McCarthy Center Mentor Program 2020-21 Mentors

McCarthy Center Mentor Program

Meet the 2020-2021 Mentors!

Table of Contents Meet the 2020-21 Mentors!

Arturo Viera Barron .......................................................................................................... 3 Chris Bergstrom ................................................................................................................ 4 Steven Chavez ................................................................................................................... 5 Kevin Clarke ...................................................................................................................... 6 Clement Dai....................................................................................................................... 7 Melissa DeOrio .................................................................................................................. 8 Mike Erlandson ................................................................................................................. 9 Colin Frederick ................................................................................................................ 10 Tom Freeman .................................................................................................................. 11 Barry Griffin..................................................................................................................... 12 Benjamin Hutterer .......................................................................................................... 13 Mark Irion ....................................................................................................................... 14 Sean Kershaw .................................................................................................................. 15 Brendan Klein .................................................................................................................. 16 Chase Kroll ...................................................................................................................... 17 Brenda “B.” Kyle.............................................................................................................. 18 John Lindstrom................................................................................................................ 19 Vic Moore ........................................................................................................................ 20 Cap O’Rourke .................................................................................................................. 21 Tiffany Peplinski .............................................................................................................. 22 Stephanie Pinkalla ........................................................................................................... 23 Gary Prevost.................................................................................................................... 24 Eric Reeve........................................................................................................................ 25 Taylor Reaves .................................................................................................................. 26 Alex Ricci ......................................................................................................................... 27 Jessica Slattery ................................................................................................................ 28 Katie Spoden ................................................................................................................... 29 Patrick Stewart-Hester....................................................................................................30 Drew Stommes................................................................................................................ 31 Edwin Torres ................................................................................................................... 32 Mike Zumwinkle.............................................................................................................. 33

Arturo Viera Barron '19 Congressional Caseworker, U.S. House of Representatives Arturo currently serves as a District Staff Member for U.S. Congressman Marc Veasey in Dallas, TX, where he works primarily on immigration issues and inquiries. Prior to being full-time, he interned for the same Member of Congress as a Jackson Fellow (CSB/SJU). Arturo also volunteers as a U.S. Citizenship Instructor teaching citizenship classes for Legal Permanent Residents preparing for their Naturalization interview. As he recently accepted to join Teach for America, Arturo anticipates teaching Bilingual Education for the upcoming school year. He is a proud public servant, passionate educator, and advocate for social justice and anti-racism.

3

Chris Bergstrom '09 Human Resources & Higher Education Talent Acquisition & College Program Coordinator Chris is a 2009 graduate of St. John’s University with a major in Political Science and a minor in Psychology. After graduation, Chris made his way into the private sector where he spent seven years in the retail industry, managing stores in the field and running a wide variety of departments including Sales, Logistics, Assets Protection, Food Service, Grocery, and Human Resources. Chris now works as a Senior Recruiting Assistant for Securian Financial Group in downtown St. Paul, MN where his focus is mainly in college recruiting. In his time at SJU, Chris was actively involved in Football, Track & Field, and Music.

4

Steven Chavez '74 Attorney & Council Member, Metropolitan Council Steve Chavez is a legal executive with a high profile, broad practice serving Fortune 500 and mid-cap corporate clients in diverse industries headquartered in the Twin Cities area.

Presently, he conducts his multi-national transactional practice from his office in Eagan, which includes ethics, compliance, corporate governance, enterprise risk management, business continuity planning, and government relations. In March 2011, Governor Dayton appointed Chavez to the Metropolitan Council where he serves as the chair of the Litigation Review Committee, vice chair of the Management Committee, member of the Audit and Community Development Committees and as the liaison for the Metropolitan Council to the Metropolitan Airports Commission.

5

Kevin Clarke '08 Urban Planner and Designer Hoisington Koegler Group Inc.

Kevin works as an urban planner and park planner for Hoisington Koegler Group, Inc. based in Minneapolis, MN. After studying economics and political science at St. John's University, Kevin went on to graduate school at the Hubert H. Humphrey School for Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota College of Design to pursue urban planning and landscape architecture. With Hoisington Koegler Group, Inc., Kevin develops comprehensive plans for cities throughout the state and region. These policy documents inform the decisions that cities make regarding land use and the environment, as well as investments in infrastructure, parks, and economic development. His work includes urban design, small area & downtown plans, park plans public engagement, and redevelopment projects for public and private clients.

