Creative Support for Organizations-Round 1

Bartel Bevins: A Senior Loan Officer with the MN Dept. of Employment & Economic Development (DEED). Between 1995 and 2016, I managed the MN Urban Initiative Loan Program which provided loan capital to many community development organizations. This program provided over 850 loans to micro businesses in the Twin Cities. In addition, I managed the state?s Indian Business Loan Program which serves entrepreneurs enrolled in Minnesota?s eleven American Indian reservations.; Mary McReynolds-Pellinen: Mary?s career in the public sector ? at both the state and local level ? spanned five decades. She has coupled that work with long involvement and leadership in the arts in both professional and volunteer roles including over 20 years of affiliation with the Lyric Center for the Arts in Virginia, Minnesota. Mary has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Minnesota State Arts Board and recently retired as Executive Director of the Lyric Center for the Arts and coordinator of The First Stage Gallery. She is now exploring painting and weaving along with honing her skills writing melodramas featuring bits of Virginia, MN history. Mary has a Masters Degree in Environmental Studies from Bemidji State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology with minors in Biology and Music, also from Bemidji state.; Amber Pelfrey: An artist who expresses her creativity through many mediums, her favorite being Fluid Art. There have been 2 showings of her paintings in her home city of Duluth, MN. Pelfrey is also an active member of the grassroots group The First Ladies of The Hillside that was created by herself and 7 other women residing in Central Hillside during the first months of the pandemic and subsequent quarantine. This group works closely with the Non-profit Organization Duluth's Center For Women and Children.; Suzanne Roberts: A semiretired, independent art historian. She is a specialist in the history, lives, and art practices of artists of African descent and how they fit in the American art canon. She has consulted and lectured with the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Walker Art Center, and with the Minnesota Museum of American Art for last year?s Gordon Parks exhibition. She currently is teaching art history through community education for Minneapolis Public Schools. She was a founding member of Obsidian Arts, a grassroots visual arts organization supporting artists. She attended the University of Minnesota for finance and art history.; Michelle Wolfe: City Manager for Blaine, Minnesota. Blaine is a growing city of 70,000 in the north metro. Wolfe was previously the Deputy City Manager for Aurora Colorado, City Administrator for Arden Hills, Assistant City Manager for Cottage Grove, and Human Resources Manager for Naperville, Illinois. She graduated from St. Mary's College of Minnesota with a BA in Political Science and Public Administration, and from Northern Illinois University with a Master of Arts in Public Administration/Urban Management.