PRESIDENT & CEO

Gail is founder of non-profit MPGL Entertainment (Man Plans, God Laughs), which produces animated films and teaching lessons to nurture a generation of informed, empathetic and engaged young adults. Gail is a producer, journalist, author, public speaker and mentor. She is a storyteller at heart, which drew her to Jerry Spinelli’s Holocaust-era “Milkweed.” Gail is also co-producer and writer of “Enough Already!” a 30-minute animated musical DVD based on a beloved Yiddish folktale. “Enough Already!” was named one of the Best Ten Videos of the Year by Child Magazine

CHAIR

Felicity brings to our board years of nonprofit work, most recently as executive director of Linden Hills Power & Light where she managed the day-to-day implementation of grants, schedules and books guest speakers, and liaised with teachers, a skill set which will be essential to development and distribution of our middle school teaching curriculum to accompany “Milkweed” the film. Felicity has a marketing degree and years of marketing and community experience. She served for three years on the Linden Hills Neighborhood Council as Chair of the Outreach Committee. She also served as Vice President of the local non-profit People for Parks. Felicity has experience overseeing grants such as $40,000 from the Department of Commerce, $30,000 from the MN Pollution Control Agency and several $10,000 grants from Hennepin County.

SECRETARY

Michael brings to our board supreme organizational skills and years of experience in the legal and nonprofit sectors. He is president of MS Strategies, LLC, which provides health law, policy and consulting services. He has devoted his professional career to working with non-profit and community-based health care organizations, foundations and alliances who serve low-income, underserved, and disadvantaged individuals and communities.

TREASURER

Jeff brings decades of financial expertise to our board. He most recently served as vice president of dental plans for HealthPartners. Before that, Jeff was Chief Administrative Officer at the University of Minnesota. Jeff earned his Bachelor of Science degree in economics from Stanford University and his MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management

DIRECTOR

John practices in business organization, finance and governance at Fredrikson & Byron P.A., a Minneapolis-based law firm with offices in Iowa, North Dakota, Mexico and China. But John is also passionate about independent films; he has been involved in the production of more than 70 feature-length films, and was co-executive producer for “A Prairie Home Companion” in 2006. John brings to the board invaluable legal expertise and an encyclopedic knowledge of film.

DIRECTOR

Annette brings to our board her vast knowledge of working directly with Holocaust survivors and their families. Most recently she served as the Director of Aging Services at Jewish Family and Children’s Services of Minneapolis (JFCS). In that role, she was responsible for Holocaust Survivors Support Services. She was the staff lead for the Holocaust Survivors Advisory Committee, made up of survivors, their spouses and their children. Annette has worked with the Conference on Material Claims against Germany (Claims Conference) for many years managing grants and staff that provide services to frail and aging Survivors. Annette also received the Human Rights Award from the City of Plymouth, the city in which she lives. Annette has a bachelor of arts degree in communications, a master’s degree in gerontology from the University of Minnesota. Annette has vast experience managing grants that include a $1 million grant from the Federal Administration on Aging, several $250,000 grants from the State of Minnesota and a wide range of smaller grants.

DIRECTOR

Paula is the founder of Impactful, a marketing and communications firm specializing in building strategy, brand and demand for social impact organizations including the Marconi Society, Callisto, Elevate, the Enterprise Center and others. As an early leader in technology and often the only woman in the room, Paula has experience making her voice heard in difficult environments and is deeply committed to providing platforms and opportunities for under-represented experts to shine and build their brands.

Paula has an MBA from the University of Michigan and BA from the University of California at Berkeley. She is a social activist with a history of changing hearts and minds on issues including marriage equality, reproductive rights and opportunities for women.