Board of Directors
Tim Haugen
Board Member
Barb Peterson
Board Member
Kevin Walli
Board Member
Mitch Ringe
Board Treasurer
Retired, General Mills
Affiliation:
Family Member
Following completing a Ph.D in Food Science at Iowa State University, Mitch spent 31 years with General Mills. He retired as athe Director of Research and Development in 2016. During that time he and his wife Judy Marie raised a wonderful family. Their youngest son, Christopher is lives in a Hammer & NER group home in Plymouth. Mitch and Judy are involved in volunteering with eQuality Pathways to Potential, Hammer & NER, and Special Olympics MN. In their spare time, they enjoy cooking, travel and fly fishing.
Laurie Moga
Board Secretary
Mahtomedi School District
Affiliation:
Family Member
Laurie has worked at the Respite home for 30 years, retiring in 2018. She has a brother that lives in a Hammer & NER group home.
Laurie has worked the past 13 years for the Mahtomedi School District and currently works at the schools transition program as a Job Coach. She resides in Mahtomedi with her husband Doug. She has three sons and a daughter. Two sons are married and she has three grandchildren. Laurie enjoys spending time with her growing family, going on walksand bike rides, out to dinner with friends and reading a good book.
Julie Wesley-Wong
Vice President
Osseo School District
Affiliation:
Family Member
Julie’s connection began when her brother, Mickey, moved in to Hammer’s Boys Floor in 1978. He was 11 years old and Julie was 12 years old. It has been more than 40 years since that big day. Julie is glad to say her brother still lives a happy and full life at Hammer & NER.
Over the years, Julie has witnessed many great changes in how Hammer & NER provide services and she is pleased with the future direction of the organization. She has known many of the people supported through the years and has watched them grow to middle-aged adults. Julie has also gotten to know several staff members along the way, The relationships that she has built over all these years are so important to both Julie and her brother.
Their mother, Mary, was on the Board for several years. She instilled the importance of serving the community and giving back in Julie. When Mary was no longer on the Board, she served on committees. When she was not able to serve on her last committee due to her age and illness. Julie was able to serve in her place for several months, and continues to be part of Hammer & NER.
Michelle Olson
Board Member
Minnesota State Offices Employment and Economic Development Department
Affiliation:
Family Member
Michelle and her husband Steve have three daughters. Tiffany, their oldest daughter has been supported by NER’s respite and extended day programs. Tiffany now lives in a Hammer & NER group home.
Michelle is a retired RN. Her daughter Chrissie is also a RN and her youngest daughter Nikki is a cosmetologist. Michelle’s hobbies include yoga, walking, going to movies and spending time with her five beautiful grandchildren.
Kevin Walli
Board Member
Law firm of Fryberger, Buchanan, Smith & Frederick
Affiliation:
Community Member
Kevin Walli has been in private practice with the law firm of Fryberger, Buchanan, Smith & Frederick for 30 years. His primary focus has been representing clients in the legislative process in Washington, D.C. and St. Paul. He also has an Administrative Law Practice which is focused on securing permits for energy projects.Prior to joining the Fryberger law firm, Kevin worked with various City, County and State governmental entities in an administrative capacity and supporting their legislative efforts.
Kevin received his J.D. Degree from William Mitchell College of Law and his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Gustavus Adolphus College. Kevin and his wife Tani Maruyama live in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Barb Peterson
Family Member
Clinical Professor, University of Minnesota School of Nursing
Affiliation:
Family Member
Barb is a Clinical Professor at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing and am the Specialty Coordinator for the Psychiatric Mental Health Doctor of Nursing Practice program. She is also the Director of Diversity, Inclusion and Equity for the School of Nursing. She is also a Fellow in the National Academies of Practice.
She has been a Psychiatric Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist for about 25 years and have practiced in multiple psychiatric care settings, mostly serving at-risk children and families. Her current practice is at Community University Health Center (CUHCC) in Minneapolis. Barb holds a Bachelor in Nursing from Minnesota State University Moorhead, a Masters in Nursing from the University of Minnesota, and a PhD in Nursing from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Her research focus is mental health in children and adolescents, the effects of trauma and nightmares, and mental health needs of immigrant and refugee families. She has also coordinated global learning experiences for nursing students to Kenya, Brazil, Iceland, and Cuba.
Barb’s son, Micah, lives in a Hammer & NER group home in St. Anthony.
Don Haberman
Board Member
Markwest, Inc.
Affiliation:
Family Member
Don founded Markwest Inc., a manufacturers rep agency in 1973, and is currently the owner and president. As a small business owner and former leader of several business and civic organizations. Don believes his experiences and background can benefit Hammer & NER greatly. He looks forward to giving his time and financial support to Hammer & NER, which will help maintain its reputation as a great organization supporting individuals with developmental disabilities.
