Board of Directors

F. M. (Tim) Farrell became a Minnesotan in the mid-70s, attracted here from the East Coast with his wife Noreen to work for 3M. The family has called Grant Township, Mahtomedi and now St. Paul home. Because the rail line that has become the Gateway Trail passed through their neighborhood, they became active supporters first of the Gateway and then the Parks & Trails Council. Biking and hiking became a family tradition. Minnesota's reputation for abundant outdoor opportunities is well honored in the Farrell household. Tim took advantage of an "early out" program from 3M in 1997 after 24 years service, mostly in running laboratory operations. This included a four-year assignment in Europe (Hamburg, Germany). He is now self-employed and works with small companies on technology and business development projects. Retirement is a concept that refuses to come into focus. Besides his Parks & Trails interests, he works on "social justice" issues, and enjoys travel, woodworking, history, and private flying. Tim and Noreen have a married son Mark (wife Mindy) and a daughter, Alanna.

Marcia Hillestad is the co-owner of Cove Point Lodge on the North Shore of Lake Superior. An Apple Valley resident, Marcia is a lifelong Minnesotan who was born and raised in Fosston in the northwestern corner of the state. She is a graduate of Concordia College in Moorhead and former elementary education teacher. She is a lifetime member of the Gitchi-Gami Trail Association and a board member of the Superior Hiking Trail Association.

Bob Erickson is a retired senior vice president for Starkey Laboratories, Inc. Prior to that position, he was a part owner of Opitz Outlet in St. Louis Park and senior vice president for Finance and Operation at the University of Minnesota. Currently on the board of directors of Haug Foods, Erickson also has been involved in a number of other boards and charities over the years, including the Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce, the Bloomington Port Authority, the Citizens League, the Bloomington School District, the Carlson School at the University of Minnesota, the Harriet Tubman Center and more. In 1996, he was appointed by the governor to the Board of Trustees of Minnesota State Colleges & Universities, which he supported by developing a fundraising bike ride around the state of Minnesota in 2002. With his wife Nancy, and grown children, Jay & Chad, Erickson enjoys travel, music and biking.

David Dixen is a retired commercial airline pilot who currently serves as the Parks & Trails Council's board secretary. In addition to being an active member of the Civil Air Patrol, David is also a member of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), where he teaches driver's safety classes. Other organizations in which David is a member include: the Gateway Trail Association, the International Mountain Bicycling Association, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and the Experimental Aircraft Association. He is a former member of the State Bicycle Advisory Board. A Certified Flight Instructor, David has also farmed on and off for about 50 years. He is an avid bicyclist and outdoor enthusiast who is active in his White Bear Lake church. David loves to both sing and dance. David lives with his wife Carol Pierce in White Bear Lake.

Carol Backstrom works in government and community relations for Health Partners and Regions Hospital. She recently completed a masters program in healthcare administration at the University of Minnesota. Carol's lifelong interest in hiking and canoeing began at her family's cabin on Gunflint Lake. She is the current president of the Minneapolis City of Lakes Rotary, is on the board of the Minnesota Visiting Nurse Agency, and is still involved with YMCA Camp Menogyn, where she was a camper and staff member. She is married to Scott Chambers, a process engineer at Quality Bicycle Products. They live in Cottage Grove with their Beagle, Seamus, and a nameless cat.

