Our Board of Directors brings a variety of operational and strategic experiences to the table, including operational expertise in non-profit works. Here are some brief bios of our current board members and program staff:

Alicia Cain (Vice Chair) - Ali works for the American Cancer Society, where she is a Patient Navigator at United Hospital. She works in the oncology department connecting patients to American Cancer Society resources and other cancer support programs in the community. Ali’s social work career has also included roles as an HIV Case Manager at the MN AIDS Project and as a Child and Family Advocate and Shelter Manager at Mary’s Place family homeless shelter in Minneapolis, MN, a long-term partner of Tix for Tots.

Ali completed her Bachelor’s degree in Family Social Science, followed by her Master’s degree in Social Work, both from the University of MN. Ali works on a project called Chic’s for Charity, an annual golf tournament and luncheon, to benefit local nonprofits, and volunteers for a variety of different organizations throughout the metro area.

Julie Dietlin-Julie has been working in marketing and sales for 10 years in the technology and medical fields. She is currently staying home with her two boys and occasionally accepting contract marketing roles.

After receiving her MBA in Marketing and E-Business from Penn State University in 2003, Julie worked as a marketing manager for a small consulting firm in Washington DC. She then held both category and brand management roles with CDW in Chicago before moving to the Twin Cities. Julie has an undergraduate degree from Marquette University in Marketing and International Business.

Julie recently completed the Breast Cancer 3 day walk and has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity rebuilding houses in New Orleans. She currently resides in Eden Prairie.

Jill Haspert (Treasurer) – Jill is a full-time graduate student at the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management. In 2006, Jill joined Global Internal Audit at General Mills, Inc., where she lead audit teams in risk identification and control testing at business unit locations worldwide. Most recently, Jill worked in Marketing Finance in the Bakeries and Foodservice division of General Mills, where she performed profitability planning, pricing analysis, and new product launch support on a portfolio of over 1,200 products. Prior to her career at General Mills, Jill worked in Internal Audit, Brokerage Finance, and Mutual Fund Accounting for Ameriprise Financial, Inc.
Jill holds an undergraduate degree in economics from Gustavus Adolphus College and is a Certified Internal Auditor. She also serves as a volunteer mentor for Bolder Options, a local mentoring organization that partners closely with Tix for Tots. Jill lives in Minneapolis with her husband, Patrick.

Ann Jarema, PMP - Ann is a Customer Service Manager within Client Services for Fair Isaac Corporation, a leading provider of credit scoring, decision management, fraud detection and credit risk score services. Clients in 80 countries work with Fair Isaac to increase customer loyalty and profitability, cut fraud losses, manage credit risk, meet regulatory and competitive demands, and rapidly build market share. Most leading banks and credit card issuers rely on Fair Isaac solutions, as do insurers, retailers, healthcare organizations and other companies. Through the www.myfico.com Web site, consumers use the company's FICOŽ scores, the standard measure of credit risk, to manage their financial health. Ann joined Fair Isaac in October of 2008.

Prior to that, she was most recently the Sr. Manager of Core Planning within the Customer Experience Creation capability of Best Buy Co., Inc., a growing international retail electronics company. Best Buy focuses on providing personal and business electronics, music, movies, games, and computer equipment to consumers in a fun, energizing experience in its more than 800 stores and .com site in the United States, Canada, Mexico and China. Best Buy is headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota. Prior to the Core Planning role, Ann was the Sr. Manager of Integrated Promotional Campaigns (IPC), responsible for project managing Best Buy’s key drive periods. Ann began her Best Buy career in February of 1999, serving in many roles, including Sr. Manager of Strategic Print Advertising, Integrated Promotional Planner for the Entertainment categories, and Letter Correspondence Supervisor in Consumer Relations. Prior to Best Buy, Ann was employed with Circuit City Stores, Inc. serving in various field management positions. Ann earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Minnesota in 1998, and received her Project Management Professional (PMP) certification in August of 2006, as well as her Master’s of Business Communication Degree from the University of St. Thomas in June of 2007.
Ann resides in Farmington, MN with her husband Rick, and their two children Cate and Zachary.

Rob Litt (Chair) – Rob works at The Mosaic Company where he leads external communications initiatives including media relations, crisis communications, annual report development and serves as the company spokesperson. Prior to that, Rob was vice president of corporate communications at Piper Jaffray where he led communications around significant M&A activity, and was senior associate at Carmichael Lynch Spong where he worked with clients in litigation communications, investor relations and branding. Before arriving in the Twin Cities, Rob was at Burson-Marsteller and Townsend Agency in San Diego.

Rob serves as a volunteer public information officer for the American Red Cross in times of crisis and is a volunteer with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Minneapolis. Rob holds a Master of Business Administration degree from San Diego State University and a Bachelor of Science in business communications from the University of Kansas.

