Board of Directors

Marsha Danielson

Gretchen Etzell

Dr. Mary Lou Kudela

Joe Meidl

Meredith Menden

Kathy Mork, Secretary/Treasurer

Mary Motter

Nancy Pehling

Stephanie Stoffel

Nancy Zalleck, President

Shannon Robinson

Executive Director
Phone: 507-387-1008
E-mail

Nichole Heidl

Program Assistant

Phone: 507-387-1008

E-mail

Board Bios and Affiliations

Marsha Danielson
Working to make Greater Mankato a more inclusive and economically vital community fits Marsha’s passion to meet new people and make personal connections with them. In her current position as Dean of Economic Development at South Central College she provides leadership for the education, training and consultative services SCC provides to strengthen the regions business, non-profit and government organizations.

Prior to joining SCC, Danielson worked in University Advancement for Minnesota State University, Mankato for 12 years. In addition, Marsha served as the first Executive Director of the Greater Mankato Diversity Council.

She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Greater Mankato Area United Way. Marsha is a Greater Mankato Chamber of Commerce Ambassador and Blandin Community Leadership program alumnae. She has a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration and Masters Degree in Education Administration, both from Minnesota State University, Mankato. Marsha lives in Mankato and enjoys time with her husband Bruce and three sons.

Gretchen Etzell
Gretchen Etzell has served as the Merely Players’ Artistic Director for the past 25 years and has directed at least one musical, comedy or drama production each of those years. Etzell, a former English teacher at Mankato Area Public Schools’ West High School, taught a variety of upper-level courses including British literature, creative writing, advanced composition and Shakespeare. She served as the theatre director at West High School, and also taught at East High School. Through her service to Mankato Area Public Schools and the Merely Players, Etzell has directed more than 50 productions.

She attended the College of St. Benedict where she earned her degrees in philosophy, English and mathematics. She has a minor in education.

Dr. Mary Lou Kudela
Dr. Mary Lou Kudela serves as the Education Director for the Greater Mankato Diversity Council. She has taken on many active roles that benefit youth through her work as a teacher and community leader. She has been an active participant of Mankato Area Healthy Youth, Kiwanis Diversity Club, Civitan International—Heart of the Valley Club, 100 Best Communities for Youth Committee, YWCA member, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and Envision 2020. She also serves has regional faculty for musical leaders, visits other choruses with education about motivation and arts organization and regularly teaches at an international educational symposium during the summer.

Kudela’s arts interests include the musical and literary arts. She is a charter and current member of the Minnesota Valley Sweet Adelines and also serves at the international level for this group. She is a member of the All Saints Choir in Madison Lake and a member of the Pen Pal series sponsored by the Hennepin County Library.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in English from the State University of New York, Albany, her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction and her specialist degree from Minnesota State University, Mankato and her doctorate in educational policy and administration from the University of Minnesota and St. Cloud State University.

Joe Meidl
Joe Meidl is the president and retail manager of The Music Mart. Meidl is the founder of the Kids Making Music Program, a collaborative effort that gives all students the opportunity to be involved in band by helping to defray the costs of instruments. He is the Vice President of the Downtown Kiwanis and serves as Chair of the Arion Award Committee and also serves on the Thunder of Drums Committee.

Meidl has been involved on other community fronts including the Salvation Army Golf Tournament Committee and the Holiday Sharing Tree Board. He is committed to the arts not only through his work but also through other opportunities. He is a member of the Shells Hobo Band and teaches private trombone lessons. He is a past member of the Southern Minnesota Real Big Band and former director of the youth choir at Holy Rosary Church. He earned his degree in music management from the College of St. Scholastica.

Meredith Menden
Meredith Menden is a tax manager with EideBailly. She has been interested in the arts for many years, having grown up in a family that appreciated the arts. She has traveled all over the country to visit a vast array of arts museums. She has served as a board member of Leisure Education for Exceptional People (LEEP) and a Special Olympics volunteer. She is involved with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) and the Minnesota Society of CPAs.

She has a bachelor's degree in accounting and a master's in business taxation.

Kathy Mork, Secretary/Treasurer
Kathy Mork is a National Recruiter for the Internal Revenue Service. She serves as the events coordinator and secretary for the Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Mankato chapter and on the Yarnworks project for Christ the King Lutheran Church. She has served as a past member of the Merely Players Community Theater Board of Directors where she took on the roles of vice chairman, chairman and treasurer. She was the assistant director of two Merely Players Community Theater productions. Mork has also been involved with the Albert Lea Community Theatre and the Twin Rivers Showcase and Mystery Dinner fundraiser. She earned her degree in elementary education.

Mary Motter
Mary Motter teaches at Mankato Area Public Schools. In high school Motter played the oboe and sang in the choir. She is a past member of the Minnesota Valley Chorale and sang in the Gustavus Adolphus Concert Choir. She has served has an artist-in-residence coordinator, on the Comprehensive Arts Planning Committee, on the Mankato Area Coalition of the Arts, the Guthrie Touring Committee and the Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council Board. She is also a master gardener.