Don and his wife, Heidi, have been married for 40 years and have two children, Angela and Katie. Their daughter, Katie, is supported by Hammer & NER in an apartment program in Eden Prairie. Don, and Heidi are thrilled with the support Katie receives which helps her to be independent and live in her own apartment.
Greg Hanson
Board Member
MATTER
Affiliation:
Family Member
Greg spent the first 40 years of his career as a senior leader in sales and marketing with different manufacturing companies. The second half of his career is as an independent sales rep working with a local nonprofit called MATTER, where he conducts employee engagement events for companies that combine team building with charitable giving and service to the community. Greg and his wife have three grown children, one of whom, Meg lives in her own apartment in Plymouth, supported by Hammer & NER
One of Greg’s personal goals is to provide meaningful input and participation to a great organization that cares for Meg, and to help focus on the abilities of individuals supported by Hammer & NER. Greg is hopeful that the experience he brings to the board will provide value to the organization.
Tim Haugen
Board Member
Senior Vice President
Huntington National Bank
Affiliation:
Community Member
Tim spent 14 years in the Medical Implant Device and Medical Software business in many capacities. Sales, Marketing, Strategy, and Senior Management positions. For the last 14 years, he has held several positions at Huntington National Bank. Tim is currently the Senior Vice President and runs four divisions.
Brad Heitzinger
Board Member
Attorney, Lathrop GPM
Principal, Obsidian Group
Affiliation:
Community Member
Brad is an attorney with Lathrop GPM, where he practices in the areas of real estate and finance. He is also the CFO/principal of Obsidian Group, a commercial real estate firm. Brad has a master’s in tax law from the University of Washington and a law degree from Creighton University.
Brad is passionate about giving back to the community and making a difference. Throughout his career, he has provided pro bono legal work for low-income taxpayer clinics and various non-profit organizations.
Richard Stoebe
Board Member
Retired, Community Volunteer
Affiliation:
Community Member
Rich, Anne, and daughter April enjoy being outdoors, traveling, and spending time with extended family. The Stoebe family lives in Woodbury and are active with their local Blazing Stars Special Olympics Team.
Now retired, Rich enjoyed a career in marketing and general management that included a variety of assignments with 3M. Prior to retirement, he spent the encore segment of his career in advocating for people with all abilities. He applied his marketing experience to help launch the new Living Well Disability Services brand and also served as Chief Marketing Officer and Interim CEO for The Arc Minnesota.
Rich has a BA degree from the University of Minnesota, Morris.
Kelsey Swanson
Board Member
Deloitte
Affiliation:
Community Member
Kelsy lives in Minnetonka with her husband and two young children. She works at Deloitte as an Audit Senior Manager, where she has spent 12 years providing financial audit and assurance services to clients across the Midwest. Kelsey attended college at Luther College where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in both Accounting and Business Management.
Kelsey has been a member of the Hammer & NER Finance Committee since January 2023. She has also been a member of the Board of Minnesota Milk Bank for Babies for three years, serving as the Treasurer since January 2021.
Kelsey brings her experience, and knowledge in accounting and finance management to aid in Hammer & NER’s mission to enable individuals with disabilities to live their best life. She loves being a role model to family and colleagues on the importance of giving back to the community.
Through her line of work, she has seen inside the operations and finance functions of many entities of all sizes and industries. She has attended numerous board meetings as a third-party auditor. As a result, she has significant experience in seeing various issues arise and best practices for resolution, as well as working with board governance.
Robert Lockwood
Board Member
Retired, Cardinal
Affiliation:
Family Member
Bob stays involved and keeps active in the community. His daughter Dru is supported by NER. Bob’s Oldest daughter Stacy, also supported by Hammer & NER, and passed away in 2020.
Bob is widowed and lives with his sister Sally in New Brighton. For 60 years he has been a volunteer in many agencies serving people with developmental disabilities and other needs. He had a long career in computer engineering and executive management. He helps Hammer & NER with problems faced in today’s cultural and economic climate.
Blaine Stephens
Board President
Perforce
Affiliation:
Community Member
Blaine Stephens is married to Julia and has a daughter, Claire, and a son, Dan. Blaine works for Perform, and has a background in cost reduction for businesses and nonprofit organizations. Blaine’s hobbies include walking, reading, traveling and dining.
Nancy Wurm
Board Member
Communications
Affiliation:
Community Member
Nancy grew up in Anoka, MN and attended St. Cloud University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communications with a minor in Mass Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations. She has worked in sales for over 20 years. Being active in the community was instilled in her at young age through involvement in 4-H, school, and church. Nancy is a former North Wind Princess for the St. Paul Winter Carnival. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, decorating her newly remodeled home, traveling, reading, and dance aerobics.
Nancy believes in the reward of giving back and being a servant leader to others: she feels she can learn from others on the Board as well as residents. She believes if you can put a smile on someone’s face you have made a huge connection. Nancy believes her knowledge of having worked in a nonprofit organization will help her along with her sales background and ability to listen to all sides of a situation and be a critical and objective thinker.