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Clement Dai '12 Head of Strategic Finance; Special Assistant, New Frontier Bio; JFK Library Foundation Clement Dai is astrategy and investment officer at New Frontier Bio. In this role, he evaluates investment opportunities and business development strategies of early-stage healthcare and biotech ventures. NFB invests and builds innovative biotech and healthcare companies with scientists andentrepreneurs. Prior to NF B, he helped IBM set up a new business unitcommercializing machine-learning-based applications to mitigate air pollution and climate change for governments around the world. In addition, Clement spent time in market entry, product development, and policy research in healthcare and renewable energy sectors. Outside of private sector, he spends time in civic engagement and foreign policy programs and research with John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, Kissinger Institute on U.S.-China Relations at the Woodrow Wilson Center in D.C., as well as United Nations Development Programme in Beijing.

Clement finished his MBA from Harvard Business School where he served as Co- President of Greater China Club, and led HBS team to co-organize Harvard China Forum with Harvard College team as Advisor and Liaison. He holds BA, Magna Cum Laude, and Phi Beta Kappa from St. John’s University MN.

Melissa DeOrio '14 Political & Financial Risk Management Research Associate, Exiger Diligence Melissa DeOrio works as the Turkey case manager at Exiger Diligence, in Washington, D.C. She conducts due diligence investigations on companies andindividuals in Turkish and English to identify political, financial, legal and repetition risks for clients. Diligence Investigations seek to prevent financial crime and corrupt business practices by helping corporations comply with the law across multiple jurisdictions.

Mike Erlandson '86 Public Policy & Communications Principal, Aurora Strategic Advisors Aurora is a big picture of public affairs, government relations and communications firm.

Positions prior to joining Aurora include: Vice President of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs and Vice President of Government Affairs at SUPERVALU (2007- 2013) where he also chairedtheir federalpolitical action committee andhelped lead corporatesocial responsibility; Chief ofStaff toU.S. Congressman MartinSabo(1993- 2006); Member of the Bi-Partisan Policy Center's National Transportation Project (2008-2011); State Chair of Minnesota's Democratic Party (1999-2005). Mike ran for Congress (2006) finishing second in a multi-candidate primary and was elected to the Advisory Neighborhood Commission in Washington, D.C. (1991-94). He has appeared on national television and radio shows including NBC's Today Show, Hardball, ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos, CNN, C-SPAN, and NPR. He graduated from St. John's University and Harvard's Kennedy School's Program for Senior Managers in Government.

Colin Frederick '11 Finance & Technology, Latin America, Caribbean Project Manager, Inter-America Development Bank Colin Frederick works as a project manager at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), which finances development projects and technical support to reduce poverty, advance infrastructure and improve lives in Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to returning to the IDB, Colin was a consultant at the World Bank Group (WBG), where he developed and implemented changemanagement strategies and communication campaigns to facilitate the global launch of a cloud-based technology platform across the WBG. During his first term at the IDB, Colin worked as a senior consultant where he oversaw the project management and analysis of a digital transformation programgearedtoimprove efficiencies,facilitateinnovation, foster collaboration and share knowledge throughout the IDB’s operational initiatives.

Tom Freeman '08 Director, Faegre Drinker Biddle and Reath Tom Freeman is a government relations director. With over a decade of experience in Minnesota politics, Tom has expertise on a range of issues at the Capitol, including taxes, commerce, health care financing, chemical regulation, public safety, bonding and data practices issues. He represents businesses, nonprofit organizations, and trade and professional associations before the Minnesota Legislature, state agencies, and local units of government.

Prior to joining Faegre Drinker Tom served as deputy political director for Minnesota's House Republican Campaign Committee (HRCC) in 2012, Tom managed day-to-day operations for 30 targeted House races and 21 staff members. His role also included candidate recruitment, direct mail, radio, targeted voter contact strategy, precinct analysis, debate preparation and fundraising.

Previously, Tom was committee administrator for the Minnesota Redistricting Committee in 2011-12. As the lead staff member, he was responsible for creating and redrawing legislative and congressional district boundaries. During that time, he also was the committee administrator for the Capital Investment Committee, which passed the first state investment in restoring the Minnesota State Capitol among other important infrastructure projects of statewide significance.

