The VocalEssence Board of Directors serve as ambassadors for the organization in the larger community. They also guide VocalEssence in all major policy decisions while ensuring the financial stability of VocalEssence.
Board Officers
David L. Mona, President
Retired Chairman, Weber Shandwick Minneapolis
Fred Moore, Vice-President
Retired, President and CEO, Fiserv Health, Inc.
Jacob Wolkowitz, Treasurer (Ex-Officio Non-Voting)
Investment Manager, Accredited Investors, Inc.
Timothy Takach, Secretary
Composer
Board of Directors
Mary Ann Aufderheide (Ex-Officio Non-Voting)
Executive Director, VocalEssence
Traci V. Bransford
Attorney, Stinson Leonard Street
Philip Brunelle (Ex-Officio Non-Voting)
Founder and Artistic Director, VocalEssence
Cassidy Burns
Vice President of Private Wealth Management, Robert W. Baird & Co. Inc
Margaret Chutich
Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court
Anders Eckman (Ex-Officio Non-Voting)
Singer Representative, VocalEssence
Ann Farrell
Marketing Consultant/Vocalist
Daniel Fernelius
Senior Development Officer, Let’s Encrypt
Wayne Gisslen
Culinary Textbook Author
Carolina Gustafson
World Affairs Events Manager, Global Minnesota
R.J. Heckman
Vice Chairman, Korn Ferry Hay Group
Samuel Ingram
Sr. Philanthropy Portfolio Lead, Medtronic
Joseph Kalkman
HR Consultant
Paul McDonough
Chief Financial Officer, Capital Management
David Myers
Music Faculty, University of Minnesota School of Music
Nancy Nelson
Principal, Cirdan Health Systems and Consulting
Richard Neuner
President, Neuner Consulting
Jim Odland
Vice President and Managing Counsel, Thrivent Financial
Joanne Reeck
Chief Inclusion Officer, Augsburg University
Don Shelby
Retired News Anchor & Reporter, WCCO-TV Minneapolis
Jennifer Vickerman (Ex-Officio Non-Voting)
Volunteer Chorus Representative, VocalEssence
Dorene Wernke
Community Volunteer
Lifetime Directors
Ann Barkelew
Ann Buran
Art Kaemmer
Nikki Lewis
Mike McCarthy
Honorary Directors
Dominick Argento*
William Bolcom
Dave Brubeck*
Aaron Copland*
Håkan Hagegård
Louise Heffelfinger*
Eskil Hemberg*
Betty Hulings*
Sigrid Johnson
James Earl Jones
Garrison Keillor
Donald Mitchell*
Helmuth Rilling
John Rutter
Peter Schickele
Dr. André J. Thomas
Eric Whitacre
*In remembrance