Board of Directors, Volunteers and Advisory Board

The Rose Ensemble Board of Directors meets bi-monthly in full session and bi-monthly (in the alternating months) in the form of various standing committees, at which attendance is very strong (regularly averaging 85 to 100 percent).

Board of Directors

James Kellison, Jr., Interim President (Member since 2007) is a native Californian and lifelong music lover. His varied background has endowed him with a unique set of experiences and a perspective which he is anxious to put to work for The Rose Ensemble. A former volunteer firefighter and Emergency Medical Technician, James worked in direct patient care at Regions Hospital while studying Cultural Anthropology at the University of Minnesota.  He works regularly with many boards of directors and full-time for The Judge Group, and is well acquainted with the needs of non-profit organizations. Prior to his current career, James worked as a project manager for his family's general contracting and real estate development firm, as well as in property management.

Paul Hanson, Treasurer (Member since 2005) Paul Hanson is the Finance Manager of American Composers Forum. He previously worked at Minnesota Public Radio and was Business Manager of MNN Radio Networks. Paul learned to read music and play the piano at age 5 and has been involved in community theater for many years. Paul serves on the Rose Ensemble Finance Committee.

Jennifer Newburg, Secretary (Member since 2003) Jen Newburg served as the volunteer coordinator for the Rose Ensemble for the past two years, before joining the board of directors. She is a graduate of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa and is an elementary school teacher with the Roseville School District. Jen recently completed her master’s degree in Education and celebrated this accomplishment by traveling to England and Norway.

Steven P. Aggergaard, JD, MSJ (Member since 2007) is a lawyer who practiced litigation with a Minneapolis law firm and currently is employed in the federal courts system. Steve also worked for 15 years as a newspaper editor, reporter, and occasional classical music reviewer, most recently with the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Steve began playing piano since age 6, and has been a tenor with auditioned ensembles including the Augusburg Choir, Northwestern University Chorus, Arrowhead Chorale, and VocalEssence Chorus.  He holds a bachelor's degree from Augsburg College, a master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University, and a law degree from William Mitchell College of Law.  He and his wife, Lana Rosario, live in St. Paul.

Cindy Bromen (new board member 2007)

Tom Crann (new board member 2007) is the host of All Things Considered for Minnesota Public Radio News (91.1 KNOW in the Twin Cities). Thousands of listeners in the upper-midwest hear Tom bring them the news of the day as they drive home. Since March 2005, he's interviewed a wide range of public figures, including every member of Minnesota's congressional delegation, as well as policy makers, writers, and musicians. He has been the anchor of special coverage of the I-35W Minneapolis bridge collapse, and for an election night 2006 live webcast. He has also hosted the international cultural broadcasts "Sounds Irish" and "The Last Night of the Proms," a co-production with the BBC. He's been a host, producer, and interviewer for Minnesota Public Radio since 1995. His broadcast career and his interest in music both go back to his teenage years. Previous to his work in news, Crann spent 20 years hosting and producing classical music and cultural programs at public radio stations around the U.S, and for RTE/Lyric FM in Ireland. He's also honored to say that he's been a narrator with the Rose Ensemble since 2003, and has enjoyed their artistry even more "up close and personal."

Rosemary Good (Member since 2007) comes from a musical background with degrees in organ performance and church music. She moved to Minnesota 17 years ago with her husband, David, and exchanged years of work as a piano accompanist to concentrate on her addiction to textiles and crafts. Her initial training with the Minneapolis Institute of Arts Textile Department branched into a new career of private work on textile conservation, textile repairs, and needlework finishing. She and her husband spend their spare time with hiking vacations, ballroom dancing, and attending an eclectic mix of concerts in the Twin Cities and volunteering. Rosemary looks forward to working with the Marketing and Promotion Committee of the Rose Ensemble.

Gerald Kollodge (Board member since 2007) is originally from Little Falls, Minnesota. He moved to Minneapolis after graduation and has called it home ever since (except for 2 years which were spent in Hollywood and NYC). He graduated from the U of MN with a BA in Theatre Arts. Gerald has worked for the last 12 years as a freelance photo stylist. He works predominantly for Target Stores in the Fashion Department (if you have ever looked at Target's Sunday circular ad in the newspaper, you have seen his work).  Gerald also brings managing and accounting experience to The Rose Ensemble board, having managed a photo studio for four years. As a supporter of the local arts community, Gerald has season tickets to the Northrop Dance Series, Orchestra Hall, and of course, The Rose Ensemble.