Barry Griffin '09 Attorney-at-Law, Cotsfield Barry N. Griffin an experienced entrepreneur turned Attorney with a specialization in corporate and commercial law. Trained in law in London as a Barrister, Barry now resides in The Bahamas where he is an attorney and business advisor at a boutique commercial law firm and business consultancy. Barry is also a progressive political activist in The Bahamas. He is a ranking member of one of The Bahamas' major political parties, having served as National Chair of its youth arm and now serving as a member of the Leadership Council, the Party's national executive authority.

Benjamin Hutterer '15 Legislative Correspondent, House of Representatives

Ben Hutterer is currently a Legislative Assistant for Representative Ron Kind, where he works primarily on veterans, education, judiciary, immigration, defense, and foreign affairs issues. Previously, he worked in the Senate as a Legislative Correspondent for Senator Baldwin working on veterans, defense, foreign affairs, and homeland security issues. He also worked as a Staff Assistant for Senator Klobuchar and graduated from CSB/SJU with a major in Political Science and minor in Economics in 2015.

Mark Irion '83 Head of Strategic Communications, Hogan Lovells LLP Markis aFormer SenateStafffor energyandenvironmental. He previously was the former CEO of public policy management consultancy, Dutko Worldwide. Mark also served as President of integrated public affairs and marketing communications agency, Levick.

Currently, Mark is the Head of Strategic Communications at Hogan Lovells US LLP.

Sean Kershaw Director of Public Works, City of St. Paul Sean Kershaw currently serves asthe Director of Public Works for the City of St. Paul. Previously, he has worked as the VicePresident of Wilder Center of Communities w here he oversees leadership development, public policy, and the Saint Paul Promise Neighborhood. In 2003, Sean became just the sixth Citizens League Executive Director in its 60year history. Sean has been a member of theCitizens League's 50th Anniversary report on Doing theCommon Good Better prior tobecoming the ExecutiveDirector. Kershaw left his position as a Deputy Director for the City of Saint Paul's Department of Planning and Economic Development (PED), where he had worked for 11 years. Prior to that, he was planning coordinator for the Public Housing Authority in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. Kershaw is passionate about active citizenship, civic organizing, and good public policy. He is a founding member of the Active Citizens School, a young adult civic leadership program, and is currently part of the Minnesota ActiveCitizenship Initiative. Kershaw is on theBoardfor theTwin Cities United Way.

Brendan Klein College Possible Coach/Americorps Volunteer Brendan Klein is a 2019 graduate of CSB/SJU and currently employed as an Americorps Volunteer with College Possible, a St. Paul-based nonprofit. He is currently enrolled in a graduate program at Metropolitan State University, pursuing his Master's degree in Advocacy and Political Leadership. During his time at CSB/SJU, he participated in the Washington, DC Study Program, McCarthy Center, SJU Senate, The Record, and cofounded CSB/SJU United Politics.

Chase Kroll '09 Political Consulting & Communications, Hogan Lovells LLC Chase Kroll brings years of relevant and diversified experience, having runmajorpoliticalcampaigns, legislativeoperations,andhigh- impact advocacy efforts in Washington, DC, for U.S. and international clients. Mr. Kroll has conducted numerous interviews, includingprint,radio,and television,andspokenatconferences related to politics and advocacy.

Brenda “B� Kyle '86 President and CEO, Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce As President and CEO of the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, B represents over 1200 Twin Cities companies of all sizes and industries, as well as not-for-profit and government organizations. The Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce is a dynamic network of businesses and individuals, and is known for its strong advocacy both at a regional and state level on behalf of the business community. Within the community, B is a Midway Chamber of Commerce board member. She also is the 2015-17 president of the Minnesota Precision Manufacturing Association (MPMA), and is editor-in-chief of its bi-monthly trade journal, Precision Manufacturing. B graduated from the College of Saint Benedict and is a veteran of the U.S. Army. Prior to her work at the Chamber, she spent 11 years at the Saint Paul Port Authority, ultimately co-leading its development work on projects such as the Treasure Island Center, and Major League Soccer.

