2021 Board Members
Mike Lindsay, president Term expires December 2022 Mike Lindsay joined the communications and public relations team of Ramsey County in March 2019. He supports digital internal and external communication for information and public records departments, including the county assessor, property tax and elections. In his community engagement role, Mike coordinates the county’s presence and outreach efforts at several annual events and festivals. His professional career includes entertainment sales and event production, higher education student affairs policy and adjudication, and a passion for local government as a frequent volunteer in the City of Saint Paul. Mike holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication and linguistics from Luther College in Decorah, IA.
Jordan Gilgenbach, vice president, fall conference co-chair Term expires December 2021 Jordan Gilgenbach has been the Digital Communications Coordinator for the City of Minneapolis since September 2016, and focuses primarily on web, social and other digital communications strategy and implementation. Jordan has spent his entire career in local government communications, previously having worked for the City of Edina, Minn. as Communications Coordinator. Alyssa MacLeod, treasurer, northern lights co-chair Term expires December 2021 Prior to joining the City of Oakdale in August 2017, Alyssa served in communication management roles for several organizations in the east metro. Her areas of expertise include graphic design, branding, social media management, photography, community building, and event planning. She holds a bachelor’s degree in design technology and a master’s degree in business administration. Kaili Braa, CAPM, secretary, fall conference co-chair Term expires December 2021 As part of the administration team at the Dakota County Community Development Agency (CDA), one of Kaili’s many tasks is the coordination of internal and external communications and information, whether on the intranet or agency’s website, or larger initiatives such as events and special projects. In addition, Kaili is the assistant to the executive director and clerk to the CDA Board of Commissioners, and assists with human resources and records management needs. Ashley Klemer, communications committee chair Term expires December 2021 Ashley is the City of Bloomington’s main writer and photographer, responsible for producing and editing content for two monthly newsletters, annual reports, press releases and the occasional social media post. She’s passionate about showing the human side of local government and making connections between communities through storytelling. Ashley has a BA in english literature from the University of Minnesota—Duluth. She is a trained ToPs facilitator. Ashley has also served on the MAGC Northern Lights Committee for four years and the communications committee for three years before joining the board. Yvonne Klinnert, northern lights co-chair Term expires December 2021 Yvonne has served as the Public Information Manager at Washington County since 2009. Previous to this, she was the editor of the Stillwater Courier, and was in a number of positions at Sun Newspapers, including executive editor. Before joining Washington County, her background was in reporting and editing for community newspapers. Yvonne has a masters degree in urban planning and economic development from the Humphrey Institute, University of Minnesota, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from St. Cloud State University. Carolyn Marinan, past president Term expires December 2022 Carolyn Marinan is the public affairs officer for Hennepin County. She has worked in communications in the county since 1998. Previously Carolyn spent nearly 20 years in television news and promotion at WCCO TV, KSTP TV and KARE 11. She’s done talk radio and produced and hosted a local travel show on TPT. Her numerous awards include a New York Film Festival award, Telly Awards, Best of Gannett and AP. Carolyn serves on the National Association of County Information Officers (NACIO) Board of Directors. Michael Schommer As communications director for the Minnesota Department of Health, Michael Schommer directs the department’s communications activities including media relations, social media, web and internal communications. Prior to joining MDH, he served as communications director for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture from 1999 to 2013. He started his career as a newspaper reporter in the southern Minnesota towns of New Ulm and Rochester. Schommer earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of St. Thomas, and a master’s degree in strategic communication from the University of Minnesota. He served as 2016 and 2020 president of the National Public Health Information Coalition, and as a board member for the organization since 2015. He also serves on the alumni society board of the University of Minnesota Hubbard School of Journalism & Mass Communication. Professional areas of interest include crisis and risk communication, media relations, social media, communications psychology and information processing. He has helped state and local agencies respond to numerous public health and safety issues over the years, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the outbreak of lung injuries associated with vaping in 2019, and Minnesota’s measles outbreak in 2017. 
Jenna Bowman, workshop chair Jenna has been serving as the Communications & Engagement Manager for the City of Rochester since July 2018. Currently she is also serving as the organization’s Interim Communications Director. Jenna is leading the organization through a branding process and website redesign. The City of Rochester has been focused on growing digital engagement channels and also has added a digital engagement tool. Jenna serves as the organization’s lead Public Information Officer. Prior to her role at the City of Rochester, she served as the Executive Director of the Rochester Downtown Alliance, which is the Business Improvement District for Rochester, MN. Jenna holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from St. Catherine University. She resides in Rochester with her wife and two children. |
