2022-23 LITV Steering Committee

I am a registered nurse and the owner of Smart Start Childcare and Learning Center. At Smart Start I have combined my love for family, my connection with children and my interest in health and wellness to create a unique childcare center that focuses on quality through safety, education and health and wellness. I live in Stillwater with my husband, Ryan, and two daughters, Taylor and Jordan.

Robin serves as the President of the Greater Stillwater Chamber of Commerce where she began in 2016. Prior to that she worked twelve years in local and state government, 8 years in global consulting, and 6 years as a small business owner building a business from the ground up. She is a self-starter and team-player fostering collaboration, ability to multi-task, and to successfully work in fast-paced organizations. She has a passion for the community and has lived in Stillwater for over 33 years. Robin has two children and two grandchildren. 

Jen Bertsch is a teacher, speaker, and creator of LeadWell Academy where she coaches business owners and senior leaders to develop a culture of empowered leaders where people thrive. 

My name is Holly Corbid and I am the founder and owner of Capture Your Photos, where we help families celebrate life, tell stories and touch hearts with their photo and video collections by helping them to organize, preserve and share their lifetime of memories. I believe photos are a powerful force in building relationships and love helping families connect, while bringing the peace of mind that comes with knowing their memories are safe.
 

Rebecca Edberg joined Century College as the Associate Vice President of Human Resources Management.  Rebecca comes to Century College with more than 15 years of experience as a human resources administrator and consultant.  She transitioned to Century from White Bear Lake Areas School District #624 where for the past nine years, she has worked in different HR capacities with oversight as the districtwide human resource manager for more than 1,000 employees in numerous job classifications and bargaining units.  Prior to working for the school district, she worked in private industry as an HR consultant serving a variety of businesses.  She holds a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in human resource management/business administration. 

Alex is an experienced Operations Manager and Event Coordinator with a demonstrated history of working in the Hospitality Management Industry. 
He is also skilled in nonprofit organizations, event management, fundraising, and volunteer management through his work supporting The Zephyr Theatre, Greater Stillwater Chamber of Commerce, Discover Stillwater (CVB), United Way of Washington County East, Knights of Columbus co. 1632 and the American Cancer Society. 

Chris Eng currently serves as the Director of Economic Development for Washington County, MN.  He has over 25 years’ experience in community and economic development working with the State of Minnesota, regional and at the city and county levels.  Previously, Chris served as the Director of Business & Economic Development for the City of Duluth, Executive Director of the Duluth Economic Development Authority and as the Executive Director of the Chisago County HRA/EDA.  Chris has also served a Vice President of Public Finance with Northland Securities.  He is a certified economic development finance professional and belongs to many organizations that seek to promote and further economic development opportunities in Minnesota.

Entrepreneur 360 Award Recipient from Entrepreneur Magazine as a technology leader known for innovation and web product development expertise with deep experience in Compliance, Security, Amazon Web Services & Cloud technologies, along with DevOps and Agile methodologies.

I am a Certified Public Accountant and Partner with Forward Accounting. Forward Accounting is a tax and accounting firm with offices in Stillwater, MN, Centuria, WI and Frederic, WI. Our firm provides tax compliance, planning, accounting, bookkeeping and payroll services for both businesses and individuals. Prior to launching Forward Accounting, I worked for two other public accounting firms - Foley Kalseim, Ltd. in Lake Elmo and Grant Thornton, LLP in Minneapolis. Prior to my accounting career, I spent 10 years managing a small specialty sporting goods store in White Bear Lake. Additionally, I am an adjunct faculty member at Metropolitan State University, teaching accounting in the school’s College of Management.

When I moved to the Valley to go to SAHS, I had no idea how living here would impact my life. I came to find that this place and the people who lived here were my community. I developed life long friendships from my time at SAHS. I left the Valley in 2003. Although there were times of temporarily moving back here, I did not return to live here permanently until 2010 when I found a job at DiaSorin, Inc. When this happened, I came back to the community I called home and started my eldest son into the Stillwater School system at Withrow Elementary. Now both of my sons are in the Stillwater school system (Rutherford and Stillwater Middle School) and the schools continue to astonish me with their high quality staff and constant opportunity. The Valley is the place I live, work, shop, promote, entertain, play, you name it!

Bob Manning serves as one of the new Career Pathways Coordinator for Stillwater High School. Until this year, he spent his 26 years in education teaching Global Studies and AP Human Geography in Stillwater. He has lived in Stillwater for 20 years with his wife, Chris (who teaches 2nd grade in Centennial School District), and sons Jack (23), Luke (21) and Joe (17). Bob spent over 15 years as a volunteer hockey and soccer coach in Stillwater and still enjoys watching, maybe as much as he enjoys playing golf. He and Chris are also owners of The Passport Club, a geography enrichment program for elementary and middle schools.

After nearly 15 years of working in nonprofits in Minneapolis and St Paul, I excitedly joined the team at The Partnership Plan in 2019. As the Program and Communications Manager, I combine my skills and expertise in the areas of volunteer and program management, grant writing, and data analysis to help fund the extras that make school fun for kids throughout the Stillwater Area School District. My husband and I have lived in Bayport for the past 11 years, just houses away from where he grew up. We have 2 kids who in Stillwater Area Public Schools.  In my free time I volunteer with the Bayport Community Action League and the Andersen Parent Group and serve on the Steering Committee for Leadership in the Valley and as a board member of Bridge to Books.

