President, Sharla DonohueDevelopment ResearcherCourage Center763.520.0697sdonohue@apra-mn.org
At the beginning of 2010, Sharla joined the Development Team at the Courage Center in an effort to help them grown their major gifts program through research and analytics. Prior to that, she worked with the Minnesota Historical Society as the Prospect Manager and Research Coordinator. In addition to being the sole researcher, Sharla created and implemented a new prospect management system. Last year, Sharla began her first term on the APRA-MN Board as Programming Director and was a regular contributor to APRA-MN's quarterly newsletter, The Networker. She received a BA from the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, MN. Her studies focused on philosophy and theater.
Vice President, Marcy Cheeseman Senior Development ResearcherUniversity of Minnesota Foundation612.626.5718mcheeseman@apra-mn.org
Marcy has held her current position as Senior Development Researcher at the University of Minnesota for three years. Previously she served as Prospect Research and Database Manager at the Fairview Foundation and in research and advancement services positions at the Minnesota Medical Foundation. A past member of APRA-Minnesota scholarship and marketing committees, Marcy has also served as a scholarship and awards committee member and frequent roundtable facilitator for APRA International. She holds degrees from the University of Michigan and the University of Minnesota. Marcy lives in Minneapolis, where she is a member of AAUW and the Midtown Greenway Coalition.
Programming Director, Karla DavisProspect Research SpecialistSt. Olaf College507.786.3389kdavis@apra-mn.org
Karla is the Prospect Research Specialist at St. Olaf College. Prior to her current position, she worked as a curator for a literature collection at the University of Minnesota and as the library director of the Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota’s graduate school campus. She has a master’s degree in Library and Information Science and a bachelor’s degree in English from Wayne State University. Karla is a member of APRA-MN, APRA International, and the treasurer and webmaster for the MN Chapter of the Association of Black Women in Higher Education. Once a month, she can be found leading tours at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
Secretary, Deborah DerringerManager of Prospect Research & Relationship ManagementHazelden Foundation651.213.4097dderringer@apra-mn.org
Deborah Derringer serves as the Manager of Prospect Research and Relationship Management at the Hazelden Foundation. Her initial foray into prospect research came as an undergraduate work-study student at Macalester College, and involved a great deal of rubber cement and paper alumni files. After earning her BA in English, she went on to work in the annual fund and in gift administration at Macalester. She began her professional career in prospect research at the University of Minnesota Foundation, where she also experimented with graduate studies in landscape architecture. Prior to joining Hazelden in 2008, she developed the prospect management system and acted as a one-person research shop for Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis. In her free time she gardens, cooks and practices yoga. She lives with her husband in St. Paul.
Treasurer, Kari DreherDirector of Advancement ServicesConcordia College218.299.3401kdreher@apra-mn.org
Kari has served the Advancement Office at Concordia College for the past 17 years. While her educational background is in computer programming, her passion lies in constituent data integrity, prospect identification, analysis, and moves management. Kari has been active in APRA-MN for several years serving on the marketing subcommittee, as photographer, and currently as membership director. Kari also enjoys volunteer activities with Special Olympics, Girl Scouts, PTA, and the fundraising committee for West Fargo Soccer Club.
Membership, Marketing & Public Relations Director, Gail WhitneySenior Coordinator, Prospect DevelopmentUniversity of Minnesota Foundation612.626.8554gwhitney@apra-mn.org
Gail has worked in prospect research since 1992, at Virginia Commonwealth University, Mayo Foundation, and University of Minnesota Foundation. She has been a production researcher, research manager, and business analyst. She specializes in developing data tools to support strategic information use in prospecting and prospect management. Gail has presented locally and nationally for APRA. She holds a Master of Humanities from University of Richmond, a Bachelor of Arts from Boston University, and an Associate of Arts from Burlington County College in New Jersey.
Communications Director & Webmaster, Mark EggeDirector of Prospect ResearchCarleton College507.222.5443megge@apra-mn.org
Mark is the Director of Prospect Research at Carleton College in Northfield, MN, a position he has held since 2008. Prior to joining Carleton, Mark was at the Indiana University Foundation in Bloomington, IN. While all aspects of prospect research are of interest to Mark, he has an especially strong affinity for metrics, statistical modeling and, more generally, creative solutions to tricky problems. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music theory from Concordia College (Moorhead, MN) and master’s degrees in saxophone performance and music theory from Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, OH), all of which have prepared him well to pursue his avocation in music. He also enjoys spending time with his wife, son, and their puppy dog.
Immediate Past President, Jodi KohrsDirector of Prospect ResearchMinnesota State University, Mankato507.389.6833jkohrs@apra-mn.org
Jodi is the Director of Prospect Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato. She has been in this position for over seven years. Prior to her research career, Jodi spent many years in the hospitality business. Jodi served on the APRA-MN Board as Vice President for 2007-2008 and was the President for the 2008-2009 board term. She has a bachelor’s degree from Minnesota State Mankato and is currently attending graduate classes. In her spare time, Jodi enjoys spending time with her husband and children Haley, nine, and Andrew, six.