Patrick McDonough (Member since 2007), a native of Rochester, Minnesota, completed his undergraduate work in Music Performance at the University of Wisconsin-Superior and subsequently undertook graduate studies in Choral Conducting at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Patrick held positions as Director of Music and Organist Choirmaster for many years before moving to the business world. He currently works as a Platform & Release Manager for the Marketing Automation Department of Ameriprise Financial. Patrick is Founder/Artistic Director of Ensemble of the North and is the Bass Section Leader at St. Paul's on the Hill Episcopal Church. Patrick is a former member of the Rose Ensemble and the Dale Warland Singers. When not working or singing, Patrick is an avid cook, wine geek and competitive ballroom dancer.

Kathleen Hogan McKee (Member since 2007) graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1978. She has been employed in the securities industry since 1987, working with such companies as Paine Webber, US Bancorp Investments and mostly recently Piper Jaffray. Kathleen has been a parish member of the Basilica of Saint Mary for 12 years and has enjoyed volunteering in various capacities for them.  She has served as President of the Derham Hall High School Alumni Assn. and the Pi Beta Phi sorority as Alumna President. Kathleen has had season tickets to the SPCO and Guthrie Theatre for the past 15 years and enjoys traveling, snow skiing and sailing. She is very excited to join the Rose Ensemble Board of Directors and serves on the Corporate Sponsorship Committee.

Peg Reilly (Member since 2007) is the Midwest Regional Community Relations Manager for Barnes and Noble Booksellers (and a dyed-in-the-wool St. Paulite).  Previous to her fifteen-year career in the book business, she worked in various capacities in the then newly-emerging field of chemical dependency treatment and served on numerous addiction and social service boards of directors.  Peg comes from a long line of classically trained musicians and is delighted to be working with such a talented group of performers.

Jordan Sramek is The Rose Ensemble’s artistic and executive director. He founded the group in 1996.

Linnea Tani (Member since 2005) Linnea Tani is a Registered Nurse practicing at Allina Behavioral Health Services. She obtained a diploma in nursing and went on to complete a B.A. degree in Social Science from Metropolitan State University. At graduation, she was named Outstanding Student from the College of Arts and Sciences and was Student Commencement Speaker. She has a varied background in volunteerism, including serving as Legislation Chair for the Minnesota State PTA and as a member of the Speaker's Bureau for Minnesota AIDS Project. In her free time, Linnea enjoys sewing, stamp art, music, golf, gardening, and most of all, spending Sundays with her grandson.


Advisory Board

Sue Hall is a partner of the Milestone Group, a resource organization that helps small and large businesses create strategic business plans. She is currently working with The Rose Ensemble to accomplish the goals set forth in our five-year strategic plan.

Peg Flanagan has been delivering nonprofit development solutions to her clients since January 2000. A project-based freelance development specialist, she works with clients to clarify organizational vision, develop strategic plans, train boards and create fundraising strategies and implementation plans to meet contributed income objectives.

Carol Barnett, a flutist as well as composer, is a graduate of the University of Minnesota where she studied with Dominick Argento, Paul Fetler, Bernhard Weiser and Emil J. Niosi. She is a charter member of the American Composers Forum and has served on its board. In 1991 she was a fellow at the Camargo Foundation in Cassis, France, and in 1999 she was awarded a travel grant from the Inter-University Research Committee on Cyprus. She was composer in residence with the Dale Warland Singers from 1992 to 2001. Her works have been performed by the Minnesota Orchestra, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Gregg Smith Singers, the Harvard Glee Club, The Women's Philharmonic, the Dale Warland Singers, the Westminster Abbey Choir, and the Ankor Children's Choir of Jerusalem, Israel, among others. She currently teaches at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, and is the recipient of the 2003 Nancy Van de Vate International Composition Prize for Opera.