Board

An expert board provides guidance to the leadership of Eureka Recycling. Board members have knowledge about topics from finance to organizational planning and management. Their knowledge is supplemented by decades of experience in and around the Twin Cities community. Board members have staggered terms of three years.

Meet the Eureka Recycling Board of Directors

Sarah Berger
Sarah Berger, fund development committee chair, joined the Board in 2010. Sarah has spent the last decade as a non-profit fundraiser, most recently for St. Catherine University. Besides the Eureka Recycling Board, Sarah serves on the board of the School of Environmental Studies Education Foundation in Apple Valley, MN. She also manages her family's farm in Waseca County, MN. The farm, which has been part of her family for nearly 100 years, raises certified organic corn, soybeans, and hay.

Steve Cohen
Steve Cohen joined the Eureka Recycling Board in 2011, where he serves on the finance committee. Steve is the Corporate Controller for International Decision Systems, Inc., an international software developer headquartered in Minneapolis. He has served in a variety of finance leadership roles, primarily in the high-technology sector. Prior to his career in finance, Steve was a consultant to non-profit organizations, predominantly in the arts, helping organizations all over the United States develop marketing, sales, and fundraising programs. Steve holds an undergraduate degree in philosophy from Macalester College and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas.

Kathy Klink, Secretary
Kathy Klink, board secretary, is in her second term on the Eureka Recycling Board. Kathy has been a faculty member in the Geography Department at the University of Minnesota since 1992. She holds a PhD in Climatology and an MS in Geography, both from the University of Delaware, and a BS in Atmospheric Science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She teaches courses in climatology, physical geography, and environmental science. Her research focuses on wind climatology and wind power, and on the effects of climate variability on small grains production in Minnesota and the upper Midwest.

Pamela Lampert, Chair
Pam Lampert joined the Eureka Recycling Board in November 2008. Pam is Sr. Vice President of Human Resources and Communications for the Pohlad Organization and Marquette Financial Companies, providing leadership and oversight to human resource services, organization development, and internal and external communication for a diverse set of businesses. Pam has served in a variety of Human Resource leadership roles throughout her career, in high- and med-tech companies, as well as on her own as an independent consultant. She has participated as a Mentor in the Menttium program for the past three years and has held numerous leadership roles in professional organizations over the years, including the Human Resource Consultants Network and Human Resource Committee of the American Electronics Association. Pam holds an undergraduate degree in psychology from Carleton College and an MBA from the University of Minnesota.

JD Lindeberg, Vice-Chair
JD Lindeberg helped design and develop Eureka Recycling’s current Material Recovery Facility (MRF). JD serves as CFO and Senior Consultant for Resource Recycling Systems, Inc. in Ann Arbor, Michigan. There, he oversees accounting and budgeting for the $3.0 million annual sales firm that focuses on the development of recycling oriented, sustainable, and carbon-neutral consulting projects. JD also serves as managing partner for Cohousing Development Company Inc., a local condominium development company in Ann Arbor, and as CEO of SearthCon Inc., an international real estate development company in Boulder Colorado. Both organizations focus on the construction and sale of earth friendly and energy efficient condominium dwellings. JD is also the President of the Clean Energy Coalition of Ann Arbor, a non-profit organization bringing green energy services and products to southeastern Michigan. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Sciences from Dartmouth College, a Master of Science (Civil Engineering) from Stanford University, and a Master of Public Affairs from Princeton University.

Sara Luoma
Sara Luoma leads the board development committee. She is Senior Operations Manager at BestMark, Inc., a national market research firm in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Sara created and earned an individualized degree in Journalism, Political Science, and Cultural Studies from the University of Minnesota. Sara came to serve on the Eureka Recycling Board through her involvement with the Minneapolis YMCA and Minnesota Assistance Project (MAP) for Nonprofits. She has past experience working with Saint Paul restaurant owners to help limit the amount of food waste in their facilities and to properly manage their recycling programs. She diversified her studies at the Minnesota State Legislature and at the University of Havana, Cuba. Sara also currently serves as Secretary of the Bancroft Neighborhood Association Board in south Minneapolis.

