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By Julie Tesch, CEO and President
As we enter the autumn season, I am happy to announce that the Center for Rural Policy & Development recently elected new officers to their board. The officers of CRPD play a vital role in helping set the direction of the organization while also supporting our non-partisan research.
Our new board chair is Anna Boroff. Anna has been a board member since 2016 and is the executive director of the Minnesota Cable Communications Association. She has been active on the board, serving as vice-chair along with serving on both the research and outreach committees. Anna brings a wealth of knowledge on policy issues that affect rural Minnesota and will continue to be an advocate for our research.
Tim Velde has been elected as vice-chair for the next two years. Tim has been a board member since 2012 and serves on our board as the Minnesota Farmers Union representative. Tim farms with his family near Granite Falls, MN, and is involved in a number of organizations helping to advance rural Minnesota. During Tim’s time on the board he has actively served on the research committee and helped with promoting the work of the Center. Tim is passionate about rural Minnesota and how the research CRPD produces can help shape better policy across the state.
Returning as secretary/treasurer is Dr. Tim Houle. Tim as been a board member since 2011 and is the county administrator for Crow Wing County. He has been a past board chair and actively involved in the research, finance, and governance committees. Tim’s commitment to accurate, non-partisan rural research has helped CRPD grow as an organization over the past decade.
Finally, a hearty thank-you to outgoing chair, Steve Wenzel. Steve has helped the organization through a staffing transition over the past two years and remains a steadfast supporter of CRPD and our research. Steve’s knowledge of rural Minnesota issues has helped the organization move forward.
As president & CEO, I look forward to working with our new officer team as well as the rest of our CRPD board members. We have a nineteen-member board that is committed to rural Minnesota and to non-biased, non-partisan research to advance policy in Greater Minnesota.