Chair

Alberto Monserrate

Alberto is co-founder and CEO of NewPublica, a public relations and strategic communications firm focusing on new audiences and new communications. He was elected to the Minneapolis School Board in 2010 and served as chair, 2012-2014, is a former board chair of Hiawatha Academies, and served on the founding boards of KIPP MN and Twin Cities Academy. Alberto currently serves on the advisory editorial board of Minnesota Business Magazine. His work also included roles in Radisson Hotels International, Ameriprise Financial, Wells Fargo Advisors, Latino Communications Network, Minnesota Senate, and the Minneapolis Public Schools.

Vice Chair

Stan Alleyne

Stan serves as the chief of communications and partnerships for Vitals Aware Services. Previous roles include communications at Tunheim, chief of communications for Minneapolis Public Schools and, in North Carolina, director of communications for Buncombe County Schools and public relations officer for Wayne County Schools.

Rob Albright

Rob is a principal and founder of Alternative Strategy Advisers, a boutique investment firm based in Minneapolis. Prior to this, he was the president of EW Blanch Asset Management, an asset management business. Rob has also worked for Cargill Financial Markets and the LEK Partnership.

Rosita Balch

Rosita is a planning analyst at Hennepin County, specializing in family advocacy. She also supports Latino families through the Latino Youth Development Collaborative, empowering parents with information and advocacy skills. Rosita is a graduate of Universidad de La Salle.

Becky Erdahl

Becky is the executive director of the Carolyn Foundation, which has assets of $32 million and conducts grant-making in Minneapolis and New Haven, Conn. Becky has been with the foundation for 15 years and previously was a principal with the Philanthropy Consultancy and vice president of community relations for The Pillsbury Company.

Al Fan

Al served as executive director for MN Comeback and Charter School Partners, and worked at General Mills—in various marketing and sales positions—at Accenture, and with numerous organizations in the areas of technology, systems development, and strategic planning. Al serves on the board of trustees for The Minneapolis Foundation and on the national board of directors for College Possible.

Ethan Gray

Ethan is a partner at the City Fund, a nonprofit organization that supports city-based efforts to help more children access great public schools. Ethan was previously the founder and CEO of Education Cities, a national nonprofit network that supported and advised city-based education organizations on their efforts to improve public education. Before his role at Education Cities, Ethan served as vice president of The Mind Trust in Indianapolis, where he helped develop the ‘Opportunity Schools’ plan for transforming Indianapolis Public Schools.

Bernadeia Johnson

Bernadeia is an assistant professor at Mankato State University; she previously served as superintendent of the Minneapolis Public Schools and oversaw academic achievement for 36,000 students and 7,000 staff members. Bernadeia is a former fifth grade, National Board Certified teacher who has also been a building principal. She also serves on the board for the National Council on Teacher Quality.

Tad Piper

Tad retired from Piper Jaffray having served as vice chairman of Piper Jaffray Companies since its spinoff from US Bancorp. He also served as CEO of Piper Jaffray for 17 years and as chairman for 15 years. Tad currently serves on the boards for numerous nonprofit and publicly traded organizations.

Pat Ryan*

Pat worked at Ryan companies for 35 years, including serving as its president and CEO for a decade. He now serves as the chairman of the board. Pat is also the board chair of the University of St. Thomas, past president of YPO and a current member of the World Presidents’ Organization. His further work within the community includes serving as a board member of Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, and trustee of Children’s Cancer Research Fund. He is also a founder of Cristo Rey Jesuit High School—an inner-city college preparatory school for under-resourced children and is chair of the Spring Point Project, which is focused on finding a cure for diabetes.

Phil Soran

Phil is a serial technology entrepreneur who was inducted into the 2016 Minnesota Business Hall of Fame. He was awarded a Life Time Achievement award by the MN High Tech Association in 2019. Other awards that Phil has received include the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year, 2017 Outstanding Board Director, El Dorado Ventures Entrepreneur of Year, and the MSP Business Journal selected Phil as the inaugural inductee to the Titans of Technology Hall of Fame. Phil co-founded three different technology companies: Flipgrid is an ed tech company purchased by Microsoft in 2018; Phil was CEO of Compellent Technologies, which went public on the NYSE in 2007 and was acquired by Dell in 2011; and Phil was CEO of Xiotech, which was purchased by Seagate in 2000. Phil serves on the boards of Piper Jaffray, SPS Commerce, Claros, Spineology, and Foodsby. He serves as a Trustee for the University of Minnesota Foundation and University of St. Thomas. Prior to his technology career, Phil was a junior high math teacher. 

Sandy Vargas

Sandy served as the president and CEO of The Minneapolis Foundation from 2007-2016. During her tenure, the foundation’s grant-making more than doubled, from $37 million to $80 million each year. Before joining the foundation, Sandy had been the Hennepin County Administrator.

Ben Whitney

Ben is the founding dean for the St. Catherine University School of Business. He began his career as an attorney with the Popham, Haik law firm specializing in regulatory affairs. He spent over a decade in the venture capital field as general partner of the Gideon Hixon Fund which invested in early stage software, information services, and medical technology companies in Minnesota and Silicon Valley. He spent several years managing statewide political campaigns. In 2005, Ben was nominated by President George W. Bush as ambassador to Norway, where he served until 2009. He has served on the boards of The Minneapolis Foundation, EdAllies, and Prodeo Academy.

Michael O’Connell*

Before retiring in 2015, Michael was the pastor at Church of the Ascension in North Minneapolis and The Basilica of Saint Mary. Acknowledged as a visionary leader in the Twin Cities, Michael is the founder of the popular Basilica Block Party and the Jeremiah Program. He is also recognized for his dedication to interfaith relations, often working with the Downtown Interfaith Pastors Association and the Jay Phillips Center for Jewish Christian Learning Board. Michael serves on the boards of the Ciresi Walburn Foundation for Children, the Lundstrum Center for the Performing Arts, and EdAllies; he is a former board member of the Northside Achievement Zone and the Jeremiah Program.

Sondra Samuels

Sondra is the President & CEO of the Northside Achievement Zone, a collaborative of over 30 partner nonprofits and schools. Along with parents, students, partners, and staff, Sondra is leading a revolutionary culture shift in North Minneapolis focused on ending multigenerational poverty through education and family stability. The NAZ Collaborative is working toward a single goal—to prepare low-income North Minneapolis children to graduate from high school college- and career-ready. NAZ has scaled up in support of over 1,000 parents and 2,300 students as they turn the social service model on its head and lead the creation of a college-bound culture throughout the community.

Ed Spencer*

Edson Spencer, Jr., is the founder and chairman of Affinity Capital Management, a health care focused venture capital firm with five venture capital funds and $165 million of committed capital under management. Prior to founding Affinity Capital, Ed was an officer at Dyco Petroleum, an oil and gas exploration company.