River Bend Board Members

Left to Right: (back row) Derek Haars, Greg Simmons, Patrick Mader, Patrick Schaefer, Tom Spooner, Nort Johnson, Dustin Dienst

(Front row) Erica Jakes, Karen Zeller, Abby Malmanger

Interested in being part of the Board of Directors? Learn more and apply below.

 Board of Directors Job Description & Application

Dusty Dienst photo

Dustin Dienst

President

Dustin is the Fire Chief / Emergency Manager for the City of Faribault. He has an AAS in Natural Resources and is a Licensed Master Electrician, Licensed Firefighter, and Licensed EMT.  He has been visiting RBNC since he was a child and has been a longtime member.  He has experience with nonprofit boards as member and chair and would bring a variety of skills to the Board some of which include: physical plant (buildings & grounds), and wildlife and natural resources management.

Packy Photo

Patrick Mader

Vice President

Packy grew up on a farm near the town of St. Bonifacius on the western edge of Hennepin County.  Forty-one acres of the lowlands on his farm have been restored as wetlands and with native plants in recent years as part of an exhaustive project.   Always having an appreciation of nature, Packy constantly played and worked outdoors—including time as a farmhand on the property which is now Gale Woods in the Three Rivers Park District.  He has canoed the entire length of the BWCA and from Lake Itasca to St. Paul as part of his adventures.  A retired elementary teacher, Packy often brought classes to River Bend and completed a Minnesota Master Naturalist class on site.

Karen Zeller

Karen Zeller

Treasurer

Karen is the retired CEO of Cedar House, Inc., a mental health center covering southern Minnesota. Prior to that, she was an education for over 20 years. She has two Masters' Degrees and a Doctorate in Education Administration. She and her husband, Simon, have five children and nine grandchildren. Her children have enjoyed the nature center and now her grandchildren are enthusiastically experiencing nature through River Bend. She has been an outdoor enthusiast all her life and is especially proud of River Bend and what it offers to Faribault and the surrounding communities. She enjoys being a part of the Board of Directors and the ability to give back to RBNC for all the experiences it provides for people of all ages.

Tom DeMatteo

Tom DeMatteo

Secretary

Tom Is Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel and Secretary for ABC Bus Companies, Inc. He is responsible for all legal affairs for the company. Tom spends all his free time hiking and has hiked in every state park in Minnesota. He looks forward to helping River Bend continue to enhance all of its educational and out reach programs.

TomSpooner

Tom Spooner

City Council Liaison

Cindy DeSormeau

Cindy is a Dental Hygienist with Southern Heights Dental Group and Realtor with Legacy House / eXp Realty. She enjoys RBNC as an avid trail user and enjoys projects and helping see them through including fundraising and recruiting volunteers.

DerekHaars

Derek Haars

Derek is a Packaging and Warehouse Manager at Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc / The Caves of Faribault. He currently serves as Vice President of the Sustainable Farming Association. Derek wishes to bring his passion for environmental stewardship and nature to the board and increasing opportunities for people to enjoy RBNC.

Sarah Hammer

Sarah Hammer

Emily Jakes

Erica Jakes

Erica was born and raised in Faribault, MN. She spent her childhood chasing animals around her parents hobby farm, then later running around in River Bend for Faribault High School Cross Country practices. Erica graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in St Peter, MN in 2017 with a degree in Geography & Geographic Information Systems. After graduation, Erica moved back to Faribault with her husband, Tyler, and their dog and cat.  Erica works in the Accounting office at Harry Brown’s Family Automotive in Faribault, and enjoys knitting and watching The Office in her free time.

Nort mugshot

Nort Johnson

Nort Johnson is a native of Faribault, Minnesota and currently serves as President and CEO of the Faribault Chamber of Commerce & Tourism. Johnson attended two Minnesota colleges and began a career in publishing management and marketing in southern Minnesota, spending eleven of those years at the Schwan Food Company.  During that time, he also held a city council seat, and became involved in economic development at many levels. Volunteer work in Nort’s past has included non-profit boards for Junior Achievement, United Way, Economic Development Corps, Paradise Center for the Arts and several trade related professional groups. After 25 years in North Dakota, Nort found his way back to Faribault and says he’s “blessed” to use his experiences to help grow and promote his hometown. He and Shelly’s blended family includes 7 grown children and 9 grandchildren.

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Erin Liu

Erin’s formal background is in nursing and is currently the Director of Nursing at Shattuck-St. Mary's School. As an AmeriCorps Alum She knows the importance and value of serving her community. Through her many camp adventures, both as participant and staff, Erin developed a strong love of the natural world. She is excited to work with and support the board and staff in fostering awareness and utilization of RBNC throughout the broader community.

AbbyMalmanger

Abby Malmanger

Abby is a Dentist at Southern Heights Dental Group and grew up in Faribault exploring at RBNC which helped her develop a passion for the outdoors. She enjoys connecting with people and wants to help others experience nature and support conservation.

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Patrick Schaefer

Patrick Schaefer joined the RBNC Board of Directors during the summer of 2021.  Patrick grew up in Eau Claire, WI and moved to MN in 2002 to attend St. John's University.  He has worked at Shattuck-St. Mary's since the fall of 2006 and is currently in his fifth year serving as Upper School Director.  Patrick and his family, wife Amanda, Aubrey (9), Wesley (7), frequently visit RBNC and enjoy spending time hiking and biking the trails.  This past winter, the whole family took up cross country skiing and found RBNC as the perfect place to escape and practice this new hobby.

GregSimmons

Greg Simmons

Greg is the Science Department Chair at Shattuck-St. Mary’s School, has a Master’s degree in natural sciences and environmental education, and an educational doctorate degree. His area of expertise is environmental justice practices and the implementation of environmental education. He and his family enjoy the trails at RBNC and he hopes to bring his passions for environmental conservation, preservation, advocacy, and climate change to the Board.