Board of Directors
John Gappa, Board Chair
Former Executive Vice President & CFO, Ability Network, Inc., and former Senior Vice President & CFO, Post Consumer Brands
Lee Vue, Vice Chair
Digital Content and Marketing Manager, Seiche
John Penshorn, Secretary
Retired Senior Vice-President, United Health Group
Robert Scott, Treasurer
Portfolio Manager, NCG
Deborah Huskins
Retired Area Director for Human Services and Public Health Department at Hennepin County
Suzie O’Gorman
Director at Optum Technology Development Program
John Willoughby
Vice President for Business Partnerships & Negotiation and Merchandise Analytics at Target
Jason Long
Cafe Imports, CEO
Tom Donaho
Partner, BakerHostetler
Ryan Johnson
Attorney, Fredrikson & Byron
Evan Nelson
Attorney, Maslon LLP
Jaime Roquebert
Finance Manager – Commercial Solutions, 3M
Emily Vikre
Co-Owner and CEO, Vikre Distillery
Pete Fleming
Honorary Board Member
Richard Flint
Honorary Board Member
Staff
Chris Knopf, Executive Director
For more than 25 years Chris has worked to protect, preserve and restore our wild places. Prior to joining the Friends, he was a practicing environmental attorney, served as the Ohio Office Director for The Trust for Public Land and worked as a major gifts officer with the Indian Land Tenure Foundation. He has deep love for the outdoors and enjoys hiking, kayaking, canoeing, biking, backpacking and photography.
Contact Chris
Bree Sikorski, Operations Director
Bree fell in love with the BWCAW leading trips for a Girl Scout camp and still can’t believe how lucky she is to live so close to this wilderness gem. She has worked in non-profit management and operations for over a decade, at YHA St. Briavels Castle in the UK, Glensheen Mansion in Duluth and, most recently, at First Universalist Church of Minneapolis. Bree loves to be outdoors and enjoys running, cross country skiing, reading, cooking and camping.
Contact Bree
Pete Marshall, Communications Director
Pete has canoed more than 8,000 miles through remote regions of Canada and put on plenty of miles in his “backyard” BWCAW. He has written for a number of publications and produced a documentary film for Twin Cites Public Television. Before coming to the Friends he worked at a marketing agency, and in another life flirted with a career in academia.
Contact Pete
Mike Linnemann, Development Director
Mike sees fundraising as the art of helping passionate supporters have the greatest possible impact on programs and ideas they hold dear. As an Eagle Scout from central Minnesota, his foundational experience took place in the Boundary Waters, which he considers to be the state’s greatest natural asset. More recently, he honed his fundraising skills at the University of Minnesota Foundation, and today is most happy doing what he can to help keep Minnesota beautiful.
Contact Mike
Scott Beauchamp, Policy Director
Scott has worked as the Manager of Public Affairs for the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, as Communications Director for the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters, and as a freelance Strategic Communications Consultant. As an award-winning public speaker, Scott has written, co-authored, or edited, numerous successful speeches for politicians, business leaders, and other influencers.
Contact Scott
Alison Nyenhuis, Education Director
Alison heads up our No Boundaries to the Boundary Waters program, where she combines her passion for education with her lifelong love for the BWCA. In addition to teaching middle school, Alison has guided young people on trips with Wilderness Canoe Base, and worked in residential environmental education programs in the Seattle and New York City area. Her love of all things outside keeps her cross country skiing, hiking, paddling, and cooking outdoors whenever possible.
Contact Alison
Lauren Mitchell, Database Manager
Lauren is passionate about protecting wildlife, wild places and advocating for environmental justice. In addition to working with the Friends, she is pursuing her master’s degree through Oregon State University. Lauren loves to travel and camp with her two dogs, play golf and is a proud member of the St. Croix Valley Bird Club.
Contact Lauren
Maya Swope, Outreach and Volunteer Coordinator
In her work with the Friends, Maya is driven by the importance of protecting clean water and a passion for making the wilderness a place where everyone feels welcome. She grew up canoeing and hiking in small-town New Hampshire, and has loved exploring Minnesota’s beautiful lakes and trails in recent years. Her professional experience lies in outreach, volunteer coordination, and protecting water resources in and around the Twin Cities.
Contact Maya
Hudson Ledeen, Community Coordinator
Passionate about conservation, public lands and natural resources, Hudson has an impressive background when it comes to outdoor experience. He lives in Ely with his wife Katie, along with their 12-year-old dog.
Contact Hudson
David Meier, Digital Communications Manager
David loves to introduce new people to the Boundary Waters, most recently his two elementary aged boys. He has worked in digital communications and technology at InFaith Community Foundation and TV production at Twin Cities Public Television and local sporting events. He enjoys the adventure of traveling internationally, but feels that the most special places are here close to home on the North Shore and BWCAW.
Contact David
Karen Johnson, Grants Manager
Joining the Friends team in 2021, Karen combines her love of the outdoors with her almost 20 years of nonprofit experience. She helps support the Friends through corporate and foundation grants and partnerships. While originally from Illinois, she is a Minnesotan at heart and fell in love with the Boundary Waters Canoe Area soon after college. When not writing grants or connecting with foundations, you can find Karen reading in the sunshine, camping, hiking, biking, or skiing with her husband and two kids.
Contact Karen
Emme Knowles, Administrative and Executive Assistant
Emme is a student at Hamline University in their Business program. Her passions involve the occasional visit to the BWCA, traveling around the world and staying active. She finds a lot of joy in becoming more politically active, which is what drew her to the Capitol Pathways program and to work with the Friends during the 2021 Minnesota legislative session. She found she loved the non-profit, mission-based world and transitioned into the Administrative and Executive Assistant position in Fall 2021 to support the important environmental work of the Friends.
Contact Emme