Our Staff
Administration
Erika Jensen (ext. 101)
Development Coordinator
Contact Erika regarding:
Donations and “Friends of CNC” program
Memorials & Tribute Gifts
Jessie Eckroad (ext. 106)
Communications Coordinator
Contact Jessie regarding:
Print and web communications
Education
Sarah Germscheid (ext. 103)
Director of Education and Visitor Services | Rental Coordinator
Contact Sarah regarding:
Scheduling on-site group programming
Abbey Holden (ext. 118)
Operations Manager | Outreach Coordinator | Animal Care Coordinator
Contact Abbey regarding:
Wisconsin Campus habitat management
Alan Maloney (ext. 104)
Interpretive Naturalist
Outreach Naturalist
Land Management & Maintenance
Todd DeRosier
Maintenance Department Manager
Director Emeritus
Jim Fitzpatrick
Director Emeritus
Part-time & Seasonal Staff
Ryan Alaimo ∙ Crystal Anhalt ∙ Shelley Bowman ∙ Dani Collier ∙ Annika Hellerud ∙ Brad Johnson ∙ Grace Johnston ∙ Erin Mahnke ∙ Isabell Martinez ∙ Clare Neenen ∙ Amber Rappl ∙ Elsa Reilly ∙ Lauren Smith
Our Board of Directors
Carpenter Nature Center is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, all of whom actively support our mission and goals.
Rob McKim
President
Rob McKim joined the CNC Board of Directors in 2017 and served as the Secretary for six years. After taking a two-year sabbatical, he returned and served as Vice President before becoming President of the Board. He also serves as Chair of CNC’s Development Committee and serves on the Nominating Committee. Rob is retired from the Nature Conservancy (TNC) where he worked starting in 1989, directing the Delaware Chapter before moving with his family to Minnesota, where he began his tenure as the Great Plains Program Director.
Gary Porter
Vice President
Gary Porter joined CNC’s Board in 2024. He serves on CNC’s Finance, Audit, and Development Committees. He has an MBA and Ph.D. from the University of Colorado and is a former Professor of Accounting at the University of St. Thomas. Gary is also a Distinguished Lecturer for the Zimpleman College of Business at Drake University and a member of the National Advisory Council. He has served on the Board of Directors at The Phipps Center for the Arts and is currently a member of the CNC Finance Committee.
Steve Klein
Past President
Steve Klein joined CNC’s Board in 2020. He is retired from his role as President and COO of American Security & Investigations in Saint Paul. He currently plays an active role in CNC’s Endowment, Facilities, and Nominating Committee, and serves as Chair of the Autumn in the Valley Gala Planning Committee.
Dave Brown
Treasurer
Dave Brown joined CNC’s Board in 2023. He serves on CNC’s Audit, Endowment, and St. Croix Valley Scramble Committees. He also serves as the Chair of CNC’s Finance Committee. He spent most of his career in public accounting. His work experience gave him significant background in income taxes, accounting, auditing, and management consulting. Much of his experience included nonprofit audits and nonprofit tax planning and compliance. He officially retired from the work force in December, 2022. Dave has also served on the board of directors at FamilyMeans in Stillwater and has been a trustee with the Richfield Foundation.
Susan Barnes Elliott
Secretary
Susan Barnes Elliott joined CNC’s Board in 2023. She serves on CNC’s Finance and Masters of the Sky Committees. After almost four decades of practicing law in Minneapolis, she retired in 2021. The majority of her career was spent at Lindquist & Vennum (now Ballard Spahr) in the banking department. She is also involved with the Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union, and served on the MOU Board for seven years. She wanted to become involved with an organization that directly focuses on connecting kids with nature, which brought her to join the Board at CNC.
Joe Beattie
Joe Beattie joined CNC’s Board in 2024. He serves as Chair of CNC’s Program Committee and serves on the Nominating and Facilities Committees. He was a biology teacher at Hastings High School for most of his teaching career. After retiring in 2022, he moved on to teaching part-time at Inver Hills Community College. He is excited to share his educational background to promote educational programming at CNC and encourage people of all ages to interact with the natural world.