Rick Person
Rick Person has been involved in the field of solid waste management and recycling since 1978. He is retired from the City of Saint Paul Department of Public Works, where he was Program Administrator for solid waste and recycling, which included recycling collection and neighborhood clean-up program, refuse collection system oversight, ordinance enforcement and compliance, as well as citywide sustainability planning. He holds a Bachelor's and MPH degree in environmental health from the University of Minnesota and an MS in urban planning from Iowa State University. Rick is a Past President of the Minnesota Public Works Association; 2007 recipient of Sustainable Saint Paul Award for Citywide Environmental Achievement; and 2008 American Public Works Association Nichols Award for Environmental Excellence recipient.

Pat Sellner, Treasurer
Pat Sellner is the board treasurer and leads the finance committee for the Eureka Recycling Board. Pat is currently Director-Transaction Advisory Services at RSM McGladrey. Mr. Sellner assists clients with financial due diligence and other acquisition-related accounting assistance. Prior to his current role, Pat was Director of Quality Assurance for National Consulting at RSM McGladrey. Pat was responsible for ensuring that services delivered by nearly 1,000 consultants meet the high-quality standards of the firm. Prior to joining RSM McGladrey, he served as the Corporate Controller for a sports management organization and an entertainment company. Pat spent eight years in the audit and business assurance practice of a Big-Four accounting firm serving clients in the broadcasting, construction, entertainment and manufacturing industries. He serves on the City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County Capital Improvements Committees and is a certified public accountant. He graduated from the University of St. Thomas with a B.A. in Business Administration.

Emily Willits
Emily Willits serves on the Eureka Recycling Board's finance and fund development committees. Emily is an environmental attorney who has worked in private practice and in corporate settings and maintains an active pro bono practice representing diverse clients in international human rights and domestic violence matters. She has also served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, where she taught Environmental Law. Emily received her B.A. from Swarthmore College and her J.D. from the New York University School of Law.

Former Board of Directors

David Bjerknes, past Treasurer, is a senior level business finance professional with over 25 years of experience working in small to medium-sized financial institutions. He currently serves as the Vice President of Commercial Banking for St. Anthony Park Bank. David has an extensive background in the development and servicing of portfolios for business and executive/professional accounts. David graduated from the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin.

Tom Eggum is the founding board chair of Eureka Recycling. Tom served as Director of Public Works and City Engineer for the City of Saint Paul, MN from 1989 to 1993 and 1998 to 2001. There he directed the programs, activities, and projects of the department with an annual operating budget of $90 million and an annual capital budget of $50 million. He directed the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of infrastructure having a replacement value of over $2 billion. Tom maintained these services with a mix of public and private services that included 500 employees. He now works part time for TKDA, a Saint Paul-based architecture, engineering, and planning firm. He also serves on the board of Public Art Saint Paul. He received his Bachelor’s degree of Civil Engineering from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering and Master of Public Works Administration from the University of Pittsburgh. He lives on the West Side of Saint Paul with his active family.

Kent Eklund, past Secretary, is the president of Cincinnatus, a consulting firm that provides leadership support services, strategic planning, interim leadership and confidential leadership counsel. Prior to joining Cincinnatus, Kent was president of CEO+, a consulting firm assisting in business transitions, executive searches and interim management. Kent also served as commissioner of two departments under Minnesota Governor Quie and as mayor of the city of Northfield, Minnesota. Kent holds a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in Political Science with a specialization in training and organizational theory.

Barbara Jeanetta has 20+ years of experience in nonprofit and 12 years of experience in local government. She has worked primarily in administrative management positions around finance, human resources, and information technology and in program development and coordination. Currently, Barbara is a Senior Program Officer with Twin Cities Local Initiative Support Corporation – a community development intermediary offering funding, technical assistance, and advocacy to community based development organizations. She has been with LISC for the past 10 years. She has served on the boards of a variety of nonprofits and has held the role of Chair and Treasurer. Barbara has a BA in Political Science from Hamline University and a MA in Public Affairs from the University of MN's Humphrey Institute.

