MinnPost announces new additions to its board of directors

At a moment of expansion for MinnPost, I’m thrilled to share that we’re adding nine community leaders as new members to our nonprofit’s board of directors.

Babette Apland has over 30 years of experience leading strategy, and launching and growing new services and products to improve health and wellbeing for individuals and society. Babette was the founder of American Public Media’s Call to Mind, a national media initiative focused on mental health. Early in her career, Babette partnered with ophthalmologists to create the Phillips Eye Institute in Minneapolis. As senior vice president of health management at HealthPartners, Babette spearheaded the development of nationally recognized health and well-being programs. As COO of the Melrose Center for Eating Disorders and vice president of Behavioral Health, she led major growth and innovation in mental health services.

Judy Yates Borger is an award-winning journalist, whose work has appeared in MinnPost and other Minnesota and national publications since 1976. Her three fictitious mysteries, set in the Twin Cities, are published by Nodin Press. She has served as chair of the Twin Cities chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and Open Book. She and her dog, Peanut, live in Minneapolis.

Wendy Holmes is the president of Wendy Holmes Consulting, with over 30 years of experience in real estate, arts management, fundraising, and community engagement. She has led projects in over 300 U.S. cities, focusing on creative infrastructure and space-related challenges. Passionate about equitable community development, Wendy, a lifelong Minnesotan with Illinois roots, is known as a “community whisperer” who excels at solving complex community development puzzles and amplifying creative voices. Outside of work, she enjoys biking, walking her dog, Donut, singing, and connecting with creative individuals.

Jennifer Martin is the president/executive director of the Martin and Brown Foundation and an active community volunteer. She has previously served on the boards of Planned Parenthood North Central States, Westover School, Growth and Justice, Mental Health Association of Minnesota, and the ACLU of Minnesota. She currently serves on the board of the Walker Art Center. She has a B.A. from Northwestern and an MBA in accounting from the University of Denver. Jennifer is returning to MinnPost’s board of directors having previously served as the organization’s treasurer. She’s a strong believer in MinnPost’s mission. In her own words: “Independent journalism with stories written by thoughtful, smart journalists are needed now more than ever.”

Ruth Mickelsen, J.D., MPH, is a senior lecturer at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and affiliate faculty of the Center for Bioethics. Ruth practiced health law in the public sector, in private practice and as in-house counsel for over 25 years. She is a former Bush fellow and has been named an Alumni of Notable Achievement by the University of Minnesota. Ruth has served on the Health Partners Board of Directors, is a past trustee of the Mitchell Hamline School of Law and a past board member of the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School.

Alberto Monserrate is a leading expert in multicultural communications and marketing and the CEO and co-founder of NewPublica, where he focuses on media relations, crisis management, community engagement, and public affairs campaigns. Previously, he co-founded Latino Communications Network, publishing La Prensa de Minnesota and Vida y Sabor, and managing Spanish radio stations La Invasora 1400 and 1470 AM. Alberto has served as chair of the Minneapolis School Board and was the board chair for Great Minnesota Schools, with extensive experience across education, strategy, and nonprofit leadership.

Benjamin Toff is an associate professor at the Hubbard School of Journalism & Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota where he is also director of the Minnesota Journalism Center. His research focuses on the public’s changing relationship with news as well as its political implications, and he is co-author of “Avoiding the News: Reluctant Audiences for Journalism” (2023, Columbia University Press). He holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a B.A. in social studies from Harvard University, and in between he worked for six years at The New York Times.

Sharon Kennedy Vickers is a tech leader committed to infusing love into the co-creation of digital solutions that support shared abundance and collective liberation. She is the CEO of Software for Good, a company at the forefront of the Tech for Good movement. Previously, Sharon served as chief information officer for the City of Saint Paul, where she led efforts to ensure digital services were equitable and accessible to every resident. She leads with intuition and inspires her team to cultivate their unique gifts and unleash their genius in purposeful service, shaping a world where technology is built with love — the highest good for all. A co-founder of Techquity and organizer of the civic hackathon Code Switch, Sharon is dedicated to tech equity and inclusion. A fourth-generation farmer from Georgia, she also co-owns HK Farm, which practices sustainable farming and land stewardship.

Anna Wasescha has been the president of West Central Initiative since 2017. Prior to returning to Minnesota, she served as president of Middlesex Community College in Middletown, Connecticut. In addition to decades of work dedicated to higher education in both private and public colleges and universities, she also spent a dozen years organizing a community gardening project in St. Paul called Farm in the City.

While we welcome these new board members and their leadership for MinnPost’s next chapter of growth, we’re also thanking several members who are rotating off the board, but who leave a legacy that has ensured MinnPost is a model for nonprofit news organizations across the country. Many thanks to Fran Davis, Jack Dempsey, Nancy Feldman, Max Musicant and Rebecca Shavlik for their many years of service!

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, MinnPost has a board of directors — all volunteers — to oversee the governance and advancement of our mission. The board plays no role in editorial direction or decision-making.

Tanner Curl

Tanner Curl is MinnPost’s executive director. He oversees the organization’s management, strategy and revenue development.

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