John Lindstrom '63 Retired Judge and Mediator Judge Lindstrom was most recently a Minnesota District Court Judge for the Eighth JudicialDistrict from July1976 to August 2005. From January1973 toJune 1976 hewasa Minnesota State Representative and prior to that, engaged in private practice of law for over nine years. He was the President of the Minnesota District Court Judges Association as well as a member of the Board of Directors for the organization. He is a member of both the Minnesota and American Bar Associations and the National State Trial Judges Association. He has received numerous honors throughout his career, Lindstrom was a Fellow of the American Bar Association and received a Saint John's University Presidential Citation. Since 2005, Judge Lindstrom has been a mediator with Gilbert Mediation Center. He is a 1963 graduate of Saint John's University.

Vic Moore '72 Legislative Consulting, Co-Owner, Franzen and Moore Vic Moore is theco-owner of a legislative consulting company called Franzen and Moore. Prior to that, he worked in the Minnesota State Senate for 22 years, and the last 13 years as a DFL Chief of staff. Before that he was a planner and director at the Minnesota State Planning Agency for 10 years. He graduated with a Government major fromSJUin 1972.HehassatontheBoardofDirectors oftheSt.John'sNationalAlumni Association, and currently serves as the Co-Chair of the CSB/SJU Politics andPublic Policy Alum Chapter. In college heplayed football, basketball and baseball and he is currently on the Board of Directors of the J. Club.

Cap O'Rourke '98 Political Consulting Principal, O'Rourke Strategic Consulting Cap O'Rourke has spent his entire career working as a legislative strategist, policy advocate, and grassroots campaigner. With every experience, he has gain ed a greater understanding of the complex political, financial and human pressuresthataffecthowpublicpolicydecisionsare generallymade.Usingthat experienceCapfounded O'Rourke StrategicConsulting (OSC), which assists organizations tostrengthen their positionand havea greater impact onpolicies in which they are invested. His client base affords him the opportunity to work insidea broad rangeofissues. Hiscareer started while working onseveral political campaigns across the state of Minnesota, which helped him transition to a staff position in the Minnesota Legislature.

Tiffany Peplinski '16 Project Associate, Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research

After graduating from CSB in 2016, Tiffany took a chance and moved to DC without a job. After 9 months as a paid intern and a little over a year as an executive assistant, she accepted her dream job at Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, a Democratic political polling firm.

Stephanie Pinkalla '14 Environmental Policy & Sustainability Government Relations, The Nature Conservancy Stephanie is an alumna doing government relations for The Nature Conservancy at the state and federal level. Before working as conservation advocate, she served as a campaign field organizer, worked for a government relations firm at the Minnesota legislature, ran an urban farm garden, and worked in environmental sustainability. As a student at CSB/SJU she was involved in the Full Circle Greenhouse, Sustainability Alliance, Peer Resource Program, CSB Senate, and in the DC Summer Study Program.

Gary Prevost Professor Emeritus, Political Science, CSB/SJU, Retired ProfessorEmeritusofPoliticalScienceatCSB/SJUretiredafterforty years of teaching in 2017. He is also at Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Author or editor of fifteen books primarily on Latin American politics. Author of more than fifty journal articleswithafocusonsocialandpoliticalmovementsin Latin America, Spain, and South Africa. A CSB/SJU mentor to hundreds ofstudentswhohavepursued careers inacademia, law, non-profit organizations andjournalism.

Eric Reeve '03 Operations Administrator, Mayo Clinic Eric is an accomplished healthcare manager with over 16 years of experience at Mayo Clinic. He has performed in a variety of roles in clinical and non clinical assignments including Operations Administrator, Operations Manager, Health System Engineering Analyst, and Finance Supervisor. Eric's education includes MBA from the CAHME accredited University of Saint Thomas Health Care MBA program and a BA from Saint John's University. Eric has demonstrated leadership in patient care administration, process improvement, finance, change management, and personnel development.

Taylor Reaves '13 Legislative Aide, U.S. Senator Mike Rounds Taylor Reaves works as a Legislative Aide for U.S. Senator Mike Rounds in Washington, D.C. In her position, Taylor advises on the issues of immigration, judicial nominations, law enforcement, civil rights and Native American affairs.

After graduating from St. Ben's, Taylor attended the University of St. Thomas School of Law, where she obtained her Juris Doctor in 2017.