Bruce W. Blackburn is a partner in the law firm of Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly LLP where he practices in the areas of employee benefit plans, trusts and estates and tax-exempt organizations. He graduated from Valparaiso University with a Bachelor of Arts degree and received his Juris Doctor from the University of Minnesota Law School. Mr. Blackburn is primarily involved in two related areas; employee benefit plans and income and gift and estate tax planning. He represents privately owned businesses on qualified retirement plans and nonqualified deferred compensation plans. Mr. Blackburn also represents clients in the formation of businesses as well as in the acquisition, sale or other disposition of a business with emphasis on the income and estate tax planning for the owner and the transfer of ownership within a family. Active in the legal community, Mr. Blackburn has served on the Board of Governors for the Minnesota State Bar Association and the Governing Council and Executive Committee of the Hennepin County Bar Association. He is a member of the Employee Benefits and Probate and Trust Law sections of the Minnesota State Bar Association and the Midwest Pension Conference. He has also served on the Citizens League board of directors and was the first chairman of the Minnetonka Housing and Redevelopment Authority. Minnesota Law & Politics recognized Mr. Blackburn as a "Super Lawyer" 1999-2003. Mr. Blackburn has an interest in birds, bugs and trees that he attributes to his early Boy Scout activities where he earned the rank of Eagle Scout. His hobbies include golfing and bird watching. Mr. Blackburn has also been active in environmental organizations, including the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute at Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin and the now defunct Northern Environmental Council.

Barbara Burgum is a former trail planner with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Division of Trails & Waterways where she was responsible for completing comprehensive trail plans for the Paul Bunyan, Harmony-Preston and several other state trails. Barbara's DNR responsibilities also included conducting visitor surveys. She received a degree in landscape architecture from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities and a bachelor's degree from North Dakota State University in Fargo.

Kathleen Connelly is an attorney with her own practice. In addition to serving on the board of the Parks & Trails Council, she also serves on the board of the Minnesota Hobby Beekeepers Association and volunteers at the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and at the Textile Center of Minnesota. She enjoys canoeing, hiking, cross-country skiing and birdwatching. Kathy has been involved as a volunteer lawyer with Parks & Trails on a number of land acquisition projects.

Dudley Edmondson is a nature photographer, author and all around outdoor enthusiast. When he is not working on a photographic or book project, he spends most of his free time cycling, kayaking, skiing or trail running. He is proud to admit that he owns three bikes and is always looking for another one to add to his collection. Dudley's most recent project is his first book: Black & Brown Faces in America's Wild Places. He spent the last four years traveling around the nation in search of other African Americans who were as passionate about the outdoors as he was. The goal of his book is to encourage other African Americans to get out and experience nature for their own mental and physical health. If the book is successful he hopes it will also ensure stewardship for the environment among people of color across the nation.

Elaine Elnes is a retired teacher who taught Family and Consumer Sciences for 34 years in the North St. Paul, Maplewood and Oakdale school districts. She has degrees from St. Olaf College, the University of Minnesota and the University of St. Thomas. Elaine is a former member of the Encampment Forest Association Board of Governors. She is married to Charles Silverson, a retired investment counselor. They both enjoy spending time at their cabin on Lake Superior, hiking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. The two are currently working on visiting all of Minnesota's State Parks, filling up their State Park Passport and getting all the patches. As of November 2006, they have visited 62 of the parks.

Tim Eschweiler grew up in New Hampton, Iowa, and currently lives in St. Paul with his wife, Emily. He received a degree in public administration from the University of Northern Iowa in 1991, and a juris doctor from William Mitchell College of Law in 2003. Tim is an attorney with Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly where he practices commercial real estate law.

In his free time, Tim enjoys playing golf, running and biking. Tim met Emily in Duluth and together they enjoy hiking with their dog Molly at Gooseberry Falls State Park and other trails along the North Shore. Tim and Emily are expecting their first child in September.

Peter Gove held executive positions for 25 years with St. Jude Medical and Control Data Corp. He was Gov. Wendell Anderson's environmental assistant, Pollution Control Agency (PCA) executive director and a founding member of the Environmental Quality Board before working on the U.S. Senate staff and as chief of legislation for the National Park Service. He was the first chairman of the Mississippi National River Recreation Area (MNRRA) Mississippi River Commission, founded Friends of the Mississippi River (FMR) and remains an FMR board member. He and his wife, Mary, have two children and one grandson. Mr. Gove graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University and completed the Stanford University Executive Program.

