Staff, Board & Committees
STAFF
Esther Goldberg-Davis, Interim Executive Director
612.440.1804 oremail
Esther is a seasoned development professional with over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. She is passionate about working to improve the lives of youth and families. Read More »
Lea Blackwell Favor, Operations Director
612.440.1804 oremail.
Lea has spent her career working with young people from under-resourced communities and thrives in settings that are youth-centered, culturally-responsive and academically enriching. Read More »
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Our Board is made up of SVP Partners who are actively involved in engaged philanthropy. They are leaders from the Twin Cities who provide organizational leadership and oversight to SVP and they are committed to addressing issues to help under-resourced teens prosper.
Jeff Arnesen is Senior Vice President at Marsh where he is responsible for developing and managing financial group [...] Read More »
Linda Bryant is Executive Director of HOPE 4 Youth and has over three decades of successful experience working with youth, teens and adults in direct service and leadership development. Read More »
Ben Burgum joined SVP in 2013 on the advice of a friend and fell in love with both the engaged community of Partners and the efficient model of making an impact. Read More »
Nathan has 20 years of marketing experience in product management, marketing communications and strategic [...] Read More »
Dionne Gumbs is CEO and Founder of GenEQTY, a digital financial services platform that aims to close the gender gap by providing women and women led enterprises with access to lending and investment products. Read More »
Linda’s passion for collaborating to tackle complex change brought her to SVP, and she has been a Partner since 2017. She is known for connecting disparate ideas to move people and organizations forward – a provocateur, a CEO once called her. Read More »
Carla is currently a senior instructor at the Carlson School of Management teaching entrepreneurship and management courses, as well as consulting with young nonprofits and businesses seeking to boost their growth. Read More »
Brian re-entered the nonprofit sector in 2018 - after four years as a nonprofit consultant at CliftonLarsonAllen - [...] Read More »
Christi Strauss brings almost 30 years of general management experience leading businesses for General Mills around the world. Read More »
Josh Susser has more than 17 years of professional experience in financial services. In 2018, he founded Cascadily LLC, which manages private equity investments for institutional investors. Read More »
Daniela Vasan is an educator committed to social change and inspired by mission focused environments that impact educational outcomes for under-resourced communities. Read More »
Veronica Williams is Director of Development at the Minnesota Council of Churches. Through her volunteerism and work, she expresses her passion for making the Twin Cities community safe for all. Read More »
COMMITTEES & TEAMS
Thank you to the following volunteers for sharing their brain power, time and financial support to help guide SVP’s activities in the Twin Cities. Most of our volunteers are SVP Partners.
Corporate Development Team
Dionne Gumbs*
Molly Nelson
Christi Strauss*
Equity Team
Rodolfo Gutierrez
John Mauriel
Ellie Singer
Steve VanTassel
Guff Van Vooren – Chair
Daniela Vasan*
Veronica Williams*
Programs Committee
Mary Dee Hicks
Linda Ireland*
Dana Mortenson
Drew Moss
Holly Parker
Kirk Smith
Christi Strauss*
Guff Van Vooren
Ellen Walthour
John Watson
Investment Committee
Rhoda Beaird
Nancy Chang
Cyndie Leary
John Mauriel
Jeff Parker
Ellie Singer
Josh Susser*
Charles Talbert – Co-Chair
Steve VanTassel – Co-Chair
Marketing/Communications Committee
Deb Garvey
Nathan Espinosa* – Chair
John Watson
SVP Network Liaison
Guff Van Vooren
Connections to Independence Consulting Team
Jeff Parker
Jeanne Rudelius – Lead Partner
Josh Susser*
Cookie Cart Consulting Team
Dan Kinsella – Lead Partner
Christi Strauss*
Elpis Enterprises Consulting Team
Joan Gudorf
Chris Harms
Jayme Keseley – Co-Lead Partner
Ellie Singer – Lead Partner
New Vision Foundation Consulting Team
Jim Anderson
Carlee Donohue – Co-Lead Partner
Paul Lundberg
Steve VanTassel
Veronica Williams*
Adam Ziskind – Lead Partner
Roots for the Home Team Consulting Team
Marshall Lehman – Lead Partner
Sisterhood Boutique Consulting Team
Christi Strauss*
The BrandLab Consulting Team
Craig Gudorf
Dionne Gumbs*
Linda Ireland* – Lead Partner
Josh Reimnitz
Kirk Smith
John Watson
*Member of SVP Board