Advisory Board

The Minnesota Sea Grant Advisory Board serves a vital role in keeping Minnesota Sea Grant in touch with the needs and concerns of Minnesota citizens, industries, communities, policymakers, and universities. The advisory board ensures that our research agenda, and education and outreach products and services meet the needs of Minnesotans.

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Purpose

The purpose of our advisory board is to identify needs and opportunities that can or should be addressed by Minnesota Sea Grant programs, services and/or products and 

  1. To alert Minnesota Sea Grant to new trends or information that may affect its future;
  2. To help create new connections, collaborations, partnerships and funding opportunities that will potentially further Minnesota Sea Grant's mission or provide resources for programs;
  3. To advise on priorities and assist in defining program directions;
  4. To educate and inform decision-makers at the state and national level about the role and value of Minnesota Sea Grant programs to Minnesotans;
  5. To provide input to Minnesota Sea Grant review and monitoring processes, including strategic and implementation plan development and evaluation, periodic internal or national reviews, and research proposal prioritization.

Membership

The advisory board is composed of 15 to 20 community and institutional individuals representing a broad array of Minnesota, Great Lakes, and coastal interests.

  • Community members include community leaders, organization and/or industry representatives and citizens.
  • Institutional representatives reflect a cross-section of relevant tribal, state and federal management and research institutions. In many cases, representatives will be agency or organization directors, or their designees. To avoid conflict of interest, members are not drawn from university units or institutions that typically compete for Minnesota Sea Grant research funding.

Current members

Matt Baumgartner
President & CEO
Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce
Duluth, Minnesota
February 2025 - present

Deanna Bennett
Realtor, GRI, CRS, ABR
Messina & Associates Real Estate
Runs Deanna Bennet Real Estate Team
Duluth, Minnesota
May 2024 - present

Deborah DeLuca
Executive Director
Duluth Seaway Port Authority
Duluth, Minnesota
October 2020 - present

Elena Foshay
Director of Workforce Development
City of Duluth
Duluth, Minnesota
February 2025 - present

Deanna Geelhoed
Climate Resiliency Planner
Arrowhead Regional Development Commission
Duluth, Minnesota
February 2025 - present

Chad Hebert
Director of Farm Operations
Little Earth Urban Farm
Minneapolis, MN
November 2023 - present

Dale Hoff
Director
U.S. EPA Mid-Continent Ecology Division
Duluth, Minnesota
October 2018 - present

Rachel Johnson
President & CEO
APEX
Duluth, Minnesota
February 2025 - present

Brandon Krumwiede
Great Lakes Regional Geospatial Coordinator
NOAA Office for Coastal Management
Duluth, Minnesota
October 2022 - present

Sonny Myers
Executive Director
1854 Treaty Authority
Duluth, Minnesota
May 2021 - present

Nicholas Phelps
Associate Professor
Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center (MAISRC) Director
University of Minnesota
St. Paul, Minnesota
January 2024 - present

Nick Proulx
Clean Water Specialist
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
St. Paul, MN
February 2025 - present

Kait Reinl
Research Coordinator
Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve
Superior, Wisconsin
February 2025 - present

Jess Richards
Assistant Commissioner
Divisions of Ecological and Water Resources and Lands and Minerals
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
St. Paul, Minnesota
October 2022 - present

Jay Walker
Executive Director
Great Lakes Aquarium
Duluth, Minnesota
February 2025 - present

Appointment

  1. The Minnesota Sea Grant director solicits nominations from current advisory board members and others for new members as needed. Committee membership should cover a broad range of interests and localities, but not every interest or locality can be represented on the committee at one time.
  2. Members are reviewed by the Minnesota Sea Grant director and leadership team and appointed by the director.
  3. Members must reside in and/or be actively engaged in activities in Minnesota.
  4. Members are asked to commit to a two-year term. Members may be appointed for additional consecutive terms.
  5. Institutional members may appoint a designee to represent their agency, subject to approval by the Minnesota Sea Grant director.

Responsibilities

Advisory board members agree to use their experience and knowledge for the benefit of Minnesota Sea Grant programs by

  1. Actively participating in quarterly meetings each year (additional meetings are held as needed);
  2. Providing timely information and advice to Minnesota Sea Grant leadership and staff at meetings and as desired throughout their term;
  3. Participating in review of research, extension, and/or other project proposals;
  4. Sharing their knowledge of Minnesota Sea Grant with their peers and colleagues.

Meeting agendas