Board of Directors

Glen Palm
Glen Palm

Board Chair
Retired Child and Family Studies Department Chair at SCSU

“Our community needs a space dedicated to young children and families. A children’s museum fills that gap and serves as a place for children and families to practice needed 21st century skills.”

View Glen’s profile article.

Buddy King
Buddy King

Vice Chair; Community Engagement & Programming Co-Chair; Cultural Inclusion Group Member
Executive Director at Higher Works Collaborative, Youth Pastor at Jubilee Worship Center, Board Member for several area youth serving non-profits

“Great River Children’s Museum creates a meeting place for everyone in the community to engage in fun and exciting activities. A diverse community sustains authentic education in arts and culture.  S.T.E.A.M. is the tool of success.”

Greg Reigstad
Greg Reigstad

Treasurer
Retired professor and administrator at St. Cloud Technical and Community College

“Early in my career I worked with Head Start, which at the time had the slogan,’Teaching parents through children.’ I believe this is a good goal for the Great River Children’s Museum.”

Monica Segura-Schwartz
Monica Segura-Schwartz

Secretary

“Our community needs more options to accelerate learning about arts and culture. A children’s museum will enhance local culture by encouraging people to engage with each other.”

View Monica’s profile article.

Dr. Jill Amsberry
Dr. Jill Amsberry

Board Member
Pediatric Specialist with CentraCare and member of the Minnesota COVID Response Team

“As a mother and pediatrician in this community, I am thrilled to be a part of an organization striving to create a safe place for our children to grow and learn. I look forward to an environment that allows our children to play without the constraints of gender, race, socioeconomic status or circumstance.”

Becky Coborn
Becky Coborn

Board Member; Capital Campaign Chair; Facilities Committee Member; Exhibits Committee Member
Community Advocate and Volunteer; Former Parent Educator with ECFE Sauk Rapids-Rice

“Investing in a children’s museum reflects the priorities of our community and boosts the quality of life for everyone.”

View Becky’s profile article.

Jane Ellison
Jane Ellison

Board Member; Community Engagement & Programming Co-Chair; Cultural Inclusion Group Member
Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist

“A children’s museum will provide exciting opportunities to support the social and emotional development of young children in our community, through exploration and play, with their parents or other important caregivers in their lives.”

Heidi Everett
Heidi Everett

Board Member; Marketing Committee Chair
Professor of Strategic Communication at St. Cloud State University and Editor in Chief of The Newsleaders in St. Joseph, MN

“Some of the best memories with my three boys are the times spent constructing contraptions, manipulating bubbles, exploring and role playing. Children’s museums provide the space for these types of creative discovery, and I look forward to seeing other families make lifelong memories at GRCM.”

Kate Flynn

Board Member; Interim Director of Early Childhood Education

Tom Grones
Tom Grones

Board Member

“The Children’s Museum has the potential to become so much more than a building; it is destined to become an essential community institution. It promises to help create a much more vibrant downtown, a much more inclusive community, and an important resource for families in the Central Minnesota area.”

Sara McKeever
Sara McKeever

Board Member; Marketing Committee Member; Community Engagement & Programming Committee Member
ECFE Parent Educator with Sauk Rapids-Rice Schools

“It’s been my dream to have a museum space in central Minnesota where children and adults are able to play together in a meaningful way that builds their relationship.”

Dr. Vincent Miles
Dr. Vincent Miles

Board Member; Exhibits Committee Chair; Facilities Committee Member; Marketing Committee Member
Licensed Clinical Psychologist (specializing in health psychology and
cognitive behavioral therapy)

“This is an exciting time! The future of our community is being influenced by those just entering the world today. A local children’s museum presents an extraordinary opportunity to bring our community together, promoting learning through curiosity, and ultimately strengthening our humanity.”

Mardi Noyes

Board Member; Personnel Committee Member
VP of Human Resources at Microbiologics

Jerry Von Korff

Board Member; Exhibits Committee Member
Attorney at Rinke Noonan Law Firm

Committee Members

Deb Campbell

Retired Early Childhood Director, Sauk Rapids-Rice Schools

“As a parent and grandparent, I am excited to be part of the development of a children’s museum for our area. What a great addition to our community.”

Alex Hengel

CPA at CliftonLarsonAllen

Sahur Hussein

Career Planner at Career Solutions

“I have little kids at home and really want something like this for them in Central Minnesota. I know our whole community will benefit from having a place for children to play and explore.”

Linda McNelly

Retired Parent Educator with District 742

“I love children, children’s museums and the St. Cloud area. Check out my collection of hundreds of images from other children’s museums to see what might be possible for our community.”

In Memoriam

Our friend, John Wertz passed away on December 9, 2020. Great River Children’s Museum wants to recognize his significant support for the children’s museum from the early days when the museum was just a dream. John provided important guidance by coaching the development of a business plan for the museum to help assess our feasibility. He was a member of the planning group that visited Liberty Bank when the offer of the building was first made. He connected us to community resources to help us make the decision to accept the building donation. He was also instrumental in providing critical early financial support to move the project forward. He continued to provide advice and connect Great River Children’s Museum to community leaders after we moved into our building. He even came to help us move counters to create our Play, Explore, and Learn Lab space. He will be fondly remembered for his wise counsel, optimism, and advocacy for our children’s museum. We miss you John and honor you as one of our founding members.

John Wertz
John Wertz – Founding Member of Great River Children’s Museum

GRCM advocate, board member, and friend Jim Davis passed away on September 3, 2023. Great
River Children’s Museum wants to recognize Jim’s long-term support and involvement in the
early stages of the museum’s development. When Jim was serving as Executive Director of
Stearns History Museum he invited us to explore creating a joint museum complex. He volunteered to be a member of the planning group that worked long days with consultants over a 6-month period to create the GRCM Strategic Master Plan and continued to serve as a member of the Facilities Committee through early 2023. He will be remembered for his wisdom, kindness, and strong advocacy for our children’s museum. We miss you Jim and honor you as one of our early supporters and founding board members.

Jim Davis
Jim Davis – Facilities Committee Member