returned to the state in 1990 after living in both the East and inter-mountain West. She is an antiques dealer living in St. Paul and a member of both the MN and WI Antiques Dealer's Associations. As a mother of 3 and grandmother of 4, she knows the importance of clean water and adequate nutrition for children and their families. Ms. Griffith feels CTI's emphasis on simple, workable technologies to address these fundamental human needs is important work.