Our Board Members

Celia Simpson

Celia Simpson

Board Chair | Joined 2024

Member of: Martin County KnowHow!, Celebrating Culture in Martin County

Community Connections: Fairmont JH and HS Robotics

Steve Hawkins

Steve Hawkins

Past Board Chair | Joined 2015

Member of: Bacon Capital USA, From the Ground Up, and Focus on Fairmont

Community Connections: Hawkins Chevrolet

Sam Viesselman

Sam Viesselman

Board Secretary | Joined 2016

Member of: Martin County KnowHow!

Community Connections: Kahler Automation, Fairmont High School Robotics

Dianne Bettin

Dianne Bettin

Board Treasurer | Joined 2024

Member of: Bacon Capital USA, From the Ground Up, and Celebrating Culture in Martin County

Community Connections: Pork Producers, Master Gardeners, Fairmont Farmers Market

Paul Carlson

Paul Carlson

Board Member | Joined 2018

Community Connections: Carlson Dental, Fairmont Triathlon

Jon Omvig

Jon Omvig

Board Member | Joined 2022

Community Connections: WSP, USA, Fairmont Lakes Foundation

Miles Duffy

Miles Duffy

Board Member | Joined 2024

Community Connections: Fairmont High School

Who’s Involved?

Meet the people who have made our initiatives a reality

Steve Hawkins, Amy Long, Sam Viesselman, Paul Carlson, Sara Edmunson, Tanya Pomerenke, Jon Omvig, Samm Rosenberg, Alicia Swanson, Angela Gregory, Ann Terfehr, Betsy Tino, Blake Potthoff, Bob Charnecki, Brandon Edmundson, Brice Bonin, Cathy Celander, Chantill Kahler-Royer, Char Kahler, Chris Hasek, Cindy Viesselman, DeAnn Everson, Diane Brudelie, Dianne Bettin, Ed Willett, Hayley Luther, Heather Hawkins, Janet Sparks, Jason Subbert, Joanne Schmidt, Jon Casper, Judy Leiding, Kendra Pomerenke, Kenlie Pytleski, Kim Steuber, Kristy Olson, Kyle Gustafson, Laura Koch, Laura Olsen, Leah Rode-Mulder, Linsey Preuss, Lisa Kuhl, Meaghan Slama, Mike Edman, Nancy Johnson, Nancy Stauffer, Nicole Johnston, Ruth Cyphers, Sarah Jagodzinske Rohman, Sonja Fortune, Stacy McAleavy, Stephanie Wohlhuter, Tammie Hested, Tiffany Harris, Tom Royer, Leah Hartung, Wanda Patsche, Anthony Smith, Mari Myren, McKenzie Wagelie, Nick Pease, Tiffany Gamache, Melissa Tumbleson, Celia Simpson, Caroline A. McCourt, Karen Helvig, Timothy Dahlin, Karla Olson, Cristina Gonzalez

 

Lead for Minnesota

Part of our initiative to be a catalyst for positive change

Project 1590 has hosted two Lead for America fellows. Lead for America is an AmeriCorps program dedicated to building up local leaders who are dedicated to serving their communities.

 

Our Values

Lead For America is committed to building a leadership force of our nation’s most outstanding people to serve in the communities they call home, and to stitch our country back together through shared commitment to place and love of neighbor. The primary fault line in our country today is political and ideological difference, threatening our democracy and the ideals on which the United States was founded. Lead For America aims to be a binding agent for our country and actively recruits and welcomes host site placements, fellows, staff members, and partners from all ideological backgrounds. At Lead For America, we prioritize building bridges across ideological and social divides through relationships with those we disagree with. This means we sit in the discomfort of disagreement and press on together in our vision of creating a strong community for everyone.

Commitment to Place 

The decisions that most affect our daily lives are made at the local level. We believe those decisions are best made by those who are representative of the communities they serve, who have direct experience with the challenges they address, and who are dedicated to community above self. We also recognize this commitment must be sustained for the long-term. The challenges our communities and country face weren’t created overnight, and they won’t be solved overnight either. We are building leaders who are committed to their communities, and to public service, for the long-term.

Alex Young-Williams

Alex Young-Williams

August 2020 - August 2022

Alex began his service term with Project 1590 in August 2020. Despite the challenge of the COVID pandemic, Alex met with over 100 members of the Fairmont area to develop an understanding of the region, particularly as it related to downtown revitalization, economic development, affordable housing, and childcare services.

During his two years of service, Alex was able to complete a number of projects. In June of 2021, he brought the first multicultural festival to Martin County. He partnered with Going Hog Wild to bring 36 hog statues, painted by local artists, to businesses around the county in order to recognize and celebrate the pork producers in our area. He helped bring several murals to downtown Fairmont through grant applications and artist recruitment.

With his limited timeline, Alex assisted a few projects that are still in development today. A number of community members have been working to finish a welcome guide to Martin County for Spanish speakers that Alex started in 2022. Alex helped reignite the Human Rights Commission for Fairmont which is still working develop its vision and projects. Alex’s service term ended in August 2022, but we are so grateful to him for his work for the community!

Celia Simpson

Celia Simpson

August 2022 -July 2023

Celia began her service term with Project 1590 in August 2022. As a fellow serving in the American Connection Corps, her focus has been on understanding the digital divide in Martin County. With her experience in digital navigation through positions in libraries and informal assistance to friends and family, she chose to dive into building up the knowledge and skills needed to participate fully in the digital world.

Looking toward the younger generation, Celia is working to build an interest in computer science and robotics, particularly for young girls. She started a coding club at Martin County West schools for 3rd and 4th grade students that used the Girls Who Code curriculum to teach coding fundamentals. She is serving as a mentor to the Fairmont High School Robotics team and the Fairmont Junior High Robotics Team.

Looking toward the older generation, Celia has focused on teaching seniors how to use their devices and the internet. She partnered with CREST to hold lunch presentations on smartphones in October and lunch presentation on digital scams in November. In November, she started a digital support group that will be held on the 4th Wednesday of every month at 10 am in the CREST office. She is also doing home visits to answer questions one-on-one.

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