Leadership
Jeremiah Program is led by an incredibly passionate, committed and hardworking group of visionaries and executives that represent our five key sectors- business, education, government, congregations of faith and philanthropy. From these sectors Jeremiah Program recruits compassionate leaders who have a wide-range of expertise – finance, investment, early childhood education, human services, higher education, marketing, philanthropy, human resources, and information technology and strategic planning.
National Board of Directors
John McMahon, Board Chair – Ernst & Young
Susan Sands, Vice Chair – S&B Properties
Sandra Davis, PhD – MDA Leadership Consulting
Rev. Michael O’Connell, Secretary – Jeremiah Program Visionary Founder
Michael McHugh, Treasurer – GMB Mezzanine Capital
KC Connors - NEPC
Kathleen Fluegel – HRK Foundation
Ruth Hendrickson – United Health Group
Chuck Mooty – Retired, Gray Plant Mooty
John Potter – Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP
Rebecca Powers – Impact Austin
Amanda Smith – Morgan Lewis
Bill Svrluga – WJS Consulting Group
Kim Vanderwall - Vanderwall Consulting
Minneapolis-Saint Paul Community Board of Trustees
Lauri Roberts, Chair - Wipfli
Brian Alton - McClay Alton
John Beuerlein - Marquette Asset Management, Inc.
Beth Brady - Community Volunteer
Deb Burke - U.S. Bank
Dominic Ciresi - Community Volunteer
Brian Donohue, Treasurer - Peregrine Capital Management
Rev. Loyace Foreman - New Vision Faith Center
Stacy Hanley - Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Barbara Hanson, Secretary - Securian Financial Group
Mark Houge - Cushman & Wakefield/NorthMarq
John Houlihan - U.S. Bank
Jim Kolar - PriceWaterhouseCoopers
Cathy Lambert - Ecolab
Neal Maglaque - Ameriprise Financial
Michael McHugh, Chair-Elect - GMB Mezzanine Capital
Miquel McMoore - Supervalu
Ann C. Myers - Myers Search Consulting
Deanna Oliveira, Ph.D. - Hearing Components
Robin Pederson
Dale Perry, Ph.D - 3M (retired)
Deborah Palmer Rich - Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi (retired)
Sharon Sackett, Ph.D. - MDA Leadership Consulting
Susan Sands - S & B Properties
Kathie Battle Sayles - Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services
Bill Schmoker - Wells Fargo
Carolyn Smallwood - Way to Grow
Christine Snodgrass, Ex-Officio - Target
Jennifer Thulien Smith - Xcel Energy
Jeff Turner, Treasurer - Hillcrest Capital Partners
Sharon Kennedy Vickers - Scott-Carver-Dakota Community Action Agency
Brian Wenger - Briggs & Morgan
Carol Frey Wolfe - Frey Foundation
Ellyn Wolfenson - Coldwell Banker Burnet
Nevin Harwood - Past Chair
Fargo, ND-Moorhead, MN Community Board of Trustees
Mary Margaret Mooney, Chair – Presentation Sisters
Mary Lou Dahms – Hospice of the Red River Valley
Ruby Kolpack – Cass County
Eveadean Myers, JD – North Dakota State University
Patricia Patron – Family Healthcare Center
Sandra Roers – Roers Development, Construction, Property Management
Trish Schrom – M State
Jeff Volk – Moore Engineering, Inc.
Austin,TX Community Board of Trustees
Melissa Gray, Chair – Community Volunteer
Cathryn Dorsey – Fundraising Consultant
Barbara Ellis – Locke Lord LLP
Lisa Harris, Treasurer – Community Volunteer
Stuart Hersh, Vice Chair – Housing Affordability, Accessibility and Code Compliance Consultant
Glenda Holmstrom – Lumeris, Inc.
Val McGary – Wells Fargo
Jane Nolden – Dell Inc.
Rhonda Paver – Stepping Stone Schools
Tracey Sharples– Community Volunteer
Executive Leadership
Gloria Perez, President & CEO
Perez joined Jeremiah Program in May of 1998 following her role as executive director of Casa de Esperanza, a domestic violence agency in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She brings more than twenty years of management, supervision, and leadership experience to her position.
Perez possesses experience in fundraising, strategic planning, and organizational excellence garnered as a leader and board member of community and non-profit organizations.
