Board of Trustees Roster

Alex Cirillo
10107 Brookhaven Drive
Woodbury, MN 55129-4800
Phone: 651-208-7342
CirilloAC@gmail.com

At Large
Term Dates: July 15, 2018 - June 30, 2024

Alex Cirillo was the vice president of community affairs for 3M prior to his retirement in 2010. He had worked in different roles at 3M since he joined the company in 1979 as a senior physicist. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Wilder Foundation and MinnCAN and has been a member of the Itasca Project's working team since 2007. Previously, he served on the Board of Directors for the BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota. Cirillo earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Catholic University of America and a master's degree and doctorate in chemistry, both from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Cirillo was reappointed to the Board of Trustees for a six-year term by Gov. Mark Dayton in 2018. His term ends June 30, 2024

Dawn Erlandson
30 7th Street East, Suite 350
St. Paul, MN 55101
Phone: 651-201-1705
Dawn.Erlandson@MinnState.edu

At Large
Term Dates: July 15, 2018 - June 30, 2024

Dawn Erlandson, Minneapolis, is the president of Aurora Strategic Advisors, Inc., where she leads public affairs and marketing communications efforts for local, state, and national clients.

In October 2019, she became the chair of the Board of Directors of the Association of Community College Trustees based in Washington, D.C.  Previously, she served as the chair-elect of the ACCT Board of Directors. Erlandson is also the board chair of UPSTREAM, a national environmental organization. She previously served as board president of the Minneapolis Community and Technical College Foundation.

Erlandson has served on the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees since 2012. Gov. Mark Dayton reappointed her to another six-year term in 2018. Her term ends June 30, 2024

Roger Moe
30 7th Street East, Suite 350
St. Paul, MN 55101
Phone: 651-201-1705
Roger.Moe@MinnState.edu

Congressional District 7
Term Dates: December 20, 2016 - June 30, 2026

Roger Moe, Erskine, is the current president of National Strategies, Inc. He previously served 32 years in the Minnesota Legislature, including 22 years as Senate Majority Leader. His legislative accomplishments include the creation of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership, the Midwest Higher Education Commission, and the Environmental Trust Fund. He has also served as the Vice President of Coleman/Christison, Inc., and as a mathematics teacher and coach at Ada High School.

Moe is a former member of the Policy Consensus Initiative Board of Directors, Debate Minnesota, the Minnesota Twins Community Fund Governance Committee, and the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership Board. Senator Moe earned his B.S. from Mayville State University and an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from the University of Minnesota for his years of public service.

Roger Moe was re-appointed by Governor Tim Walz for another six-year term ending June 30, 2026. 

April Nishimura
30 7th Street East, Suite 350
St. Paul, MN 55101
Phone: 651-201-1705
April.Nishimura@MinnState.edu

Congressional District 2
Term Dates: July 15, 2018 - June 30, 2024

April Nishimura, Apple Valley, is a finance director at Ecolab with oversight of their Global Business Services continuous improvement and project management office. Previously, she served in multiple leadership roles at Ecolab in Sales, Marketing, and Product Development. Prior to that, she led sales transformation at GTE and Verizon Communications in its Hawaii, West Coast, Southwest, and New England markets.

Nishimura serves as an Ecolab Executive Mentor and previously served on the Dallas Asian Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. She is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt in Process Improvement and a Certified Scrum Product Owner. She earned a bachelor of arts from the University of Hawaii and her MBA from Pepperdine University’s George L. Graziadio school of Business.

Gov. Mark Dayton appointed Nishimura to the Board of Trustees on July 15, 2018. Her term will end on June 30, 2024.

Rudy Rodriguez, Vice Chair 
30 7th Street East, Suite 350
St. Paul, MN 55101
Phone: 651-201-1705
Rodolfo.Rodriguez@MinnState.edu

Congressional District 3
Term Dates: August 24, 2016 - June 30, 2022

Rodolfo Rodriguez, Maple Grove, is vice president of diversity and inclusion for Ameriprise Financial Inc., and is a member of the LatinoLEAD organization. He earned his bachelor of arts degree in economics from the University of Illinois and his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Previously, Mr. Rodriguez was a senior director of multicultural marketing for MillerCoors, LLC in Chicago, a multicultural marketing director for General Mills, Inc., and a brand manager at Unilever.

Gov. Mark Dayton appointed Rodriguez to the Board of Trustees in 2016 for a six-year term ending June 30, 2022.

George Soule
30 7th Street East
St. Paul, MN 55101
651-201-1705
George.Soule@MinnState.edu

At Large
Term Dates: July 15, 2018 - June 30, 2024

George Soule, Minneapolis, is a judge of the White Earth Tribal Court of Appeals and a founding partner of Soule & Stull LLC, where he is a civil trial attorney handling cases involving product liability, commercial, and negligence claims. He earned his B.A. from Minnesota State University Moorhead (formerly Moorhead State University), and his J.D. from Harvard Law School. Previously, Judge Soule was a founding and managing partner at Bowman and Brooke LLP.

Judge Soule is a member of the board of the Division of Indian Work and he has served on the board of the Minnesota State University Moorhead Alumni Foundation. He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Society of Barristers, and a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates. He serves as a mentor at the University of Saint Thomas Law School and is a past chair of the Minnesota Commission on Judicial Selection.

Soule was reappointed to the Board of Trustees for a six-year term by Gov. Mark Dayton in 2018. His term will end on June 30, 2024.

Michael Vekich
3924 Natchez Avenue South
St. Louis Park, MN 55416
Phone: 612-709-6262
Vekich@Vekich.com

At Large
Term Dates: August 24, 2016 - June 30, 2022

Michael M. Vekich, St. Louis Park, is CEO of Vekich Chartered in Minneapolis; a member of BNCCORP’s Board of Directors; and chair of the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, which oversees U.S. Bank Stadium. He earned his associate degree from Hibbing Community College and Bachelor of Arts degree in accounting and business administration from the University of Minnesota.

Widely known as the go-to-guy, Vekich is an experienced senior executive known for innovative and effective leadership of complex organizations. Previously, he was the chairman of HF Financial Corp (NASDAQ: HFFC) and Home Federal Bank; executive chairman, president, and chief operating officer of Skyline Exhibits in Eagan; CEO of Vekich Arkema and Company; president of The Bank Holding Company; and chair of the Minnesota Board of Accountancy, where he currently serves as the secretary/treasurer.

Vekich has also served as the vice chair of Minnesota Ballpark Authority; as a member of the Rochester Higher Education Development Committee; and as a founding member and vice chair of the Minnesota Higher Education Services Council.

Vekich was a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees from 1996 to 2002, and he served as chair for four years. Gov. Tim Pawlenty appointed Vekich to the Board of Trustees in 2010 for a six-year term. Gov. Mark Dayton reappointed him to the Board of Trustees in 2016 for a six-year term ending June 30, 2022.