Executive & Honorary Board of Directors

A diverse, experienced team of experts in sustainable development and organizational management is leading Common Hope in its mission to promote hope and opportunity in Guatemala and to improve lives through education, health care, housing, and family and community development.

Common Hope has an Executive Board of Directors and an Honorary Board of Directors. Only the Executive Board members have voting privileges. All of our board members have traveled to Guatemala to work directly with the poor. Most board members have been down multiple times. The following is a complete list of our Executive and Honorary Board members, their professional affiliations, and their involvement with Common Hope.

Executive Board of Directors

Tom Joyce
Chair

Tom is a Minneapolis-based lawyer who lived abroad for many years. He heard about Common Hope through his wife, Annette Atkins, who teaches at St. John's University. He has visited Guatemala three times and co-led a Vision Team in 2003. Tom believes that Common Hope is a very appropriate and effective way to serve the poor.

Pete Regnier
Vice Chair

Pete is an attorney. He led a Vision Team to Guatemala in 2000 and became actively involved as a volunteer, donor, and sponsor. This led to his election to the Board of Directors. Pete is willing to speak about Common Hope to both adults and children. He and his wife are sold 100% on the mission, work, and success of Common Hope.

Sally Westby
Secretary

Sally is a government relations consultant in Minneapolis and has been active in community and political activities for over 30 years.  She and her husband Jon are the parents of two children whom they adopted from Guatemala in 1979.  Their younger son, Renato Westby, is managing Common Hope's first satellite project at New Hope Village.  Sally is the sponsor of Amilcar Sequin.  Many of her family members also sponsor children at Common Hope.

Dave Heider
Treasurer

David Heider is President and CEO of United Hardware Distributing Co. and previously worked as a management consultant specializing in corporate reorganizations and turnarounds.  He first learned of Common Hope through his daughter, Kate Heider, who is the sponsorship manager at Common Hope, and her husband, Joe Mueller, who has been a volunteer and Sponsor at Common Hope for several years.  Dave and his wife, Ann, are Common Hope Partners and are also committed supporters of the arts.  Dave writes, “Although I have not been involved with Common Hope for very long, I am impressed with the dedication of its staff, the efficiency of its operations and the importance of its mission in Guatemala.”

Jim Hatch

Jim writes, “It is my belief that we are all brothers and sisters, and each of us has a responsibility to reach out to those who are less fortunate. I also believe that those receiving a helping hand will soon be lending a helping hand, creating a stronger and better world. I have found that service to others has brought the greatest happiness and joy in my life.”

“I'm grateful to be associated with Common Hope. The work Common Hope has done in the past, as well as the work currently being done today, is truly changing and strengthening the lives of disadvantaged children and families”.

Jim has been a restaurant entrepreneur and has extensive business background in restaurant franchising and management. He currently is Director of Giving for a non-profit charitable corporation in California.

Bill Huebsch

Bill Huebsch is the founder and president of Corporate Philosophy, Inc, an advisory firm with clients in the publishing, lobbying, religion, academic, and .com sectors. He is an author and trained theologian, and is the past-President of Twenty-Third Publications in New London, CT. He currently serves on the adjunct faculties of both Loyola University New Orleans and the University of Dallas.

Over the years, Bill has served Common Hope as coach and facilitator for the staff and volunteers there. In the 1980s, Bill served as financial advisor and manager to the parroquia at San Lucas Toliman.

Bob Fafinski

Attorney, principal and founder, Fafinski Mark & Johnson, Sponsor.

Additional bio coming soon.E

Kathy Paden

Director, Master of Arts in Teaching Program, Graduate School of Education, Hamline University, Member of Education Quality Task Force.E

Additional bio coming soon.E

Steve Schmidt

Founder and President, Abetech Bar Code & RFID Solutions, Common Hope Corporate Partner, Vision Team in 2007, Sponsors 5 children.

Additional bio coming soon.E

Ed Flaherty

Ed is an entrepreneur and the owner of Lariat Companies, Inc. Ed is an entrepreneur and the owner of Lariat Companies, Inc.Ed is an entrepreneur and the owner of Lariat Companies, Inc.Ed is an entrepreneur and the owner of Lariat Companies, Inc.

Joan Uselmann

Joan writes, "It was a long-time goal of mine to work with the poor in Central America.  In January of 2000, the spirit moved me to visit Guatemala and Common Hope.  I'm convinced of the value and work of this remarkable project and am committed to promoting its goals."  Joan is involved with Habitat for Humanity and other social justice organizations.  She is a grandma and is semi-retired from 30 years in the education publishing business.  Joan proudly sponsors Ingrid Ardón.

Randi Yoder

Randi is Senior Vice President of  Donor Relations for the Greater Twin Cities United Way.  As president of Yoder Henley Development Resources, she served as a consultant to not-for-profit organizations addressing areas of development planning, capital campaigns, major gift development, marketing, communications and staff, board and volunteer training. A former Peace Corps volunteers in the Dominican Republic, Randi has continued her involvement in rural development assisting projects in Uruguay, Jamaica, Bolivia and Costa Rica. What she finds most motivating about this work is helping to develop models that may be replicated in other parts of the country or regions of the world.