Alex Ricci '13 Professional Staff Member, U.S. House of Representatives Alex Ricci is a 2013 graduate from Saint John's University, and is currently working as a Professional Staff Member in the U.S. House of Representatives. In Congress, he works on crafting higher education policy solutions. Prior to moving to D.C., Alex worked on multiple congressional campaigns in MN. He sees his post-graduate life as a testament to the strength of the Mentor Program - the alumni connections he made as a student referred him to his first jobs after graduation. Alex's experiences as a Saint John's student and graduate have inspired him to seek a career helping people solve problems.

Jessica Slattery '02 Foreign Services Officer, United States Department of State Jessica Slattery is a Foreign Service Officer stationed at the U.S. Embassy, Port au Prince, Haiti through March, 2019. Previously, Jessica was a foreign affairs officer at the State Department in Washington, D.C. in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Office of International Labor Affairs, In the Spring of 2014, Jessica covered the International Labor Organization multilateral diplomacy portfolio in the Department's Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Office of Human Security. In 2013, Jessica also served as a political officer at the U.S. Mission to the European Union covering human rights. She is the recipient of two of the State Department's Meritorious Honor Awards for her work on Bangladesh and two Franklin Honor Awards. Jessica has language skills in Spanish, Russian, Polish, Estonian, French, and Haitian Creole.

Katie Spoden '14 Advocacy and Development Coordinator, Alliance to End Homelessness in Suburban Cook County, Illinois Katie is the Advocacy and Development Coordinator at the Alliance to End Homelessness in Suburban Cook County. In this role, Katie convenes a wide variety of stakeholders to advocate for local and statewide budget and legislative priorities that advance the goal of ending and preventing homelessness in suburban Cook County. She is responsible for crafting and implementing the Alliance’s resource development plan and coordinates an annual census of individuals experiencing homelessness. After receiving her B.A. in Environmental Studies and Political Science from CSB SJU, Katie served as an AmeriCorps VISTA member and led a regional initiative to increase access to healthy, locally grown food. She has worked and volunteered in a variety of roles advocating for sustainable farming and health equity. In August 2019, Katie received her M.S. in Community and Economic Development from Illinois State University.

Patrick Stewart-Hester '13 Chief of Staff, Rep. Elise Stefanik PatrickStewart-Hester is a2013 graduate ofSaintJohn's University. During his time at SJU, he studied history and art and served as the President of the Saint John's Senate. After graduating he moved to Washington, D.C. where he began working in the Minnesota Congressional delegation. Patrick now serves as Chief of Staff for a Republican Congresswoman where he is responsible for the office's strategic planning and oversees policy development, communications strategy, and office operations.

Drew Stommes '13 Political Science & Comparative Politics, Doctoral Student, Yale University Drew is a doctoral student in political science at Yale University, specializing in comparative politics in general and the intersection of elections and violence in particular. His research agenda leverages data and cases drawn from the entire South Asia region. Prior to Yale, Drew received his master’s degree in international relations from the University of Chicago and worked briefly in the private sector as a market research analyst. Additionally, he provided research support at two Washington, D.C.- based think tanks, studied abroad in India as a CSB/SJU student, and worked as a student coordinator at the McCarthy Center.

Edwin Torres '16 Director of Latino Outreach, Amy for America Edwin Torres '16 is an advocate, campaigner, and community leader. Origin ally born in El Salvador, Edwin immigrated to California at a young age and ultimately moved to Minnesota to attend CSB/SJU. Edwin has been awarded and recognized bynational organizations and elected officials for his work advancing the rights of others and for his commitment to community betterment. His story has been featured at various publication from the local level to the New York Times. Previously, Edwin hasserved as the National Director of Latino Outreach for U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar’s Presidential Campaign, Amy for America. Before joining Amy for America, Edwinhasworked inthe privatesector, nonprofitorganizations, andfor severalelections,includingmostrecentlyforU.S. SenatorTinaSmithin 2018.

Mike Zumwinkle '86 Senior Program Officer, Schulze Family Foundation Mike is currently the Senior Program Officer at the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation. He is a public affairs leader with a track record of managing risk and improving an organization's ability to operate in complex and regulated environments. He manages issues at local, state, federal, and international levels and solve multi- dimensional problems that at first glance appear intractable. Mike promotes a supportive political and community mindset in order to advance an organization's reputation, growth, and profit. At the Schulze Family Foundation, he conducts site visits, evaluates grant proposals, assesses program effectiveness, and provides funding recommendations. He also maintains positive relationships with current and prospective grantees, and ensures proper stewardship of foundation resources.