As a Latina and native of San Antonio, Texas, Perez infuses her rich cultural background into her committed professional involvement as an advocate for women, families, and people of color.
Her community service, volunteer work, and professional affiliations include the Allina Health Systems Board of Directors, The Minneapolis Foundation Board of Trustees, F.R. Bigelow Foundation Board of Trustees, the Irwin Andrew Porter Foundation Board of Directors, Minneapolis Rotary #9, and the Minnesota Women’s Economic Roundtable.
A graduate of Macalester College, Perez is a recipient of the Catharine Lealtald Service to Society Award and in 2008 she received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. In 2009 She received the Women of Distinction Award from the Girl Scouts Council of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys, Citizen of the Year Award from the Minneapolis University Rotary Club, and the Unsung Hero Award from WomenVenture at their 2009 annual conference.
Peggy Dissmeyer, Director of Finance & Administration
Peg Dissmeyer, director of finance and administration, started with Jeremiah Program in 2007 after a successful 20-year career working for two Fortune 500 companies in the U.S. and overseas. Dissmeyer oversees Finance, Administration, Facilities and IT functions, as well as actively providing leadership in the overall advancement of operational excellence for the organization.
Dissmeyer brings a diverse finance background to Jeremiah Program that ranges from 3-years of public accounting focused on nonprofit sector to 20 years in consumer products industry with diverse experience covering all aspects of accounting and financial management, financial systems implementations, process reengineering, and project management. Her expertise in accounting, financial controls, reporting and analysis, budgeting and forecasting has been critical during Jeremiah Program’s growth and success during turbulent economic times. Dissmeyer received a Bachelor of Science in accounting from the University of Wisconsin.
Karen Miley, Director of Advancement, National Expansion
Miley received a Bachelor of Science in education from the University of Minnesota. She has served as national president of Alpha Chi Omega, where she established the fraternity’s Foundation and executed expansion strategies to major colleges and universities in the United States. Her recent board positions include Women Venture and the Alpha Chi Omega Foundation Board of Trustees.
Vickie Williams, Executive Director, Twin Cities
Williams joined Jeremiah Program in September of 2008. Prior to Jeremiah Program, she worked primarily as a management consultant with a focus on organizational change and process re-engineering. Her firm, Team Pact Consulting Group, worked in partnership with organizations to create results driven outcomes.
In addition to her work at Jeremiah Program, Williams also serves as an Assistant Professor at St. Catherine’s University, where she teaches Management in the Business Administration Department. Her most recent assignments within the non-profit sector include: Hallie Q Brown Community Center as interim executive director, the Girl Scout Council of St. Croix Valley, where she served as director of membership for 26,000 girl and adult members. She has also more than ten years in sales with organizations that include IBM, Xerox and M&M Mars.
Williams is a 2004 Bush Foundation Leadership Fellow. She received her Masters in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and her Bachelors of Science degree from Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York.
Shannon Moody, Executive Director, Austin, TX
Moody joined Jeremiah Program in May of 2011. She brings more than twenty years of nonprofit experience to her position. She possesses experience in fundraising, strategic planning, and organizational excellence garnered as development director of many Austin nonprofit organizations including Austin Children’s Museum, Planned Parenthood and the Austin Film Society.
Moody’s community service includes serving as current president of Marathon Kid’s National Board. She previously served on the governing boards for the Austin Children’s Museum, Planned Parenthood of the Texas Capital Region, Austin Heritage Society and SafePlace. She received an award from the Junior League of Austin for her volunteer work with the Teenage Parent Council.
Minneapolis/Saint Paul Development Department Staff
Angela Woodhouse – Director of Major Gifts & Special Events
Stephanie Payne – Director of the Annual Fund
Amy Dillahunt – Communication Manager & Press Contact
Kari LeVan – Development Assistant
Campus Management
Minneapolis/Saint Paul, MN
Vickie Williams – Executive Director
Beth Garland – Director of Programs
Jerelyn Seth – Director of Early Childhood Education
Rebecca Magner – Education & Employment Program Manager
Stephanie Thoma – Program Coordinator
Taylor Kohl – Senior Accountant
Amy John – Office Manager
Austin, TX
Shannon Moody – Executive Director – Austin
Fargo, ND/Moorhead, MN
Andrea Hochhalter – Community Outreach Consultant