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Honorary Board of Directors

Dave and Bina Huebsch
Founder

Dave is the founder of Common Hope. Together, he and Bina fundraise for Common Hope and live in Little Falls, Minnesota.

John Huebsch
Founder

John is co-founder of Common Hope and served as its Executive Director from 1992-2006.  He has also worked with the homeless in the U.S, as a mental health specialist, divorce mediator, and carpenter.  John first journeyed to Guatemala in 1985 to visit his parents, who were working there.  This initial four-month trip planted seeds that would become 20 years of dedicated service to those living in poverty.  In 2006, after careful preparation, John stepped down as Executive Director to join the Board of Directors. He now pursues his interest in spirituality and provides guidance to several non-profit organizations and their leaders.
 
About his work with the poor, John writes, “Why do we do it?  We do it because meeting the poor has profoundly changed us.  When you hear a child absent-mindedly singing an invented song or you notice a tear roll down a mother’s face, the poor start to become people with names. When a new pair of glasses makes a child smile because she can see clearly, you begin to understand that a person is a person is a person.  And a toothache is a toothache is a toothache.  Soon the term ‘the poor’ becomes too big, because all you can see are individual faces.  As friendships develop, the world becomes smaller and hearts grow bigger.”

Stan Amidon

Vice President of Amidon Graphics, Stan became involved with Common Hope after visiting Guatemala in 1998. He has also traveled to Guatemala on a Vision Team.

Annette Atkins

Annette is a professor of History at the College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University.

Ann Bloomquist

Ann enjoyed a successful career in marketing and sales, before taking early retirement to start a family. She now spends much of her time volunteering for organizations that focus on children and education. Ann is a strong supporter of Common Hope's education programs and sponsors both a student and a teacher at New Hope Village.

Eric Bloomquist

Eric is the former CEO of Colonial Craft, Inc. He and his wife, Ann, sponsor two children.

Kim Culp

Kim is the Chairman of the Minnesota Region of M&I Bank. His daughter was a long-term volunteer in Guatemala. Kim and his wife sponsor a child.

Gary Doten

Bio coming soon.

Julie Flaherty

Bio coming soon.

Ron Kelly

Ron is a retired Group President at Pentair Corporation, who became a board member after going to Guatemala on a Vision Team. He is a sponsor.

Barbara Kopp

Vice-President of Kopp Family Foundation, Barbara is a volunteer and advocate for women's growth and domestic violence programs. She traveled to Guatemala in 2000 with a Vision Team from her church.

Mike Menzel

An anesthesiologist in Minneapolis, Mike has participated in over a dozen Common Hope surgical trips since 1991.  He also served 9 years on the Executive Board.

Larry Meyer

Larry is President of the Meyer Companies and former mayor of the City of St. Cloud, Minnesota. He sponsors a child.

Peggy Meyer

President of Meyer Marketing, Ltd., Peggy is an active civic fundraiser. She sponsors a child.

Gerry Morrison

Gerry does fundraising on the West Coast for Common Hope. She was a long-term volunteer for three years with Common Hope in Guatemala. She sponsors three children.

Dick Palen

Dick is a retired commercial mechanical contractor from the Palen-Kimball Company. He continues to be involved in the development of micro-businesses in Central America. He has visited Common Hope in Guatemala many times and is the sponsor of Rosario Hernandez.

Greg Palen

Greg is CEO of Palen/Kimball Company and CEO of Spectrow Alloys. He is a sponsor.

Mary Pasquinelli

Bio coming soon.

Greg Scherer

Greg is a general partner of Scherer Bros. Lumber Company. He has found that his favorite way to introduce people to Common Hope is to show them the project firsthand.  He has visited Guatemala at least 27 times, bringing his entire family and over 40 friends to see the work up close.  Greg and his family sponsor Claudia Larios, José Castro, and Nestor Benítez.

Linda Scherer

Linda is an active volunteer for social justice causes, through the League of Catholic Women and other avenues.  She has been a committed ambassador for Common Hope, having led multiple Vision Teams to Guatemala and serving as an active volunteer for many Common Hope benefit events.  Linda and her family sponsor Claudia Larios, José Castro, and Nestor Benítez.

Jim Sexton

Jim is the retired CEO of Polar Corporation and the Board President of Habitat for Humanity in Ft. Meyers, Florida. He and his wife, Yvonne, sponsor seven children.

Yvonne Sexton

President of Sexton Family Foundation, Yvonne is a full-time volunteer activist and environmentalist. Together with her husband, Jim, she sponsors seven children.

Joe Shank

Bio coming soon.

Leslie Shank

Bio coming soon.

Sandy Smith

Bio coming soon.

Glen Taylor

Glen Taylor is the Chairman and Owner of Taylor Corporation. He also owns the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx. Glen and many members of his family became involved with Common Hope after visiting our sites in Guatemala in 2002. Glen is a strong advocate and supporter of educational programs domestically and internationally.

Dean Vought

Bio coming soon.

John Watson

John is a former marketing executive, who is now a consultant and community volunteer. He and his wife sponsor a child.

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