About Our Board

About Us: Board of Directors Bios

Tom Guettler (thomasguettler@msn.com) joined the board in 2009 and is Chair of the Board. From 2007-2008 Tom was executive director of Farm in the City in St. Paul, Minnesota, a nonprofit with a mission of “Growing healthy children and communities through urban gardening and environmental arts.” During 2006 he was a board and strategic development consultant at MAP for Nonprofits in St. Paul, Minnesota. From 1973-1982, Tom’s first job was as operations manager and salesperson for his family’s rural Minnesota feed manufacturing plant, agronomy center and grain storage facility. His most recent volunteer work is with the Minnesota Food and Justice Alliance, whose members are working to understand and navigate barriers of race, class and gender that affect the regional food system.

Greg Pesky (gregpesky@gmail.com) joined the board in 2009, and is Vice-Chair. He is a marketing and product management executive, currently serving as the Director of Commercial Consideration and Brand Integration for Advance Auto Parts. He also has held management positions with General Mills and Select Comfort. He currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Director for the Lee Pesky Learning Center, a Boise, Idaho non profit, and also served as Board President from 2000-2002 for Project Foundation, a Minneapolis-based organization providing transitional housing for homeless teenagers. Greg received a Masters in Business Administration from The Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College and received a B.A. in History from Lafayette College in Easton, PA. He currently resides in Minneapolis with his wife Naomi, daughter Talia and son Levi, and enjoys spending time with his family and is an avid runner.

Scott McMahon (scott.h.mcmahon@gmail.com) joined the board in 2009 and currently serves as board Treasurer. Scott McMahon is the director of government and community affairs at the Minnesota Private College Council. He focuses on state-level advocacy and grassroots organizing on the 17 college campuses, as well as community engagement in support of the Council’s public policy agenda. His interests include golfing, water recreation, reading, history and barbequing.

Jean Andreasen (jandreas@bitstream.net) began serving on the TMP board in 2005 and currently serves as Secretary of the Board. She is currently serving as the Administrative Specialist for USDA's North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Grant Program (NCR-SARE). She held the position of general manager of Pastureland, a small grass-based organic dairy cooperative located in southeastern Minnesota for four years. Prior to coming to Pastureland, she was the Coordinator of Midwest Marketing for Food Alliance, one of the nation's leading certification organizations for agriculture products, which are environmentally friendly and socially responsible. She also served in a number of capacities at Mississippi Market in St. Paul. She was there for a total of thirteen years, the last seven of which she served as Director of Member Services and Outreach. Jean graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College with a BA in Fine Arts. She resides in Saint Paul with her husband. She enjoys fly-fishing, backpacking, cycling, and knitting.

Fred Rozumalski (frozumalski@barr.com) is a member at large large and began his TMP Board service in 2007. Fred is an urban ecologist and landscape architect practicing sustainable land design through Barr Engineering Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His work strives to regenerate ecological systems in built environments, while accommodating the needs of people. Fred is also a lecturer on issues of water conservation, soil regeneration and human adaptation to our changing climate. He is also adjunct faculty in the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Minnesota. His most recent accomplishments include co-authoring a Minnesota DNR-sponsored book, Lakescaping for Wildlife and Water Quality, and winning a National Design Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects Professional Awards for the innovative design of a sedge meadow restoration and interpretive boardwalk at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.

Sarah Pitts (sarahlpitts19@gmail.com) joined the board in 2010. Sarah is the Manager of Advertising and Marketing at Bachman’s where she focuses on local and regional communications for the 125-year old Minnesota company. Sarah has previously held marketing positions with Red Wing Shoe Company and Whirlpool Corporation. She received a Bachelor of Science in Communications from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. In addition to serving as a past volunteer and committee member with The Minnesota Project, Sarah is currently active with a group of residents working to create a Fulton Farmer’s Market in her neighborhood of Southwest Minneapolis set to begin in 2011. She is married with two children.

Tatum Marinkovich (tmmarinkovich@gmail.com) joined the board in 2010, and is a member at large. She is a marketing professional in the retail industry and also is in progress of launching a sustainability minded clothing and retail brand. She currently serves on the Retail Merchandising Advisory Board at the U of MN, and has served on the U of MN, College of Design Alumni Board from 2008-2010. Tatum received a MBA from The Carlson School of Business, University of Minnesota and a B.S. in Retail Merchandising from the University of Minnesota. She is married with two sons, two cats and a dog.

John “E.J.” Gurley (ejgurley@gmail.com) joined the Board in August of 2010. EJ is the Market Manager at Kingfield & Fulton Farmers Markets and has a wide and varied history with politics, policy and conservation spanning many years. He was instrumental in creating the Salton Sea Authority as a staffer for then California State Senator Dave Kelley. Later, EJ would go on to become Associate Director for the National Environmental Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., Political Director for the Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, Vice President of the Florida Forum for Research and Economic Education and a Program Manager for Clean Water Action in Connecticut. EJ lives in SW Minneapolis with his fiancée, Susan Loschenkohl.

Thomas Dambrine (tdambrine@gmail.com) joined the board in June 2011. Thomas’ started his career with American Dairy Queen where he led the international franchise development effort until 2007, focusing on bringing on board franchise partners in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. In 2007, Thomas moved to Paris with his family to lead the French subsidiary of organic bakery-café chain Le Pain Quotidien; it is during this time that Thomas' interest in organic food, sustainable practices and the triple bottom line deepened.

When Thomas returned to the Twin Cities in 2010 he was involved with the French Meadow Bakery & Café group, before joining Bean Sprouts, a Madison-based kids café and cooking school. A native of France, Thomas now calls Minnesota home as well as France. Thomas holds a business degree from the Bordeaux Business School in France, as well as an MBA in International Management from University of St Thomas in St Paul, MN. He resides in New Brighton with his wife Jill and two daughters.

Brent Hickman (brent_r_hickman@hotmail.com) joined the board in 2011, and is a member at large. Brent is a finance professional in the retail industry. He currently works as Senior Group Manager of Capital Planning for Target. He has previously worked at Accenture as a consultant. Brent received an MBA from the Kelley School of Business, Indiana University, and a B.S. in Economics from Wake Forest University. He lives in Southwest Minneapolis with his wife and two sons, where he enjoys cooking, gardening, and listening to live music.

Mark Rieland (msrieland@hotmail.com) joined the board in 2011. He is a finance and business development professional who has served in finance leadership roles at General Mills as Financial Analyst, Syngenta Seeds as Global Controller based out of their corporate office in Switzerland and Lenox Group as Managing Director Finance and Operations. He is a graduate of the University of Chicago (MBA) and University of St. Thomas (BA). His interests include volunteering for the National Ski Patrol, family activities, baking bread and managing a farm. He is married with three children.