Board of Directors
OFFICERS
Chairman and CEO
Keith Kostuch
Keith Kostuch is an independent consultant. Previously he was Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning at Alltel Corporation and a partner in the Chicago and Amsterdam offices of The Boston Consulting Group, Inc. Mr. Kostuch is a graduate of the University of Chicago and the Harvard Business School.
President
Mitchell B. Pearlstein, Ph.D.
Mitchell B. Pearlstein, Ph.D. is president of Center of the American Experiment, which he founded in 1990. Before his 1990 return to the Twin Cities, Dr. Pearlstein served for two years in the U.S. Department of Education, during the Reagan and (first) Bush administrations, where he held three positions, including Director of Outreach for the Office of Educational Research and Improvement. Just prior to his federal service in Washington, Dr. Pearlstein spent four years as an editorial writer and columnist for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, where he focused on foreign and national affairs. He also has been special assistant for policy and communications to Gov. Albert H. Quie of Minnesota; a research fellow at the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota; assistant to University of Minnesota President C. Peter Magrath (pronounced Ma-grah); director of public information at Binghamton University; a reporter for The Sun-Bulletin, again in Binghamton; and a columnist for CityBusiness and Twin Cities Business Monthly.
Chief Operating Officer, Executive Vice President & General Counsel
Kim Crockett, J.D.
Kim Crockett is Center of American Experiment’s Chief Operating Officer, Executive Vice President and General Counsel. She is the Executive Director of Minnesota Free Market Institute at Center of the American Experiment. Prior to joining the Minnesota Free Market Institute and the Center, Kim served as corporate counsel to a national bank and had a long legal career in commercial real estate law.
Kim, who is an enthusiastic student of the American Revolution and the written U.S. Constitution, has been a member of the Federalist Society since 1984 when she founded the student chapter at Penn Law in Philadelphia. She is currently Chairman of the Minneapolis Lawyers Chapter. She has a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Minnesota and a J.D. from Penn Law (1987). Kim also started a small business in 2004 where she serves on the board. Kim is a retired member of the Deephaven City Council and chairman of the five-city Excelsior Fire District. She has served Governor Tim Pawlenty as an appointee to Minnesota Compensation Council and the Minnesota Supreme Court as member of the Committee on Minnesota’s Code of Judicial Conduct.
Vice Chairman
Thomas O. Kelly, III
Attorney
Dorsey & Whitney
Mr. Kelly is a partner in Dorsey’s Finance & Restructuring Department, focusing on representing creditors in bankruptcy and out-of-court restructurings. Prior to his return to law practice in 2008, Mr. Kelly was the Senior Credit Officer for Default Management for GMAC-RFC’s warehouse lending and correspondent loan purchase businesses. Mr. Kelly also has extensive experience in commercial finance and mortgage finance, including leveraged acquisitions, mortgage warehouse lending, other forms of asset-based financings, structuring and negotiating the terms of multi-layer business financings, and other credit-related transactions.
Secretary
Mark S. Larson
Attorney
Messerli & Kramer
Mark S. Larson is a shareholder with Messerli & Kramer P.A., where he chairs the firm's general business and banking department. He is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association, the Hennepin County Bar Association, and the Business Law, Tax, and Health Law Sections of the Minnesota State Bar Association. Mark has a bachelor's degree and a law degree from the University of Minnesota.
Treasurer
Scott Rile
Principal
Bernstein Global Wealth Management
Scott C. Rile is a principal at Bernstein Global Wealth Management. Previously, Scott worked in account management at Comdisco, Inc., and in marketing at Eastman Kodak. He has a bachelor's degree in business from the University of Wisconsin and a master's in finance from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management.
BOARD MEMBERS
Edward C. Anderson
CEO
National Arbitration Forum
Edward C. Anderson is widely published in the areas of litigation, litigation reform, and alternative dispute resolution. He is the managing director and chief executive officer of the National Arbitration Forum, a nationally acclaimed alternative dispute resolution organization. Before joining the Forum, Edward taught and practiced law in Minneapolis and Washington DC. His community involvement has included service on the boards of the Minnesota Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the Federalist Society. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School.
Mitchell Davis
Business Leader
Davisco Foods
Mitch Davis grew up working in the family cheese making and spray drying business. Mitch graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Science degree in Food Science and Nutrition. Since then, he has worked in all areas of the company with emphasis in the whey and whey fractions processing including membrane processing and evaporation as well as crystallization and ion exchange. Mr. Davis also manages our dairy cow system where we manage 12,000 animals and milk 6,300 cows.
