 Dina Fesler - Executive
Director/Founder
A seasoned world traveler, Dina has had more than 20 years
experience working in small business development in the fashion
industry, and ran her own business for 15 years.
Since taking on the adventure of a lifetime –adopting
daughters from China and India--
Dina became passionate about helping children of the world
learn from and relate to one another. She has
discovered that teaching other children in the community
more about her daughters' backgrounds helped them
develop an appreciation for other cultures and a
respect for people's differences as well.
In 2005, she founded Children’s Culture Connection
and has run dozens of youth-centered cultural projects and exchanges
in twelve countries. She believes that helping American children
develop an interest in other cultures, as well as an appreciation
for people’s differences, is a vital part of any long-term
sustainable peace-building program. .
Questions about our programs? Contact Dina at
ChildrensCultureConnection dot
org
EXECUTIVE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Penny Hillemann, JD -
President
Penny is a vice president and senior communications counselor
at Neuger Communications Group with more than 25 years of
communications and related experience. A lawyer
by training, she practiced law in Milwaukee and served as a judicial
law clerk for the Wisconsin Court of
Appeals.
Penny holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Brown
University and received her J.D. from the University of Wisconsin
Law School.
Pat Allen-
Vice-President
Pat is the President of Learning Innovations Inc., a
consulting firm specializes in learning, training, planning, team
building and organizational development for business and
organizations. She is
author of “Workplace Learning Skills”, a learning-cycle based
methodology to work with business in promoting and facilitating
organizational development. Her civic activities include the
Northfield Board of Education, the MN State Board of Education, and
the National Association of State Boards of Education.
Zach Pruitt, MA -
Secretary
Zach is a coordinator of the Northfield Healthy Community
Initiative (HCI), a coalition that works to support efforts that
positively impact local youth. He serves on the boards of the
Northfield Union of Youth/The Key, the Northfield Community Action
Center, Minnesota Alliance with Youth, and Rice County Growing Up
Healthy coalition. Zach
received his MA from the University of Chicago in
2006.
John Fossum, JD -
Treasurer
John Fossum is the founder of the Fossum Law Office where he
practices actively in state and federal court. He is also admitted
to the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the United States
Supreme Court, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, and the
International Criminal Court. John has served as practitioner
faculty for the University of Phoenix since 2003, teaching classes
in business law, criminal law and ethics. In 2007-2008, he served as
a criminal justice advisor in Afghanistan for the Justice Sector
Support Program, training police and prosecutors.
Jim Bassett, JD-
Jim was the co-Founder and owner of Data Research, a legal
publisher specializing in education, insurance, employment,
disability and environmental law materials. Prior to that, he was
employed by West Publishing Company. He attended William Mitchell
College of Law and has served on many boards including William
Mitchell College of Law, Cannon River Watershed Partnership, St.
John’s University Alumni Association, and Randolph Independent
School District No.
195.
Brad Leonard -
Brad is president of StrataPoint, Inc., a locally based
software development firm. He served as board Member for the MN
Chapter of Microsoft Solutions Providers, 1995-1999, was on the
Board of Directors for Profit Solutions, 1995 – 2000, the Board of
Directors for Sharp Sky Partners, 2003-2005 and acted as
Treasurer/Vestry Member for All Saints Church 2006 –
2008
ADVISORY BOARD
Jane Rydholm, JD - Legal Counsel
Jane Rydholm operates a law practice in Bloomington,
Minnesota.
A former assistant attorney general for the State of
Minnesota, she has worked extensively
in the area of nonprofit law. She received her JD from
William Mitchell College of Law .
Kathleen Braga - Program Committee
Chair
Kathy has more than eight years experience coordinating
child-centered cultural activities
for schools and youth organizations, and she currently serves
as a guardian ad litem
for Ramsey County. She coordinates and oversees CCC's
programs
Joanne Cryer -Development Committee
Chair
Joanne has more than 20 years experience in the
manufacturing industry, including working in
quality assurance, production coordination, and regulatory
affairs.
She is a member of the Boston Scientific Charitable
Grant Foundation Review Committee,
and coordinates and manages CCC's nationwide
fund-raising
events.
Connie Bickman - Creative Director
An award-winning travel writer, photographer, and graphic
designer, Connie Bickman has spent
20 years photographing world cultures and has traveled
to more than 35 underdeveloped countries.
The publisher/editor of Turtle River Press newspaper for 11
years,
Connie now produces CCC marketing and educational
materials.
Missy Klapperich, ME - Education Specialist
Missy has a masters degree in education and has
been teaching for 18 years in Minnesota public schools,
including 14 years of teaching 6th grade social studies at Cannon
Falls Schools. Missy has held such positions as District Staff
Development Coordinator, TALL Trainer, Elementary Social Studies
Department Head, and a 2007 candidate for Minnesota Teacher of the
Year.
