Staff and Board of Directors
| STAFF | BOARD |
Staff
Melissa Hanson
CEO/President Melissa Hanson, MBA, is an avid biker and enjoys kayaking and hiking with her husband and three children. Her favorite healthy food is sweet potatoes, but she admits to having a strong love for dark chocolate. Melissa graduated from Bradley University and earned her MBA at the University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management.
Deb Sakry Lande
Development Director Deb Sakry Lande is a mother, wife, and marketing and fundraising professional with a deep passion to help youth become the best they can be. In her free time, she’s a Minnesota Gophers fan(atic); her favorite healthy food is strawberries, her favorite junk food is pizza, and she plans to tackle her first 5K in 2012. She is an outdoor enthusiast with degrees in Communications and Spanish from the University of St. Catherine and a M.Ed. degree in Youth Development Leadership from the University of Minnesota. Her previous positions at CommonBond Communities and the 4-H Foundation were steppingstones to this, her perfect job, at the Säjai Foundation.
Amy Rea
Amy Rea is the Communications Coordinator for the Säjai Foundation. She thinks hiking is pretty much the cat’s pajamas and recently took up yoga. Her favorite healthy food is fresh juicy tomatoes, right off the vine; her favorite junk food is bacon to go with those tomatoes on a sandwich. She received a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Minnesota and freelanced for several years before joining the Säjai team and also writes travel pieces about Minnesota.
Board of Directors
The Säjai Foundation is guided by the expertise and passion of many wonderful experts. These individuals ensure focus and clarity of mission in reaching children in an effective, meaningful way and in maximizing Foundation resources.
Robert Ashcraft, Ph. D.
Director, Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation
Associate Professor, School of Community Resources and Development
Arizona State University
NRPA Board of Trustees
Bob Bierscheid, M.Ed., CPRP
Bierscheid Consulting, LLC
Director of Parks and Recreation, City of Saint Paul, MN 2002-2009 (retired)
Director of Parks and Recreation, City of Roseville, MN 1987-2002
Corly Brooke, Ph. D.
Retired Interim Chair and Professor of Human Development and Family Studies
Iowa State University
Noreen Buhmann, M.A., EDLD
Board member, Noreen Buhmann, is an active traveler, bike rider, and gardener who enjoys canoeing and cooking fabulous meals. Noreen’s recent adventures include biking in Normandy, France and canoeing area lakes and rivers. She loves healthy food that is “crunchy” and has a weakness for any sauce made with cream and butter. Noreen graduated from Hamline University and completed her Master’s Degree at the University of St. Thomas.
Melissa Hanson, M.B.A.
President, Säjai Foundation, Maple Grove, MN
Erin King, M.Ac., L.Ac.
Master in Acupuncture and Licensed Acupuncturist
Steve King
Chairman, Landscape Structures Inc.
American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Fellow
Certified Playground Safety Inspector
Founding member and past president of IPEMA (International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association)
Robert Schweitzer, M.B.A.
Director, Corporate Development, UnitedHealth Group, 2006-present
Senior Financial Analyst, Regis Corporation, 2004-2006
Staff Accountant, Cargill Inc., 2001-2004
Joseph Wynns, MS; CPRP
Member, The National Forum on Children and Nature
NRPA Board of Trustees
Jody Ward-Rannow, Esq.
Attorney, Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.
Board member, Jacob Wetterling Resource Center, 2009-2010
