Delegates initially voted to adopt a new set of bylaws to help streamline the governance of the organization and allow it to more effectively respond to the needs of members and community partners working to benefit Minnesota seniors.

Following the adoption of new bylaws, members cast their first ballot for a new board of directors. Elected on that ballot were: Dennis Anderson, Susie Ragland, Barbara Kaufman (at-large) and Kathleen McKinstra (greater Minnesota).

Convening after lunch, delegates gathered in regional caucuses to discuss and vote on their regional dissolution. All regions returned to report that they had voted to dissolve their regional corporate entity and merge their assets and efforts into the state-wide MnSF organization.

Delegates then continued to ballot for the additional three seats on the board and finally elected: Ed Holst, Dale Brock (greater Minnesota) and Krishna Seshan (at-large). The group then moved to discuss and prioritize public policy issues.

Public policy priorities for 2008 voted on

As is customary at our state convention, members prioritize national and state issues we will emphasize in the upcoming year. Members rank issues as first, second and third priorities.

The first priority on the national level is healthcare costs, followed by Medicare reform and then Social Security.

State issue priorities are property taxes, healthcare costs and universal healthcare.

A simple analysis of these issues shows that our membership is very concerned about pocketbook issues. This, however, shouldn’t surprise anyone. Fixed incomes and rising costs are a volatile mix.

If you are interested in helping define our positions and the methods we will use to advance our priorities, contact MnSF public policy director, Lee Graczyk, at 651/783-5028. 

Members elect talent, experience and integrity

The following newly elected board members will serve the Minnesota Senior Federation well through the current transition and beyond.

Dennis Anderson: Experienced in finance and administration, Dennis anticipates supporting the Federation with accounting and human resources as well as governance and finance. With a B.S. in accounting from the University of Minnesota, he has served as vice president of finance and administration for the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches; as president, CFO and COO of First Genesis, Inc; and as director of finance and administration for MedCenter Healthplan Inc. and Raymond Motor Transportation/Hyman Freightways. Dennis looks forward to helping build membership and community engagement in the newly emerged Federation.

Barbara Kaufman: An active participant in both regional and state work with the Federation since 1999, Barbara understands the challenges and opportunities facing the organization. Her knowledge and experience encompass governance, not-for-profit and governmental sectors; lobbying, communication and longtime relationships with the Minnesota human service sector. She sees the Federation as Minnesota’s premier grassroots organization of seniors advocating for their own needs and interests. In her words, “Folks join the federation for a variety of reasons: an interest in the public issues and public debate over senior needs; a need for the kinds of services and programs we can offer; a desire for social activities and conversations with others like ourselves. The Minnesota Senior Federation should provide all of these.”

Susie Ragland: Susie brings seven years experience with the Minnesota Senior Federation to her board position. She has contributed her leadership skills as a member of the Federation’s Metro Region Board of Directors; a member of the strategic planning and transition committees; and as co-chair of the Senior News Editorial Board. She currently remains active with Augsburg College social work community advisory committee; as a Hennepin County Medical (HCMC) volunteer; the HCMC Service League Board; and the steering committee of the USA Cup Soccer Tournament.

Krishna Seshan, PhD: Retired from Intel Corporation, Krishna has spent a lifetime working in technology and engineering for Intel Corporation, IBM and on the faculty of the University of Arizona. He currently volunteers at the VA hospital providing veterans with assistance modifying their wheel chairs. He also volunteers for Phoenix Residence in Minneapolis designing and building adaptive aids for residents. Krishna hopes to continue developing aids and modalities to preserve the dignity and independence of aging and disabled individuals. His Project Enable provides an example of this. An active spokesman on elderly concerns, he plans to continue educating science and engineering students about opportunities to work with seniors.

Dale F. Brock: Dale has served as president of the Southwest region and trustee of the Executive Board for three years. He has also been an active school board member for the past 12 years and presides over a local senior center in his home town of Fulda. Dale envisions the Federation as a merging of seniors into a single organization with the capacity to shape and enrich the future of our state’s and the nation’s older adults. 

Edwin Holst: With an accounting degree from Ridgewater Technical School in Willmar, Edwin has lived and worked for years as a self-employed certified public accountant in Spicer. He is a retired member of the U.S. Army, ARNG, and Army Reserve where he spent more than 37 years as a chief warrant officer.  As a member of the Spicer, Minnesota Zoning and Planning Board, the Minnesota Association of Public Accountants, Military Officers Association of America and the National Federation of Independent Business, he personally lives by the ideals, objectives and mission of the MnSF. He looks forward to helping solve the challenges the organization faces as it becomes one entity.

Kathleen McKinstra: An attorney licensed to practice law in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois, Kathleen currently lives and practices in Hibbing. For the past decade she has focused her professional efforts in the area of elder law and estate planning and believes the issues she encounters daily are those of great importance to members of the Minnesota Senior Federation. She brings legal knowledge and experience from nearly 20 years of practice. She has also worked as a staff attorney for the Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups and is familiar with the role that a quality board of directors can bear on such an organization. Kathleen’s vision for the Federation is to grow its membership and inspire others her age or younger to get involved with Minnesota Senior Federation.