Heather McCants – Heather McCants has worked for Ameriprise Financial since 2004. She began as a member of the Finance Leadership Development Program (FLDP) where she rotated through various different areas in the Finance Department. She held positions supporting the Investment Department, the Asset Management Business, Business Planning and Analysis and the office of the Chief Financial Officer. Currently, Heather leads the FLDP and works with recent college graduates on professional, technical and leadership development to create a pipeline of leadership for the Finance organization.

Heather received her undergraduate degree in both Finance and Management at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She also serves on the board for Arts Us, a nonprofit organization focused on using the arts to enrich the lives of children and Association of Latino Professionals in Accounting and Finance - Twin Cities Chapter.

Laura Neuenschwander - Laura is a consultant in the Executive and Leadership Development group at Medtronic. In her role she is responsible for developing strong marketing talent at Medtronic through core competencies, education programs and other developmental experiences. Laura has more than 15 years experience as a marketer in the medical device industry. She has served various roles from product management, market development, physician education and marketing communications.

Laura has undergraduate degrees in Speech Communication and Mass Communications from St. Cloud State University and a Master of Business Communication from St. Thomas University. Laura resides in Hudson, Wisconsin with her husband Robb and three children – (Charlie, Maya, and Lauren).

Robb Neuenschwander (Founder and President) - Robb is a Senior Technical Architect with Target Corporation and also the founder and President of Voyageur Business Services, Inc., a Minnesota-based business and technology consulting company. Robb has over 16 years of experience in business strategy and systems design and integration consulting. He has consulted to large and small companies in a variety of industries. Robb has extensive expertise in web systems and business process design.

Robb has an undergraduate degree in Business Management from St. John's University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Business. Robb has been a volunteer with Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Minneapolis since 1996. Robb is a 2003 recipient of the Eleven Who Care award from KARE-TV.

Noah Rouen – Noah currently serves as a Senior Vice President at Public Affairs Company, a Minneapolis based Public Relations and Issue Advocacy firm. In that role, Noah utilizes his media connections and his skill in media training, event planning and staging, to create effective grassroots campaigns for clients nationwide.

Rouen is an active political insider often serving as a key advisor to local, state and federal office holders.

Noah holds a B.A. in Political Science and Communications from Gustavus Adolphus. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife Keri and son Connor.

Betsy Scheurer (Program Manager) – Betsy loves her job at Tix for Tots. Program Manager since January 2007, Betsy believes in the mission of Tix for Tots whole-heartedly. She has seen its impact up close as she works with our over 350 non-profit agency partners. Betsy is thrilled to serve as “the woman behind the curtain” that makes the Tix for Tots machine run. Being the face of Tix for Tots to the agency partners, venue partners, volunteers, ticket/financial donors, and the greater community is an honor for Betsy.

Childhood memories like going to a Twins game with her dad and seeing live musical theater with her mom and step-dad make the Tix for Tots mission very important to Betsy. She believes that every child should experience the magic and wonder that athletic and cultural events can provide.

Betsy, a Twin Cities native, has a BA in Spanish from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. In 2005, she was elected to the Hopkins School Board and was re-elected to her second four-year term in 2009. Betsy is the membership director for the Golden Valley Rotary Club, president of the Hopkins Alumni Association, and Co-Chair of the Legislative Action Coalition for the Hopkins School District. Working on behalf of children in our community and around the world is a goal for Betsy Scheurer.

Jill Schlofer (Secretary) - Jill is a Service Manager for the Minneapolis Employee Benefits Sales and Service Office at Standard Insurance Company. The Standard is a nationally recognized insurance provider offering group disability, life, dental and vision insurance. She started with the company in 1996 and has carried various positions throughout the years. Jill has been recognized as a leader in her organization for providing her expertise in several company projects, mentoring others both formally and informally and consistently contributing to the office and company's sales and service goals.

Jill has been a lifelong resident of the Twin Cities and has been continuously involved in the community. Jill received her Bachelor's of Applied Science in Applied Business from the University of Minnesota and volunteers for various non-profits from time to time. Jill currently resides in Apple Valley.

Cortney Storsved – Cortney is the Director of Operations for Ticket King, Inc. She joined the Minnesota based brokerage in 2004, moving up quickly through the company structure. She currently heads up the St. Paul branch of the company where she is responsible for public relations, consumer satisfaction and coordinating the legislative efforts of the company.

Additionally, Cortney runs a widely popular website that integrates her passion for sports, fashion and charity. She has volunteered with the Alzheimer’s Association, the Listening House and Junior Achievement. She attended the University of St. Thomas with a concentration in Marketing and Finance.

LeeAnn Wolf – LeeAnn is a Regional Recruiter for the Peace Corps. Prior to recruiting volunteers to work overseas she has held management, training and teaching roles at local nonprofit organizations. She has a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Management from Hamline University and a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Education from the College of St. Catherine.

LeeAnn volunteered both as a VISTA Volunteer in the Twin Cities and a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Dominican Republic working with educational programs for adults and children. She continues to volunteer through the Returned Peace Corps Association of Minnesota with such organizations as Books for Africa and Habitat for Humanity.

Thank you very much for the hard work and dedication to this fine cause!