ST. PAUL, MN - Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan today announced the following appointments to the Distribution of Endowment Fund Earnings Task Force, Minnesota Humanities Center, Task Force on Holistic and Effective Responses to Illicit Drug Use, and Young Women’s Initiative.

Denise Dittrich - Champlin, MN
Distribution of Endowment Fund Earnings Task Force
Member
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: January 15, 2026
New Seat

Tracey Fiereck - Sauk Rapids, MN
Distribution of Endowment Fund Earnings Task Force
Member
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: January 15, 2026
New Seat

Tracy Lhotka - Ogema, MN
Distribution of Endowment Fund Earnings Task Force
Member
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: January 15, 2026
New Seat

Aaron Vande Linde - Saint Paul, MN
Distribution of Endowment Fund Earnings Task Force
Member
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: January 15, 2026
New Seat

About the Distribution of Endowment Fund Earnings Task Force:
The task force must examine the historical returns on the permanent school fund endowment and evaluate and recommend potential changes to the distribution of earnings. The task force may examine school trust endowment policies in other states. The task force recommendations may include proposed changes to state statutes and Minnesota's constitutional provisions governing the school trust fund endowment.

Additional information about the Distribution of Endowment Fund Earnings Task Force can be found on the Secretary of State’s website.

Marcheta Evans - St. Paul, MN
Minnesota Humanities Center
Member
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: January 3, 2028
Replacing: Ali Elhassan

John Flinn - Morris, MN
Minnesota Humanities Center
Member
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: January 3, 2028
Replacing: Annamarie Hill

Matt Lindstrom - Collegeville, MN
Minnesota Humanities Center
Member
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: January 3, 2028
Replacing: Kristin White

Carter Meland - Duluth, MN
Minnesota Humanities Center
Member
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: January 3, 2028
Replacing: Rebecca Evan

Josh Ney - St. Louis Park, MN
Minnesota Humanities Center
Member
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: January 3, 2028
Reappointment

Kim Schaufenbuel - Owatonna, MN
Minnesota Humanities Center
Member
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: January 3, 2028
Reappointment

About the Minnesota Humanities Center:
The Minnesota Humanities Center conducts professional development opportunities for educators and the public, creates and disseminates one-of-a-kind educational resources, partners with a variety of communities and organizations to offer humanities-based programs statewide, offers and manages state and federal grant monies to statewide organizations pursuing humanities-based projects, and operates a full-service meeting and event center.

Additional information about the Minnesota Humanities Center can be found on the Secretary of State’s website.

Christopher Bates - Rosemount, MN
Task Force on Holistic and Effective Responses to Illicit Drug Use
Member with Knowledge of Expungement Law
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: June 30, 2025
New Seat

Lauren Graber - Minneapolis, MN
Task Force on Holistic and Effective Responses to Illicit Drug Use
Member Representing an Organization with Knowledge of Youth Intervention Services and the Juvenile Justice System
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: June 30, 2025
New Seat

Dziwe Ntaba - Minneapolis, MN
Task Force on Holistic and Effective Responses to Illicit Drug Use
Member who Resides in a Community that has been Disproportionately Impacted by Drug Sentencing Laws
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: June 30, 2025
New Seat

Bradley Ray - Duluth, MN
Task Force on Holistic and Effective Responses to Illicit Drug Use
Academic Researcher Specializing in Drug Use or Drug Policy
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: June 30, 2025
New Seat

About the Task Force on Holistic and Effective Responses to Illicit Drug Use:
The Task Force on Holistic and Effective Responses to Illicit Drug Use was established by the legislature to review reports on approaches to address illicit drug use in Minnesota, develop a phased timeline for implementation of policy changes, and make policy and funding recommendations to the legislature.

Additional information about the Task Force on Holistic and Effective Responses to Illicit Drug Use can be found on the Secretary of State’s website.

