MPR Board of Trustees

September 2023

Officers of the Board

  • Jim Dwyer, Chair

  • Bryan Phillips, Vice Chair

  • Jean Taylor, President

  • Jeannine Befidi, Secretary

  • Michael Palmer, Treasurer

Trustees

The year Trustee joined MPR’s Board of Trustees is denoted in parenthesis

  • Vivek Agrawal, EVP, Chief Growth Officer, Principal Financial Group (2019)

  • Jeannine Befidi, SVP, Chief Communications Officer, Thomson Reuters (2021)

  • Wendy Bennett, Consultant to Foundations in Global Health (2015)

  • Mary Brainerd, Former CEO, Health Partners (2014)

  • Julie Causey, Chairman Emeritus, Western Bank (2017)

  • Jim Dwyer, Chairman of the Board, 8th Ave Food & Provisions (2013)

  • Ivan Fong, Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary, Medtronic (2014)

  • Sid Gandhi, EVP, Employee Benefit Solutions, Securian Financial Group (2019)

  • James Ganley, Managing Principal, AB CarVal (2023)

  • Sima Griffith, Managing Principal, Aethlon Capital LLC (2017)

  • Kandace Heck, Executive Vice President & Chief Audit Executive, U.S. Bank (2020)

  • Libby Hlavka, President, Driscoll Foundation (2017)

  • Dr Kenneth Holmen, President & CEO, CentraCare Health (2018)

  • Jonathan Low, Predictiv Consulting (2014)

  • Drew Murphy, CEO, Edison Energy, LLC (2020)

  • Michael Palmer, Retired President, Winslow Capital (2021)

  • Bryan Phillips, SVP, General Counsel & Secretary, Chief Compliance Officer, Inspire Medical Systems, Inc. (2021)

  • Nii-Ayite Quaye, Vice President, Vermilion Group, M.A. Mortensen (2016)

  • Karen Richard, Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer, Andersen Corporation (2022)

  • Jean Taylor, President & CEO, American Public Media Group (2013)

  • Bo Thao-Urabe, Founder & President, Seed.Grow.Bloom LLC (2023)

  • Isaac Thompson, President & CEO, Oregon Symphony (2023)

  • Mandy Tuong, President & CEO, Thrivent Charitable Impact & Investing (2021)

Active Life Trustees

  • Susan Boren King, Retired Partner, Spencer Stuart

  • Ian Friendly, Retired COO, General Mills

  • Addison (Tad) Piper, Retired Chairman & CEO, Piper Sandler Companies, Inc.

  • Steven M Rothschild, Founder & Chair Emeritus, Twin Cites Rise

Honorary Life Trustees

  • Joanne Von Blon (1975-83, 1986)

President Emeritus, Minnesota Public Radio

  • William H Kling (1967)

Note: Members of the Board can be reached by mail c/o Minnesota Public Radio, 480 Cedar Street, St. Paul, MN 55101.

Public Information and Opportunities

Minnesota Public Radio Board of Trustee meetings and Advisory Council meetings are open to the public. Find schedules for specific dates, times and locations for advisory council meetings. All board and committee meetings are held at The Kling Public Media Center, 480 Cedar Street in St Paul.