Thomas A. Gump is a Principal and Managing Broker of Neighborhood Development Partners, LLC (NDP), a Minneapolis-based real estate development company. Prior to co-founding NDP, Tom represented builders, contractors and homeowner associations while practicing law at the Minneapolis law firm of Larkin Hoffman. Upon establishing his specialty, Tom went on to serve as General Counsel for a regional land development firm, co-founded another development company then joined as a Principal with The Beard Group, Inc. Tom has lectured for numerous educational services and written for real estate periodicals. He is a licensed attorney in four states, an Adjunct Professor at the University of St. Thomas on real estate development topics, and he writes a monthly column called "Developer's Corner," for the Minnesota Real Estate Journal, for which he serves on the Editorial Board. Tom lives in Edina, Minnesota with his wife Catherine and three-year-old son Andrew.

Rudi is a manager at Midwest Mountaineering in Minneapolis. The retail store strongly supports outdoor recreation and nature preservation initiatives. Rudi was for six years the president of the Superior Hiking Trail Association and has served on the Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota board since 1998. He served several years representing hikers on the Minnesota Recreational Trail Users Association. He is currently on the Parks & Trails Council's Outreach Committee. Through his side business, North Shore Photo Art, Rudi routinely donates usage of photos for Parks & Trails Council brochures and other purposes. He participates in numerous art fairs and is a featured photographer at Blue Iris Gallery in Duluth. Rudi owns a home near Split Rock Lighthouse and resides in Marine On St. Croix when in the Twin Cities.

Hubert H. "Skip" Humphrey III is the senior vice president and public affairs counsel at Tunheim Partners and the president of the Minnesota Chapter of American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). He served as the Minnesota State Senator for District 44 from 1973 to 1982 and was the Minnesota Attorney General from 1983-1998. He is an avid biker and golfer.

Ann Johnson, Director of Community Affairs, Delta Dental of Minnesota. Ann is responsible for corporate giving, community affairs, oral health education/outreach, and corporate volunteerism. Before joining Delta Dental of Minnesota, Ann served in various positions within the non-profit, academic and government sector, including ten years in the Minnesota Attorney General's Office, Special Projects Division. Ann is a graduate of the University of Minnesota receiving a B.S. in Technical Communications and a M.A. in Leadership from Augsburg College. She currently serves on the boards of Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota, Ordway Circle of Stars, Minnesota Alliance with Youth, co-chairs Smiles Across Minnesota, and is involved in leadership and advisory capacities for several children, health and youth based organizations. She enjoys hiking, camping and snowshoeing.

John Lindstrom recently retired as a Minnesota District Court Judge for Minnesota's Eighth Judicial District where he served from July 1976 to August 2005. Prior to that he served as a Minnesota State Representative for District 21A from January 1973 to June 1976 and prior to that he was a practicing lawyer in Willmar from 1966 to 1976. Mr. Lindstrom was awarded the Minnesota District Judges Association's "Distinguished Service Award" in 1984 and a Presidential Citation from St. John's University in 1996. Mr. Lindstrom graduated from St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota with a Bachelor of Arts degree and received his Juris Doctor from the University of Minnesota Law School. He is a longtime member of the Sibley State Park Association. He is married with three children. He also has four grandchildren.

Grant Merritt served as president of the Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota from 2004 to 2007 and has served on its board since 1995. Born in Duluth in 1934, Merritt has demonstrated his deep
commitment to environmental issues throughout his distinguished career. A practicing attorney for the law firm of Kalina, Wills, Gisvold & Clark, P.L.L.P., Merritt works in the areas of environmental regulation and litigation, transportation, municipal law, governmental relations, and real estate. In addition, Merritt is a member of the Anoka County Bar Association and the Minnesota State Bar Association, secretary and board member of the Canada-Minnesota Business Council and board member for Clean Water Action. Merritt also served as commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) from 1971 to 1975 and as a member of the Great Lakes Water Quality Board from 1972 to 1975.