Motter earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education at Gustavus Adolphus College and her master’s degree in curriculum instruction at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Nancy Pehling
Nancy is currently the President of the Marketing Division of Creative Ad Solutions. She offers clients a range of professional consulting services from Coaching and Facilitation to building and evaluating marketing plans, network development and coordinating special projects and campaigns.

Her volunteer commitments currently include the Mankato Diversity Kiwanis Club, President of the Marketing Association of Southern MN (MASMN), and also current President of (Women Executives in Business (WEB). Nancy is also part of a planning Team working to design diversity training products for Greater Mankato Area businesses.

In 1986, Nancy was hired by the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis to serve as a Community Liaison and Consultant for the Iron Range Documentation Project. During the four-year project, Nancy worked to pair writers and photographers with families across the Minnesota Iron Range for the purpose of a subjective documentation process. She also coordinated many public events to share the work among the communities and open the process up to the citizen’s voices and input. Archives can be found today at the Iron Range Research Center at Iron World in Chisholm, MN. The program was a feature on the Charles Kuralt “On the Road” television program.

Nancy was also the community point person for organizing an art camp for children on the Iron Range.

Stephanie Stoffel
Stephanie Stoffel, Chief Technology Officer for Coughlan Companies, is a lifelong resident of the Mankato Area. Steph has been very active in the community and has served on a number of boards including United Way, Merely Players Community Theater, MACs Foundation, Nicollet County Extension, ACT 2000 Planning Committee, Envision 2020, and the Leadership Mankato Area Steering Committee. Steph currently serves on the North Mankato Planning and Zoning Commission, the gala committee for the School Sisters of Notre Dame, and the Technology Advisory Committees for both South Central College and Mankato State University-Mankato.

An original founder of Merely Players Community Theater, Steph has served as a volunteer director and technical director, as well as chair of the original steering committee. Steph has been recognized for her volunteerism with the numerous awards; including the YWCA Women of Distinction; Merely Players Curtain Call Award; Chamber Volunteer of the Year; and the Leadership Mankato Area Hap Halligan Leadership Award. Steph and her husband Steve live in North Mankato.

Nancy Zallek, President
Nancy Zallek is the executive director for the United Way of St. Peter. She has served has executive director for the Mankato Ballet Company. Prior to her tenure with the Mankato Ballet Company, she was vice president and director of stores for Brett’s Department Store.
She assists with marketing campaigns for the Dance Conservatory of Southern Minnesota and has served on a variety of committees and councils for the St. Peter School District including the Environmental Carnival and International Family Fun Night. She is a Board Member of the Mankato Clinic Foundation and chair of the Kindness Campaign in St. Peter schools. She is also a member of the First Presbyterian Church marketing committee. In addition, Zallek delivers Meals on Wheels. She has served as co-chair of the Fundraising Committee for the TREEmendous playground to raise funds for a children’s park.

She attended Gustavus Adolphus College and earned a degree in business administration.

Shannon Robinson, Executive Director

Shannon Robinson has been a volunteer for the Twin Rivers Center for the Arts since March 2004. In November 2004, she began her role as Co-chair of the organization, and served as Coordinator (a part-time volunteer position) from December 2005 until April 2007, when she was hired as the first Executive Director of TRCA.

Shannon received her BA in studio art and art history from the University of Minnesota – Morris, and earned a Masters in Arts Administration with a certificate in Non-profit Management from the University of Illinois in 2000. She worked in public relations at the Northern Clay Center in Minneapolis for a year and a half, and then served for two years as a Communications Coordinator and Writer for twelve state legislators at the Minnesota House of Representatives. Upon moving to Mankato in the summer of 2003, Shannon briefly edited children’s books before beginning her role as Public Relations and Events Coordinator for Midwest Wireless. In May 2006, Shannon joined One Bright Star, a local nonprofit, as interim Executive Director.

Shannon served on the Visual Arts Council at the Phipps Center for the Arts in Hudson, Wisconsin, for three years and played an active role in planning exhibitions and working on gallery installations. She completed the Greater Mankato Leadership Institute in the spring of 2005 and served as a delegate on the Mankato InterCity Leadership Visits to Bellingham, Washington, and Fort Collins, Colorado. She participated in the Envision 2020 community planning process as Co-chair of the Livability Committee and is currently serving on the Implementation Committee.  Shannon is also a board member of the Mankato Downtown Kiwanis Club, a board member and Marketing Committee member for the Boy Scouts Twin Valley Council, and an Advisory Board Member for the newly-formed Mankato chapter of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. Most recently, Shannon was invited to serve as a member of the Cultural, Arts and Community Enhancement District task force for the City of Mankato.