Jim Freund
Jim Freund has been on the CNC Board since 2008. He serves on CNC’s Finance, Facilities, and Carpenter Art Festival Committees. He retired from 3M as finance director of the Consumer & Office Business. He worked at 3M for 35 years and is a Certified Management Accountant. Jim is also a member of the Town of Troy Park Board, Hudson, WI and is a neighbor to CNC’s Wisconsin Campus.
Paul Gerbec
Paul Gerbec joined CNC’s Board in 2018. He serves on CNC’s Development, Personnel, Program, Autumn in the Valley Committees. He also serves as Chair of CNC’s Nominating Committee. He is a resident of River Falls, WI, and is a retired Environmental Engineer from 3M. He studied Chemical Engineering and Zoology at Michigan State, and Miami of Ohio, which set the stage for his work through the years at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Environmental Consulting in Michigan, and 3M.
Gary Griswold
Gary Griswold has served on CNC’s Board since 2003. He has lived on the St. Croix River near Carpenter Nature Center’s Wisconsin campus for nearly 40 years. Gary worked as an attorney and/or in management for 3M from 1972 to 2008.
Gary Kelsey
Coming Soon!
Don Kern
Don Kern joined CNC’s Board in 2001. He serves on CNC’s Finance, Personnel Committees. He also serves as Chair of CNC’s Facilities Committee. Don was a long-term employee of Flint Hills Resources, where he worked with several nature organizations to find a balance between the industrial property use and setting aside critical natural areas. Don was instrumental in the Trailside Lodge project, volunteering countless hours to relocate and renovate the building, which was donated by Flint Hills Resources.
Peggy Ladner
Peggy Ladner joined CNC’s Board in 2025. She serves on CNC’s Development Committee. She retired three years ago from The Nature Conservancy where she served in various leadership positions, including more than 14 years as the Director of the Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota Chapter. She has also served on the boards of St. John’s University, Conservation Minnesota, and the Midway YMCA.
Scott Northard
Scott Northard joined CNC’s board in 2016 serving on CNC’s Development, Finance, Nominating, and Autumn in the Valley Committee, and serving as Chair of the Personnel Committee. He lives in Hastings and is retired from Xcel Energy, where he worked as Site Vice President at the Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant. As a member of the Hastings Rotary Club, Scott volunteered in rebuilding CNC’s three-tiered Ravine Overlook Deck, which is used to access the ravine floor and observe wildlife at treetop level. He annually hosts an Xcel Energy Day of Service at CNC with other retired and current employees.
Scott Sharp
Scott Sharp joined the CNC Board in 2021. He serves on CNC’s Autumn in the Valley Committee and serves as chair of the Endowment Committee. He is the Senior Vice President of Energy Supply Operations at Xcel Energy where his main focus is leadership development and the transition to 100% carbon free energy production. Scott also serves on the Board of the United Way, the NuScale Advisory Board, and the Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Start Board for development and promotion of next generation nuclear technology.
Brett Sitter
Brett Sitter joined CNC’s Board in 2025. He serves as Chair of CNC’s Audit Committee and serves on the Facilities Committee. He has a long history of driving sustainability in the workplace. He previously worked at Andersen Windows on the sustainability team, where he focused on decarbonization and reducing waste to landfill. He is excited to align his passion for the outdoors and his expertise in sustainability with the educational mission of the Carpenter Nature Center.
Leanne Van Allen
Leanne Van Allen joined CNC’s Board in 2025. She serves on CNC’s Finance and Personnel Committees. She brings a strong background in education, leadership, and community engagement through her role as Director of Graduate Programs in the College of Education, Business and Allied Health at UW-River Falls. Leanne has served on numerous local boards and committees and was recently named the 2024 Chamber Member of the Year by the Hudson Area Chamber of Commerce.