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Board of Directors
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Ryan Benson - Chair
Vice President-Commercial Lending, Lake Elmo Bank
A lifelong resident of the St. Croix Valley Area, Ryan has been a community banker for over 25 years. He is currently at Lake Elmo Bank as a commercial lender. He and his wife live in Stillwater with their two busy children. Ryan enjoys time with family at the cabin, hunting and fishing.
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Susan St. Ores - Vice Chair
Senior Director, SAP Global Marketing
Susan St. Ores is a Senior Director at SAP Global Marketing. SAP is the world’s leader in application and analytics software and leading enterprise cloud company with more than 296,000 customers in over 190 countries. In addition to her professional responsibilities, Susan’s passion for civic leadership has been demonstrated as a six-term elected Mayor of Bayport, MN and holding board positions on non-profit and community boards.
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Chuck LeRoux – Secretary
Director, Enterprise Safety and Environmental Services. Andersen Windows
Chuck is the Director of Safety and Disability Management for Andersen Corporation and has been with Andersen for 20 years. Chuck oversees the implementation of their safety program which minimizes work related injuries/illnesses and keeps people safe on the job. He has served on the Planning Commission for the City of Oak Park Heights, and as a Board Member for the St Croix Valley Baseball Association.
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Kevin Johnson – Treasurer
Co-Owner. Forward Accounting
Kevin Johnson is an Accountant with Forward Accounting, an accounting services and tax firm in Stillwater. He provides tax compliance, planning and accounting services to both businesses and individuals. Prior to launching Forward Accounting, he worked for Foley Kalseim team in Lake Elmo. Kevin practiced tax accounting with a large CPA firm in Minneapolis for over 5 years and also has over 10 years of small business management experience. He lives in Stillwater with his wife and two children.
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Lisa Bevens - Past Chair
Owner. Home to Sweet Home
Lisa is the owner of Home to Sweet Home, a personal move management company that specializes in helping older adults with all the details of downsizing and transitioning to a new home. With a 30+ year background in bank management, Lisa brings value in the areas of business development, financial analysis, and especially, customer service. A life-long resident of the St. Croix Valley, she enjoys giving back to her community in the form of active membership in multiple service organizations. Lisa also sings and plays fiddle for an acoustic band. In her spare time she and her husband Mike enjoy fishing and hiking.
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Charles "Chuck" Dougherty
Owner. Water Street Inn
Chuck, along with his wife Judy, own and operate the Water Street Inn in Stillwater and the Cover Park Manor Bed and Breakfast in Oak Park Heights. He also serves on the Oak Park Heights City Council, President of the Stillwater / Oak Park Heights Convention & Visitors Bureau and on Explore Minnesota Statewide Tourism Advisory Board.
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Carrie Higgs
Director of Community Relations. Cub Foods
Carrie Higgs has worked with Cub since 2009, serving in many roles, most recently as the Director of Community Relations since 2018. She has worked through all of Cub’s footprint, emphasizing the importance of intertwining community and business through the Cub Foods experience. Recently Carrie presented at the Top Women in Grocery Conference about charitable work helping your community and building bonds within your organization. She is an expert in how to foster a giving culture and encouraging employees to get involved. Before Cub Carrie worked with SuperValu and Tires Plus after receiving her degree from University of Minnesota Duluth.
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Sara Jespersen
Owner. The Lumberjack
Sara along with her husband, co-own five Anytime Fitness Centers, the Trumi Franchise system and is also a co-founder, lead talent, and trainer for Wellbeats; a virtual fitness presentation for live experience. She is also the owner of the The Lumberjack in downtown Stillwater. She is a very active non-profit community leader and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Marina, Mulberry Point Yacht Harbor and the Discover Stillwater Tourism Bureau.
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Brandi Lunneborg
President of the Lakeview Hospital
Brandi Lunneborg is President of Lakeview Health and the St. Croix Valley Executive Leader for HealthPartners since December of 2021. Prior to joining HealthPartners ands Lakeview Health, Brandi served as CEO of Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus, GA for 7 years and with Allina Health for the previous 12 years, where she last served as Vice President of Operations and Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids, MN. She is passionate about community health and the role of local hospitals commitment to improve the health and well-being of the communities they serve.
Brandi received a bachelor's degree in psychology at Carleton College and a master's degree in business administration from American Intercontinental University. She is a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Her husband, Todd Lunneborg is a guitar builder and small business owner for the past 25 years. She has 16-year-old twins, Ian and Ara, who are currently enrolled in Stillwater Area High School. As a family, they enjoy living in Stillwater and being outdoors for biking and other outdoor activities, dining in downtown Stillwater, and walks with their dog, Chloe.
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Annette Sallman
Director of Community Education. Stillwater Public Schools
Annette Sallman is the Director of Community Education for Stillwater Area Public Schools. She has more than 25 years of experience in education. After joining the Stillwater school district in 2004, Annette served in several roles before assuming the director's position in 2014. Although she does not live in Stillwater, she considers this her community. Beyond her work from the school district, she is a board member for United Way Washington County East, serves on the Lakeview Health Foundation and Well-Being Advisory Committee.
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Kevin Sandstrom
Attorney. Eckberg, Lammers
Kevin Sandstrom is an attorney at the law firm of Eckberg, Lammers in Stillwater, a general practice law firm serving all of the legal needs of businesses, individuals, and municipalities. With more than 10 years of experience, Kevin’s law practice focuses on business lawsuits, real estate lawsuits, personal injury and workers’ compensation lawsuits, and municipal law. Kevin has been an active member in the Chamber since 2008, has served as an Ambassador, and later joined the Board of Directors in 2010. On the Board, he has served multiple terms as the Secretary, Vice Chairman, as well as Board Chairman. Kevin and his family live in Woodbury.
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Kelly Stenerson
Development and Community Engagement Manager. United Way of Washington County East
Kelly Stenerson is the Development and Community Engagement Manager for the United Way of Washington County East. Her role is to educate the community on the importance of philanthropy, while bridging relationships and fundraising for the many agencies that United Way supports. A life-long resident of Stillwater, Kelly is active with the Greater Stillwater Chamber of Commerce and loves to contribute her time and talents with various local non-profit events. Kelly loves living in Stillwater with her husband and her black lab, Luna.
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Bridging Business & Community