Rania Abdullahi - Edina, MN
Young Women's Initiative
Member
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: July 31, 2025
New Seat

Josibeth Elena Aguilera - Tenstrike, MN
Young Women's Initiative
Member
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: July 31, 2025
Replacing: Reyna Davila-Day

Sita Baker - Minneapolis, MN
Young Women's Initiative
Member
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: July 31, 2025
Reappointment

Maya Betti - Shoreview, MN
Young Women's Initiative
Member
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: July 31, 2025
Replacing: Sophie Hoiseth

Bridget Cisneros - West Saint Paul, MN
Young Women's Initiative
Member
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: July 31, 2025
Replacing: Oluwatomi Omiwade

Sundus Dhayow - Saint Paul, MN
Young Women's Initiative
Member
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: July 31, 2025
New Seat

Mikayla Draughon - Minneapolis, MN
Young Women's Initiative
Member
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: July 31, 2025
New Seat

Ruthe Johnson - Minneapolis, MN
Young Women's Initiative
Member
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: July 31, 2025
New Seat

Natividad Renee Herrera Garcia - Apple Valley, MN
Young Women's Initiative
Member
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: July 31, 2025
New Seat

Sophie Hunter - Minneapolis, MN
Young Women's Initiative
Member
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: July 31, 2025
New Seat

Maya Larson - Minneapolis, MN
Young Women's Initiative
Member
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: July 31, 2025
Replacing: Riss Leitzke

Mumtaaz Mahammud Hirsi - Apple Valley, MN
Young Women's Initiative
Member
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: July 31, 2025
New Seat

Lillian Masinde - Bloomington, MN
Young Women's Initiative
Member
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: July 31, 2025
Replacing: Madisen Lo

Saynab Mohamed - Minneapolis, MN
Young Women's Initiative
Member
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: July 31, 2025
New Seat

Kavya Nair - Shakopee, MN
Young Women's Initiative
Member
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: July 31, 2025
Replacing: Lanaya Laurent

Valahlena Rahyne Steeprock - Bemidji, MN
Young Women's Initiative
Member
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: July 31, 2025
New Seat

Amy Ruiz Plaza - Woodbury, MN
Young Women's Initiative
Member
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: July 31, 2025
Reappointment

Maria Shavers - Saint Cloud, MN
Young Women's Initiative
Member
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: July 31, 2025
Replacing: Solana Madison

Himeeka Sunbeeb - Savage, MN
Young Women's Initiative
Member
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: July 31, 2025
Replacing: Lori Martin-Kingbird

Brook Swanson - Duluth, MN
Young Women's Initiative
Member
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: July 31, 2025
Replacing: Reauna Stiff

Nalani Vang - Cottage Grove, MN
Young Women's Initiative
Member
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: July 31, 2025
New Seat

Ely Zeimet - Minneapolis, MN
Young Women's Initiative
Member
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: July 31, 2025
Replacing: Iman Ibrahim

Alexa Mae Zuniga - Minneapolis, MN
Young Women's Initiative
Member
Effective: September 1, 2024
Term Expires: July 31, 2025
Replacing: Rayann Abdulkadir

About the Young Women’s Initiative:
Launched in 2016, the Young Women’s Initiative of Minnesota (YWI MN) is a partnership between the Governor’s Office, the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, and the YWCA. The YWI MN cabinet consists of young women and gender-expansive youth aged 16-24.

YWI MN centers the leadership and solutions of young women of color, American Indian young women, young women from Greater Minnesota, LGBTQ+ youth, young women with disabilities, and gender-expansive youth. The initiative brings together nonprofits, businesses, government, philanthropies, and young women to promote equitable systems that benefit all, grounded in the belief that when young Black, Indigenous, and women of color in Minnesota thrive, families and communities thrive. The YWI MN’s statewide partnership and direct investments in young women and gender-expansive people are now being replicated across the nation through the National Philanthropic Collaborative of Young Women’s Initiatives.

Additional information about the Young Women’s Initiative can be found on the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota website.

The Governor and Lieutenant Governor are seeking qualified and diverse individuals who are passionate about using their knowledge, skills, and lived experiences to serve the state of Minnesota. A list of boards and commissions, including open positions, can be found on the Minnesota Secretary of State’s website.