Judge David Minge has served on the Minnesota Court of Appeals since 2002. Born in Clarkfield, Minnesota and raised in Worthington, David has spent most of the last 30 years living in Montevideo. David graduated from St. Olaf College and the University of Chicago Law School. He was an associate at the Faegre and Benson law firm in Minneapolis and taught at the University of Wyoming College of Law. He moved to Montevideo in 1977 and practiced with the law firm of Nelson, Oyen, Torvik, Minge and Gilbertson for 15 years. In 1992, David was elected to Congress to represent Minnesota's 2nd District where he served from 1993 to 2001. Since leaving Congress, David has been involved in a variety of activities including teaching at the University of Minnesota at Morris, fellowships with the Kellogg Foundation and the Woodrow Wilson Center, and special projects with the Blandin Foundation and the Minnesota Project. David currently serves on the boards of the Minnesota Land Trust and the Friends of the Minnesota Valley. David was also one of the founders of the Montivideo-based Clean Up the River Environment (CURE) and has been involved with a number of educational organizations. David is married to Karen Aaker Minge. They have two sons, Erik and Olaf, and one grandson. David and his wife Karen enjoy biking, cross-country skiing, hiking and canoeing.

Charlie Mitchell recently retired from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Parks and Recreation Division, where he served for more than 40 years. Starting out as a clerk at Flandrau State Park, Charlie later became Park Manager for Camden, Flandrau and Sibley state parks. From 1972 until his retirement in 2002, he was the Regional Manager for the Southwest region. Currently, he is president of the Friends of Flandrau. He is also vice president of the Concord Singers, a German Männerchor, of which he has been a member for 30 years.

Jonathan Morgan is a retired lawyer and seminary administrator. He is on the board of the St. Paul Area Council of Churches Foundation and Oak Meadows Retirement Home. He is also a moderator at Olivet Congregational Church and a trustee emeritus of Northland College. He is married to Martha Morgan, who is also retired.

Bill Morrissey is a St. Paul native who graduated from Cretin High School and the University of Minnesota College of Forestry. He worked for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for 30 years before retiring in 2003 as Director of the Division of Parks and Recreation, a position he held for 16 years. As director, Bill collaborated with the Parks & Trails Council on many projects including the creation of Grand Portage State Park and other acquisition projects. Following his tenure with the DNR he served two years as Director of the Bureau of Parks and Recreation for the Wisconsin DNR. In 2004, Bill received the Reuel Harmon Award along with Don Davison. Bill enjoys many outdoor pursuits including visiting state and national parks (and he has been to many), civil war battlefields, camping, hiking, downhill skiing, biking, in-line skating, canoeing and golfing.

Deborah Muehlbauer is an attorney with Edina-based Jeffrey C. Paulson & Associates Ltd., Deborah counsels wind project owners, developers and landowners on land, leasing and development issues. Deborah represented the Parks & Trails Council in a high-profile 386-acre land acquisition deal that resulted in the state’s newest recreation area at Greenleaf Lake halfway between Hutchinson and Litchfield. She currently serves on the land acquisition committee. Deborah graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School. She lives in Minneapolis.

Nan Upin Murphy currently serves as the Director of Communication for the Minneapolis-based cardiovascular group of Boston Scientific. Prior to joining Boston Scientific in 1996, Nan headed corporate communications for both NordicTrack and Aveda Corporation, overseeing their media relations, community relations, corporate giving/philanthropy and internal communications. Her background is in publishing, having worked in publicity for Houghton Mifflin and Little, Brown in Boston and Harcourt Brace Jovanovich in New York. Nan was part of the core group who created the national trade association Business for Social Responsibility and was elected to its board of directors. She has also served on board committees for the Minneapolis Children's Center, WomenVenture, Walker Art Center's Bride Club and the Library Foundation of Hennepin County. She is an active volunteer with Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery and The Bridge for Runaway Youth. Nan is a Minnesota native and graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Madison and a regular user of Minnesota's hiking paths and trails.