Ronald E. Eibensteiner
Venture Capitalist
Wyncrest Capital, Inc.
Carolyn Erickson
Partner
CSM Investments
Carolyn Erickson is a partner with CSM Investments. Previously, Carolyn worked as Legal Counsel for Holiday Companies, which owns and operates convenience stores in the Upper Midwest. She continues to serve as an Advisory Director on Holiday’s board. Carolyn’s community involvement includes working with a number of local organizations, most recently serving on the board of the Children’s Cancer Research Fund and fundraising for the Jungle Theater. Carolyn is a graduate of the University of Colorado and the University of Minnesota Law School.
John F. Gibbs
Vice President, Government Affairs
Comcast
John F. Gibbs has more than 20 years of legal and telecommunications experience. He is currently vice president of state government and regulatory affairs for Comcast Corporation, in which role he oversees state-level government affairs activities across Comcast's 39 state service area . Over the past several years, he provided counsel to the franchise transfer activities associated with Comcast’s acquisition of AT&T Broadband and other major industry transactions, including the mergers of AT&T and MediaOne, AT&T and TCI, and AOL and Time Warner. John is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and of William Mitchell College of Law.
Harrison T. Grodnick
Owner & Manager
Minneapolis Portfolio Management Group
Harrison T. Grodnick established Minneapolis Portfolio Management Group, LLC, in 2004. Prior to that, he served as senior portfolio manager for the Minneapolis Portfolio Management Group at Wachovia Securities and as an assistant account manager in the institutional trust department of Firstar Bank of Minnesota. Harrison holds a bachelor's degree in international relations/global economics and political science from the University of Wisconsin.
John W. Hedberg
Retired Business Executive
Hedberg Family Foundation
John W. Hedberg is a retired business executive. He serves on the board of directors of the Hedberg Family Foundation. Previously he served as CEO of Hedberg & Sons Co., a building materials and real estate development company. John holds a bachelor of laws degree from the University of Minnesota.
Lowell W. Hellervik
CEO
Personnel Decisions International
Lowell W. Hellervik is chairman of the board, president, and chief executive officer of Personnel Decisions International. He is an expert in helping executives clarify and achieve objectives for organizational change. Under his direction, Personnel Decisions International has grown from a small, local consulting firm to a premier, international consulting firm with 27 operating offices around the world. Lowell completed his doctorate at the University of Minnesota, where he is currently on the adjunct staff as a clinical associate professor.
Robin Norgaard Kelleher
Attorney
Seaton, Beck & Revnew, P.A.
Robin N. Kelleher is an attorney with the firm of Seaton, Beck & Revnew and practices exclusively in the areas of labor and employment law. She first joined the firm in 1996, and after serving for a time as the deputy commissioner and acting commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, she recently returned to the firm. Previously, Robin taught music at the elementary school level, and she worked as a realtor and residential real estate developer. She is active in fundraising for the American Cancer Society and for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. She is a graduate of William Mitchell College of Law.
Jack Lanners
CEO & Business Leader
F.T.L. Corporation
Jack Lanners is president and chief executive officer of F.T.L. Corporation, which owns MGM Liquor Warehouse stores; president of R.P. Royalties, Inc.; and officer/partner with LannCo LLC, which specializes in commercial real estate development. He served as chairman of the Metropolitan Airports Commission for eight years (March 2003 – February 2011). Jack is a member of the boards of directors of the Woodbury Chamber of Commerce and the Minnesota Licensed Beverage Association. He attended Marquette University.
Rick Leggott
Founder & CEO
Arbor Capital Management
Rick D. Leggott is Chief Executive Officer and Portfolio Manager at Arbor Capital Management which he founded in January 1997 after 10 years at Investment Advisers, Inc. (“IAI”). Arbor was founded on the tenants of: portfolio managers that own and control the firm and limited asset capacity. Leggott launched the IAI small cap growth product in 1990 and grew it to $2.0 billion by the end of 1996. During this time he developed a top-quartile long-term performance record and engineered the “rebate” of approximately $400 million of client assets in an attempt to control asset growth. Leggott is a summa cum laude graduate with an M.B.A./B.S. from the University of Nebraska. He received his Chartered Financial Analysts designation in 1989.
Eduard Michel, M.D.
Co-Founder
Virtual Radiologic Corp.
