Board and Staff

Board
Eric Levinson, Chair		Michael Mader
Sally Scoggin, Vice Chair		David Martin
Lee Schafer, Treasurer		David Potter
Ann Yekaldo, Secretary		Patti Jo Pohfahl
Abdisalam Adam		Mark Sauerbrey
Kirk Bare		Tomas Smith
Jo Dalen		Julie Stone
Allen Debes		Terri Thao
Jonathan Farber		Jan Unstad
John Jensvold		David Van Dyke
Steve Langlois		Susan Vento
Darlene Lewis		Mike Zipko

Honorary Board
Dick Bancroft		Becky Montgomery
Debbie Bancroft		Dorothy Newcomb*
Andy Boss		Marjorie Niehart*
Luis De Cubas*		Connie Otis
Elizabeth Driscoll		Marvin Pertzik
Stan Fishman*		Frank Rodriguez, Sr.*
Harry Gaston*		Katharine Roe
R. James Gessell		Elaine Saline*
John Hernandez		John Scanlan
Tim Johnson		Gordon Shepard*
Judy Katz		Jean West
Eileen McMahon
		*deceased

Staff

Administration
Armando Camacho, President: 651-789-2575
Ed Kegle, Director of Finance: 651-789-2537
Sheri Zigan, Director of Human Resources & Special Projects: 651-789-2550

Resource Development
Susan Rostkoski, Director of Corporate & Foundation Relations: 651-789-2521

Service Programs
Joan McDonough-Schlecht, Director of East Side Programs: 651-793-7340
Michelle Ness, Director of Programs & Evaluation: 651-789-2527
Cindi Yang, Director of Programs: 651-789-2547
Milena Gebremeskel, Family Support & Education Manager: 651-789-3602
John Guertin, Youth Leadership Manager: 651-789-2517
Kara Schommer, Adult Education & College Access Manager: 651-789-2526
Sarah Yang, Basic Needs Manager: 651-789-2523

The Wellstone Center
Shad Klukas, Director of Community Center Services: 651-789-2577

Success Story

Stregthening the Voice of Latinas through Health Education: Respect Yourself, Protect Yourself
The Health Access Program at Neighborhood House aims to decrease risk factors for HIV/AIDS/ STIs and teen pregnancy among high-risk immigrant, refugee and low-income populations. Participants learn how to “Respect Yourself, Protect Yourself” in a non-threatening and culturally sensitive way during classes held both on-site at Neighborhood House and off-site with partner organizations. Discussion topics include basic human anatomy, reproductive health, and risk factors for both teens and adults.

Maria Elena Escoto, Latino Community Health Worker in the Health Access program, leads Health Education and Risk Reduction for Latino Populations (HERR-Latino), also known as Comadres and Compadres. She has been working with the Latino community for nearly ten years, which, she said, “has made me see clearly the great need of our women to learn about their rights related to prevention and reproductive health.”

Escoto was one of only five Latinas in each state to be selected to attend the 2011 National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH) Conference in Washington, D.C. “It is important to be together and lift our voices,” she said of her opportunity to meet with state Representatives and Senators. “We are making known the urgent need to have access to resources that educate women on prevention and reproductive health.”

This all-expenses paid invitation gave Escoto the recognition she deserves as a Latina leader furthering the movement for reproductive justice.

“The only way out of the poverty I grew up in, was to get an education and make something of myself. Neighborhood House programs and staff gave me the skills and encouragement I needed to succeed as a teenager. Now, helping others and making a difference, is my whole life being.”

–Armando Camacho, Neighborhood House President, 2008 – Present