Erik Nelson is a Macalaster College Class of 2003 graduate who holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geology. A video producer for Flying Colors, Inc., Erik is an avid Minnesota state parks user that enjoys hiking, biking, canoeing and camping. Erik continues to study geology as a hobby and enjoys examining different types of rocks. His favorite state park is Tettegouche. Erik is a graduate of Minneapolis South High School.

Bob Nesheim teaches psychiatry at the Duluth Family Medicine Residency Program, but also works at Hamm Clinic, a nonprofit community mental health resource in downtown St Paul. This weekly shuttle evolved from a full-year grant through the Bush Medical Fellows Program. He is a board member of the Superior Hiking Trail Association, with past service as vice president, treasurer, and finance and nominations chairs. He is committed to completing the SHT treadway through Duluth and joining with the North Country National Scenic Trail. Other interests include canoeing, seakayak treks, dogmushing and sheepranching (retired), hiking and backpacking, and on-road but very-quiet motorcycles. Creeping maturity suggests renewed interest in legitimate bicycle treks. Prior board positions include the Arrowhead Chapter, American Guild of Organists, church Music/Worship Boards, Stewardship and special projects funding. He is married to psychologist and fiber-artist Marlys Johnson, past chair of the Duluth Art Institute. Phase-of-life concerns now mandate support for sons Andrew and Matthew, both Parks & Trails members, who attend local Minnesota colleges. Bob and Marlys have - and that repeatedly - sold lakefront and rural homesteads, and relocated back into the city. Thus, they intentionally rely on open and public access to Minnesota´s parks, trails and waterways.

Kandace Olsen is the vice president of communications and human resources for Great River Energy, a not-for-profit wholesale electric cooperative. She has aided Great River Energy in developing and communicating its stewardship of the environment including wind energy, GreenTouch and many other efforts. She has served on the board of Touchstone Energy®, the Phillips Community Energy Cooperative and the Fort Mandan Foundation in North Dakota. She currently represents the Parks and Trails Council on the Minnesota Environmental Fund board of directors. Kandace enjoys sailing, in Minnesota and in warmer climates.

Jeff Olson is an attorney who has practiced law for more than 25 years, primarily in the area of commercial litigation. A Hamline University School of Law graduate, Jeff served as Parks & Trails President from 2002 to 2004 and has served on the Executive Committee since 1999. He currently chairs the Legislative Committee. Jeff also served as president of Fort Snelling State Park Association from 1997 to 2002 where he continues to serve as a board member. In addition, Jeff served as a Three Rivers Park District Commissioner and has assisted several community organizations in various capacities, including serving as president of the Eden Prairie Rotary. Jeff and his wife Sue live in Eden Prairie. They enjoy hiking wherever they can, but especially the Superior Hiking Trail on the North Shore or in Fort Snelling State Park.

William Opsahl is the founder and CEO of William Opsahl Associates, providing strategic consulting services to large private investors, corporate owners and senior managers seeking future opportunities and the human and financial resources to successfully pursue them. Bill has worked with a number of clients, including: Rockefeller Brothers, the Louisiana-Pacific Corporation, Altair Ventures Group, Sun Country Airlines and Pentair, Inc. Prior to founding William Opsahl Associates, Bill served as an executive vice president at Georgia Pacific (Superwood) Corporation where he was responsible for managing more than 500 employees as well as directing all acquisition and investment related activities. He also worked as a business journalist for Knight-Ridder Publications. Bill currently serves on a number of boards and commissions, including: the Governor's Commission on Arts Funding, the Minnesota Venture Capital Association, Iron Range Resources and the Minnesota Chorale. In addition, Bill is the current Vice Chair of the Minnesota Republican Party's 5th Congressional District and is a member of the Republican Party of Minnesota's Central Committee. An honors graduate of Yale University with a degree in Engineering, Bill is the current Minnesota Representative for the Yale University Alumni Association. He attributes his deep commitment to protecting our environment to his logging family roots. Bill's hobbies include grouse hunting, hiking, training dogs and singing with Orchestra Minnesota's Minnesota Chorale.

