ClearWay Minnesota(SM) Board installs new officers

MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday saw the Annual Meeting of ClearWay Minnesota, an independent nonprofit organization that works to reduce the harm tobacco use causes the people of the state. At today's meeting, the Board of Directors installed new officers and thanked two long-serving Board Members whose terms have expired.

The new officers, whose one-year terms take effect on September 29, are as follows:

• Joy Rikala, Chair – An independent consultant, former Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension special agent and former police chief for the City of Minnetonka and the University of Minnesota Police Department, Rikala has just completed a one-year term as Board Vice Chair.
• Vivian Jenkins Nelsen, Vice Chair – Nelsen is cofounder of the INTER-RACE Institute, a diversity think-tank at Augsburg College.
• Bob Boerschel, Treasurer – Boerschel is eFinancial Senior Counsel at Wells Fargo and previously served as corporate counsel for Best Buy.
• Daniel Johnson, Secretary – Johnson is a nonprofit consultant, former executive at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and past president of the United Health Foundation and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation.

Two longtime Board Members whose terms are expiring were also recognized at yesterday's meeting. Board and staff members acknowledged the service of Jenny Peterson, the Executive Director for Generations Health Care Initiatives in Duluth, and Jim Rhodes, a former State Representative and Endowments and Pension Director for the Minneapolis Portfolio Management Group, LLC. Both Peterson and Rhodes have served on the Board since 2009. Peterson was elected as an at-large member, and Rhodes was appointed by Governor Tim Pawlenty and re-appointed by Governor Mark Dayton. Both individuals also played leadership roles at ClearWay Minnesota, Peterson as Chair of the Program Grants and Program Contracts Committee and Rhodes as Chair of the Strategic Development and Planning Committee.

"ClearWay Minnesota's capacity to achieve our mission and goals is intertwined with the quality, capabilities and performance of our Board of Directors," said outgoing Board Chair Thomas Weaver. "Jenny and Jim have both made significant contributions toward achieving our mission to enhance life for all Minnesotans by reducing tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke through research, action and collaboration. They will be missed."

About ClearWay Minnesota(SM)

ClearWay Minnesota is an independent, nonprofit organization that improves the health of Minnesotans by reducing the harm caused by tobacco. ClearWay Minnesota serves Minnesota through its grant-making program, QUITPLAN® stop-smoking services and statewide outreach activities. It is funded with 3 percent of the state's 1998 tobacco settlement.

For more information on ClearWay Minnesota or QUITPLAN Services, call 952-767-1400 or visit www.clearwaymn.org.

SOURCE ClearWay Minnesota

Related Links

http://clearwaymn.org

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