Laura Lewis led the fund development committee of Eureka Recycling’s board of directors. Laura has eight years of experience helping local nonprofits plan, develop, and grow programs. She is currently the owner of Grand Development Consulting, a small fundraising consulting firm that specializes in corporate, foundation, and government grants. Laura is co-owner of eLumen Collaborative, a company that offers standards-based evaluation software and consulting services for higher education and other markets. She has a Bachelor's degree in English and a Master of Liberal Studies degree with a focus in innovation in higher education from the University of Minnesota.

Bob Long was the vice-chair of Eureka Recycling’s board of directors and sat on the finance and fund development committees for the board. Bob is Vice President of Corporate Services & Development with Welsh Companies. He served six years on the Saint Paul City Council and worked seven years as a partner at the law firm of Kennedy and Graven, providing him with extensive experience on a wide variety of economic development, redevelopment and housing projects. While on the City Council, he served as Commissioner of the Saint Paul Civic Center Authority, the Housing and Redevelopment Authority, and the Saint Paul Port Authority, and was involved in many significant Saint Paul projects, including the planning and financing of Saint Paul’s River Centre, the Children’s Museum, and helping to initiate the Port Authority’s development of several new industrial parks. As a Saint Paul City Councilmember, Bob also was a national leader on several important environmental programs, including his role as Chief Author of Saint Paul’s plastic packaging ordinance, for which he received the Sierra Club Environmentalist of the Year Award, and his role as one of the co-founders of the International Council of Local Environmental Initiatives. Prior to serving on the City Council, Bob served as a Special Assistant Attorney General in the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office and as a staff aide to former Saint Paul Mayor George Latimer.

Richard Miller served as board secretary. Richard is a founding board member of Eureka Recycling and a long-time advocate of community-based recycling. He has served as a board member the Saint Paul Neighborhood Energy Consortium, the organization that managed Saint Paul’s recycling program prior to the creation of Eureka Recycling. Mr. Miller has worked for the Minnesota Historical Society for the past twenty six years, presently serving as the building services assistant. Until recently he served on the City of Saint Paul Capital Improvement Budget Committee. Richard is also past board president of the West Seventh/Fort Road Federation, the West Seventh Neighborhood Center, and the Capitol City Co-op. He has served on the Transit Vision Advisory Committee and is currently treasurer of the Uppertown Preservation League

Pat Schoenecker developed Saint Paul's multifamily recycling program during her employment at the Saint Paul Neighborhood Energy Consortium from 1988 to 2000. The program won numerous local and national awards. She also developed two demonstration projects: Reducing Pesticides in Minnesota Schools and a cleaning product project that resulted in statewide toxin reductions. Prior to this work, Pat ran educational programs at the University of Minnesota and the College of St. Catherine and worked for fifteen years in an experimental sustainable community. Currently Pat is a writer and public speaker. She is a regular guest lecturer for environmental studies classes at Minneapolis Community College.

Dotti Shay

Jackie Sticha is the Executive Director of the Como Zoo and Conservatory Society, where she leads all aspects of the organization, including membership and annual giving programs, special events, gift shops, commemorative brick and bench programs and the recent successful capital campaign. Jackie has been leading successful fund development efforts in various nonprofit organizations since 1989. She has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Drake University.

Jeff Stites is a partner with the law firm of Bonnabeau, Salyers, Stites & Doe. He practices in the area of information technology law; serving clients in the health care and financial services industries. Currently, Jeff serves on the board of the St. Paul Neighborhood Energy Connection. Jeff has also served on the board of the Macalester-Groveland Community Council. He holds a law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School and a Master's Degree in Public Affairs from the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.

About Us

Board

Meet the Eureka Recycling Board of Directors

Former Board of Directors