Mike Prichard has been a Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota member for more than 20 years. He has served as an officer on the board of directors with a few respites since 1988, and was its president from 1991 to 1994. A lifelong outdoor recreation enthusiast, Mike loves hiking, biking and cross-country skiing. A former partner with the Dorsey & Whitney law firm where he served for more than 30 years, Mike has been actively involved with several nonprofit organizations including as president of the Friends of the Parks and Trails of St. Paul and Ramsey County from 2002 to 2005. He currently serves as a state director for the foundation that is principally responsible for constructing and maintaining the Ice Age National Scenic Trail that stretches 1,000 miles across Wisconsin. Mike and his wife Lyne have a vacation home on the St. Croix River in St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin. Mike received the Reuel Harmon Award in 2006 for his lifelong commitment to Minnesota's parks and trails.

Peggy Prowe is a retired physical educator who taught for 33 years in Kansas and at Carleton College and guided student canoe trips in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA). She was a member of the Northfield City Council from 1990 to 2000 and is currently a board member of the Mill Towns Trail Friends. She served two years as the chair of the Southeastern Minnesota Association of Regional Trails (SMART) and is a statewide trails advocate. Peggy is a longtime member of Parks & Trails Council and faithfully biked the Southeast loop during the organization's historic 50/50 ride in 2004. Peggy volunteers for the Rotary, the Senior Center and the Northfield Park Board. She is married to Diethelm Prowe, a history professor at Carleton College. Peggy and Diethelm have a son and daughter-in-law living in Washington, D.C. and a daughter and granddaughter living in Oakland, California. Peggy lists several pastimes, including: biking, gardening, traveling throughout Europe and advocating for trails. Peggy's main interest now is the Mill Towns Trail where she envisions the day when the trail will connect the Sakatah/Singing Hills Trail in Faribault with the Cannon Valley Trail in Cannon Falls.

Mike Tegeder is pastor of the church of St. Edward in Bloomington, Minnesota. He has served at Metropolitan parishes for the last 30 years. A lifelong Minnesotan, Mike has grown up with a passion for the outdoors. Encountering Sig Olson's books in high school at the Minneapolis Public Library led to a love for the BWCA. For many years he has shared this love with the youth of his parishes. Mike has previously served on the Board of Parks & Trails and has been a long time member. He also serves with Commonbond Communities and other civic organizations. Mike has a special appreciation for the Parks & Trails Council and its very dedicated members.

Steven Thorne is a retired attorney who divides his time between homes in Bayport and rural Lake County. Most recently he was a partner in the St. Paul law firm of Jacobson, Buffalo, Schoessler & Magnuson, Ltd. He remains "of counsel" at that firm. He has served on the boards and as chairman/president of the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy and the Superior Hiking Trail Association. He spent five years as a Minnesota Special Assistant Attorney General and 11 years as Deputy Commissioner of the Minnesota DNR. Steve was a professor of forestry at Penn State for three years. While in Pennsylvania he also served on the board of the state chapter of The Nature Conservancy. Steve is married (Georganne) and has two sons. He enjoys music, wilderness canoeing, cycling, hiking, gardening, reading, travel and politics.

Chuck Tryon is the Director of Business Development for General Mills, Inc.’s Green Giant Business Unit. He began his career with Pillsbury in marketing in 1990 after receiving his Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. He also received a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the University of Minnesota. Chuck is an active youth sports coach and enjoys the wide variety of outdoor recreation activities that Minnesota offers. He lives in Plymouth with his wife, daughter and son.

Leonard E. Wabasha is the acting director of Cultural Resources for the
Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux (Dakota) Community.

Sue Woodrich retired from the Three River Parks District as the Director of Park and Trail Operations. Earlier in her career Sue was the Director of Health and Fitness for the Minneapolis Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA). She has served on the City of Minnetonka Park Board and the Encampment Forest Association. Sue and her husband, David Knoblauch, enjoy spending time at their North Shore cabin, cross county skiing, hiking and traveling.