Dr. Eduard Michel co-founded Virtual Radiologic Corp in 2001 and served as the Company's Chief Medical Officer until 2011. During this period Virtual Radiologic became the largest radiology practice in the country, employing over 400 physicians and providing radiology professional services to more than 2,700 hospitals in the U.S. Previously, Dr. Michel served as Assistant Professor of Radiology at the University of Minnesota and attending Neuroradiologist at Hennepin County Medical Center and North Memorial Medical Center. Dr. Michel completed his education at the University of Minnesota, and his Radiology residency and Neuroradiology fellowship at the University of Minnesota Hospital. He has authored more than 60 scientific articles and presented more than 45 scientific seminars at medical conferences around the world.
Richard G. Morgan
Attorney
Bowman & Brooke
Rick Morgan’s practice encompasses product liability, commercial and intellectual property litigation involving chemical and electronic products, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, construction materials and food products for clients including Ecolab, H.B. Fuller, Honeywell, Toro, Cargill, Davisco Foods, and Starkey Laboratories. Acknowledged by his opponents as “one of the best cross-examiners” in practice, Rick honed his reputation for efficiency as a federal prosecutor, and his ability to enthrall juries as a political pundit. As a business leader, Rick is a member of the executive and management committees of Bowman and Brooke and he serves on the Minnesota Law School board.
Kenneth W. Morris
VP, Author & Speaker
The Apercu Group
Ken Morris is an author and speaker on topics related to leadership development, human resources, business development, diversity, and emerging market opportunities. He is currently the vice president of diversity and inclusion at Boston Scientific. Ken is a graduate of the Hamline University School of Law.
Thomas J. Rosen
CEO & Business Leader
Rosen's Diversified Inc.
Thomas J. Rosen is the president and CEO of Rosen’s Diversified, Inc., which operates principally in food and agricultural industries. Tom is on the executive committees of the Minnesota Business Partnership, the Minnesota Agri-Growth Council, and the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. He is also on the leadership circle for the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation and is a member of the Fairmont Rotary. He was inducted into the Minnesota Business Hall of Fame July 2006. Tom holds a degree in business administration from Morningside College.
Ronald J. Schutz
Attorney
Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi
Ronald J. Schutz is chairman of the Intellectual Property Litigation Group at the national law firm of Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P and a member of the firm's Executive Board. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and has received many other rewards and recognitions for his legal skills including being named as one of 15 Attorneys of the Year in 2004 by Minnesota Lawyer and being included in the Best Lawyers in America (Eleventh Edition to the present). Mr. Schutz is very active in civic affairs. He served as President of the University of Minnesota Law Alumni Association and is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the YMCA of Metropolitan Minneapolis and the Alumni Advisory Board of the University of Minnesota Law Review. Mr. Schutz also serves as an at-large member of the Governor's Judicial Selection Commission. Mr. Schutz received a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Marquette University, which he attended on a fully paid ROTC Scholarship, and his law degree from the University of Minnesota. Mr. Schutz served four years on active duty in the United States Army JAG Corps.
Charles E. Spevacek
Attorney
Meagher & Geer, P.L.L.P.
Charles E. Spevacek has over 25 years of experience litigating complex commercial disputes, much of it in the trial and appeal of insurance coverage disputes. A partner at Meagher & Geer, he currently serves on the firm's management committee. Chuck has been involved with several noteworthy cases that have produced landmark verdicts. Chuck is widely recognized, having been named a "Top 100 Super Lawyer" and a "Top 10 Appellate Law Super Lawyer." He was named by Minnesota Lawyer as one of its 15 "Attorneys of the Year" for 2006. Chuck has served on the board of directors of the Purdue Alumni Association.
Bruce Taher
President & CEO
Taher Inc
Born in Iran, Bruce Taher immigrated to the U.S. alone at the age of 19. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from the University of Oklahoma, and an MBA from the University of Missouri in Kansas City. To support his studies, he took a dishwashing position at school, which ultimately led to his successful career in the hospitality industry. In 1981, Bruce founded Taher, Inc. Bruce enjoys maintaining a hands-on approach to improving the service Taher provides. Every six months, he travels with Taher's Chef Council to a foreign country to research new foods and recipes, allowing him to get directly involved in creating fresh menu selections for his customers. More than 29 years later, Bruce still ensures Taher and its 1,500-plus employees adhere to the company's founding philosophy: every day, Taher strives to make its food unforgettable. He currently serves on the TwinWest Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and has been involved with a variety of the chamber’s initiatives, including its Business-Education Partnership Task Force, Leadership TwinWest program, and Emerging Leaders program.