Lori Mueller is a Human Resources leader, passionate about employee engagement and development.  She has a Master's Degree in HR from Concordia University and is the Senior Director of HR Operations for LabConnect. Lori was a graduate of the inaugural LITV Program in 2020, and is honored to serve on the Steering Committee, currently as the Chair of the program.

I was born and raised in South Dakota, graduating with my Bachelors Degree in Microbiology from South Dakota State University. I started my healthcare career in the Laboratory at the VA Medical Center in Hot Springs, SD. My leadership journey began to flourish with opportunities to; create and operate a mobile laboratory, develop leadership positions in Quality and Infection Control and finally, advancing to a Healthcare System Leadership position as Chief of Diagnostics Services. After a few years I found myself at Lakeview Hospital where I have the pleasure to lead a highly engaged team in Ancillary Services. My wife, Donnie and I have settled into the St. Croix Valley, enjoying everything it has to offer, from the magic of the St. Croix River to the diversity of the Twin Cities and surrounding communities.

I proudly own La Vie Est Belle, LLC.  La Vie Est Belle is a labor of love as a result of our own journey with our daughter courageously living with a panic disorder that has pivoted our lives.  Our Lake Elmo, MN gift and home decor store is not a financial endeavor, but a human endeavor.  In honor of our beautiful daughter, 20% of our net profits are donated to non-profit organizations raising awareness and transforming care for children and families experiencing a mental health condition.  

My name is Ashli Rode and I am a product manager at DiaSorin. I have worked at DiaSorin for 6 years starting as a product support specialist in 2014 and recently moving into my current role in 2020. I enjoy learning new skills and strongly believe in our company’s mission striving for quality and innovation to support laboratories and physician so they can focus on what matters most, patient care. I grew up in Stillwater, MN and have always felt a strong connection to the community. I am thankful for the support and love of my family, especially my parents and my husband. I have been blessed with two beautiful and strong willed children; Chris (2) and Annmarie (1) who inspire me daily.

I am a life long resident of the city of Stillwater, born and raised. My love for this town has guided me most my life. I have passed up many jobs and other opportunities outside of Stillwater, as part of my loyalty to our town. My wife Jen and I are very adventurous, constantly enjoying the wonderful activities, Stillwater has to offer. I have also spent many hours on the ball fields with my son Carter and daughter Charli. The St. Croix River seems to flow through all of our veins.

Annette Sallman is the Director of Community Education for Stillwater Area Public Schools.  She has more than 25 years of experience in education. After joining the Stillwater school district in 2004, Annette served in several roles before assuming the director’s position in 2014.  Although she does not live in Stillwater she considers this her community.  Beyond her work for the school district, she is a board member for United Way Washington County East, serves on the Lakeview Health Foundation Health and Well-Being Advisory Committee and is an active chamber member. 

Jill has been the director of the Bayport Public Library since 2015. Her love of libraries is centered in sharing a love of books and reading with children (and their grown ups!). Early literacy is her passion, and supporting families with young children is a critical issue for our communities. She can help if you want assistance using library resources, especially eBooks and databases. Need a library card? Have a program idea? Want to recommend a book? Get in touch!  

After 30+ years in a variety of leadership roles in the corporate world Margaret founded UXL. A career coach, author and workshop facilitator, she works with individuals and teams to accelerate their career and overcome challenges.
Margaret is also a licensed practitioner for Insights Discovery, a self assessment tool that helps her clients identify their strengths, motivators and management style to enable their ultimate effectiveness. Margaret and her husband, Marlay, raised their two boys in Stillwater and continue to reside in this historic town.

Bill Tiedemann is a highly accomplished and passionate transformational leader interested in impacting the complex social issues that prevent many of us from living our best lives. He is known as a social entrepreneur, innovator, disrupter of the status quo, collaborator, convenor, and student of organizational development and leadership. Bill is proficient at identifying the solutions needed to make the necessary and sometimes difficult changes within organizations and communities to deepen impact
and improve peoples lives.
Bill is the former Executive Director for Hope House of St. Croix Valley and a 2021-22 LITV graduate.  Bill resides in Mendota Heights along with his life partner Mike and Mike’s daughter Megan who is in
her second year at Kenyon College in Ohio and Bella-Grace a black lab border collie who only listens to the sound of shaking treat bags and the refrigerator opening for her morning ham.

Sheila-Marie Untiedt has been very active in the community and the St. Croix Valley. She works as a Mediator Neutral in her practice Clean Slate Mediation assisting clients to resolve disputes in a collaborative method. She volunteers at Minneapolis Institute of Arts as a docent guide and also performs in local theater. Sheila-Marie has been an elected Town Board Supervisor for 25 years. She is married to Jim Untiedt, lives in Stillwater Township and has two daughters, one a senior at Gustavus Adolphus College and the second a junior at St. Croix Preparatory Academy.

Hadley Wuertz, ArtSpoke’s Executive Director is the mom of three awesome girls. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. Additionally, she has completed post-graduate courses in Montessori Education, Grant Writing, Writing for Public Relations, and Social Media. Hadley brings a unique mix of professional experience from the non-profit sector as well as both public & private education environments. Hadley served as the Events Director at an AIDS nonprofit based in Las Vegas. As Events Director, she also started and ran Camp Courage, a summer program for kids affected by HIV. In her spare time, you can find Hadley indulging her love of health & wellness, coaching CrossFit & running her dog Boone.