Jean Janicke, MPP - Washington DC
Program
Coordinator
Jean has more than 15 years experience in U.S. government
and international trade and is the director
of the Office of Trade Policy Analysis at the U.S. Department
of Commerce in Washington DC.
She received a master of public policy degree from
Harvard University
and is CCC's East Coast program
coordinator.
Kelly Kinnunen - Curriculum
Dvelopment
Co-founder of the award-winning NEED
magazine, over the last 25 years Kelly has produced film,
graphic and multimedia work for The European Union, World Olympic
Committee, Target, 3M and many others. Kelly developed a new media
production department at the University of Applied Sciences in
Finland where projects under his leadership earned international
media awards.
Rich Koechlein - International Program
Coordinator
Rich is a landscape architect, international freelance
photojournalist, and co-founder of the Minneapolis-St. Paul chapter
of Architecture for Humanity; a volunteer group that has worked on
schools in Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda, as well as in
the U.S. Rich
coordinates and executes CCC’s international end of
programs.
Nancy Anderson, MA - International Program
Coordinator
Nancy
has a master's degree in Psychometrics and over 25 years of
experience in Human Resources, the last eleven as an Employee
Trainer for Hennepin County. Nancy has participated in numerous
charitable activities including Interfaith Outreach Community
Partners, Habitat for Humanity, Operation Christmas Child, and a
vocal group that sings for hospice patients and others recovering
from serious illnesses. She coordinates and executes CCC’s
international end of programs.
Megan Mullaly - Kenya Program
Coordinator
Megan is an elementary school teacher and the Assistant
Director for Educational Programming for Kenya Educational Service
Trips (KEST). She is
pursuing her M.A. in Education and Reading from Johns Hopkins
University. Currently
in her sixth year of teaching third grade in private schools in the
DC area, Megan develops, coordinates and executes the CCC programs
in Kenya.
Pepe Wonosikou - Nigeria Program
Coordinator
Lisa Van Dyke - Haiti Program
Coordinator
Lisa is a horticulturalist who runs her own residential
landscape design business for the past 12 years. Since 2004 she has
been doing relief work in Haiti, coordinating shipments, fundraising
and other support work. Lisa coordinates and executes CCC’s programs
in Haiti.
Jane
Newell, MA, LSW
- Social Service Advisor
Jane has more than 15 years experience in social service
including child abuse prevention, early childhood family education,
and early intervention for children's mental
health. She received a master of arts in family social science from the
University of Minnesota, and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in family social
science. She is an advisor on the social, family and educational
aspects of CCC’s programs.
Lilla Johnson, MBA, MFA - Visual
Communications
Lilla received a master of fine arts degree from
the Minneapolis College of Art and
Design,
and an MBA from Cornell
University. An art instructor at St. Olaf college in Northfield,
Minnesota,
she develops CCC's visual communication materials and event
presentations.
Julie Schmiel-Bronkala - West Coast Development
Coordinator
Julie has more than 18 years experience in financial planning
and is an accredited wealth manager and vice president at RBC
Dain Rauscher in Seattle, WA.
She is developing CCC's West Coast fund-raising
opportunities.
Marsha Kurth, MS- Marketing Advisor;
IT Specialist
Marsha has more than 18 years experience in business and
information technology and received a master of science degree from
University of
Wisconsin-LaCrosse. She works at Northwest Iowa Community College,
Western Technical College, and Viterbo
University, is a Rotarian,
and develops strategic marketing opportunities for
CCC.
Sarosha Hansraj - Junior Board
Member
Sarosha is the 12-year old founder of Children Care
for Children, a nonprofit organzation dedicated to
supporting the education of children in need worldwide.
She has received awards for her philanthropic efforts including
Kohl's "Kids Who Care" national award, CBS-11 News "Texan With
Character," and the "Presidential Service Award." Sarosha is also a
member of the Aga Khan Ismaili Girl Scouts Troop 1561, and helps
CCC coordinate youth-focused community service
projects.
Laurie Halvorson, ME - Education
Specialist
Laurie Halvorson teaches fifth grade at St. Paul's
Como Park Elementary, an urban school
that specializes in integrating new immigrant/refugee
children into the public school system.
Laurie received a master's degree in creative, gifted,
and talented education
from the University of St. Thomas,
and is developing CCC's Pen Pal/Classroom Exchange
program.
Amy Leonard -
Volunteer
Amy has 15 years experience in parent/teacher relations
and is a member of the Eden Prairie PTO.
She is developing CCC's Midwest fund-raising
opportunities.
Kathleen Dalton - Database Manager
Kathleen has more than 30 years experience in the
newspaper and commercial printing business,
and is currently employed at the Cannon Falls Beacon.
She manages CCC's database.
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