E. Christine Schultze

Title: Chair 

Ms. Schultze is an architect (not licensed in Minnesota), with an undergraduate degree in architecture from Princeton University and a Masters from the University of Southern California. Her broad experience includes neighborhood design, residential and commercial historic structures, new and adapted homes and academic and commercial buildings. She serves on numerous community groups, including Livable Rochester, Paint the Pavement, and the Rochester Downtown Alliance. In past years, she has worked with RNeighbors, which Provides Tools to Grow Great Neighborhoods, Rochester’s Planning and Zoning Commission and Committee on Urban Design and Environment and MnDOT’s Highways 52/14 Committee. She has lived and worked in several communities across the country and resides in Rochester’s “Pill Hill” Historic District.

Amy Ihlan

Title: Vice Chair

Ms. Ihlan is an attorney with Briol and Associates. She has been a member of the Roseville City Council since 2004. She is a graduate of Macalester College and Harvard Law School, and has a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Minnesota. She recently taught environmental ethics as a visiting professor in the Philosophy Department at Macalester College. Ms. Ihlan began her legal career at Dorsey & Whitney.

Wynfred Russell

Title: Secretary

An applied education, communications, and community health researcher, Wynfred N. Russell, is a principal and co-founder of RussComm, Ltd., an international education, health, and public engagement firm based in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. He consults widely on socio-economic, multicultural, public health, and social justice issues; authored many academic and popular articles, and has taught at a Research I university and a number of two-year colleges in Minnesota.

Mr. Russell specializes in advocating for at-risk and vulnerable populations, with skills in a wide range of participatory research techniques, experience in applying social science knowledge to everyday problems, and an interest in working with governments, private and non-profit organizations, to promote improvements in people’s lives.

He holds a BS in broadcast communications and a MA degree in public affairs from Northern Michigan University, and is a candidate for an interdisciplinary master’s in comparative education, community health, and communication studies from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

Gary Fields

Title: Treasurer

Mr. Fields is the President of Development Strategies and Resources, Inc., a consulting organization that assists development organizations. Mr. Fields has over 25 years experience in Economic and Community Development and has assisted with financing over $1.0 Billion in development projects. His experience includes serving as Deputy Commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Trade and Economic Development, former Vice President for Springsted Public Finance Advisors, and Director with the National Development Council in New York. Mr. Fields has a Masters degree from the University of Minnesota and a Bachelors degree from the University of Illinois. He resides in St. Paul.

Bartlett "Bake" Baker

Mr. Baker is an executive vice president and director of preconstruction services with the McGough Companies. He is responsible for leading site planning and development work efforts. Prior to joining McGough, he spent 20 years at HGA (Hammel, Green and Abrahamson), where he served as a designer and later as a project principal. He has a strong track record in conservation development and green design.

Robert Engstrom

Mr. Engstrom is the developer of conservation-oriented communities including The Fields of St. Croix in Lake Elmo, Minnesota’s first conservation community. He is also the builder and developer of Summit Place, the landmark restoration and new construction neighborhood at Historic Cathedral Hill in St. Paul. A longtime member of the ULI-Urban Land Institute, he is one of nine life trustees of the 37,000 member land use research and education organization. In 2004, he was named Champion of Open Space by the Embrace Open Space organization.

Jeff Forester

Mr. Forester , of Minneapolis, is a writer and Executive Director of Minnesota Seasonal Property Owners Coalition, an association of forest and shoreline owners in Minnesota. While working on his last book, Forest for the Trees: How Humans Shaped the Northwoods, Jeff realized that property taxation has long been a driver of destructive land use decisions. His work at MSRPO has focused on providing tax incentives for sound stewardship of Minnesota’s lakes and forest land. He has undergraduate degrees from the University of Illinois in English and Rhetoric and a MFA from the University of Oregon in Creative Writing.

Todd Graham

Todd Graham is a demographer and economic analyst. He works as principal forecaster for Metropolitan Council, where he and colleagues are implementing new models and techniques for the Council’s 2040 socioeconomic and land use forecasts. From 1997 to 2004, Todd was a regional analyst and regional analysis manager for Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. Also, from 1998 to 2004, he served on the City of Crystal Planning Commission. Todd has a B.A. from Wesleyan University and a Master of Planning degree from University of Minnesota. Todd Graham and Jennifer Larson Graham have two daughters and live in Saint Paul.

Carreen Heegaard

Carreen Heegaard of St. Paul, currently designs residential remodels, teaches garden design, and volunteers for the Minneapolis Institute of Arts as a docent. Formerly a planner for the Minneapolis Community Development Agency, Carreen enjoys thinking and working on both macro and micro scale urban issues. Originally from Montreal, she has lived in a variety of cities and holds a BA in Political Economics from Colorado College and a Masters Degree in Architecture from University of Washington. Ms. Heegaard, her husband Eric and their 2 children live in St. Paul and volunteer and contribute to organizations on a neighborhood level and worldwide.

Cynthia Kirchoff

Cynthia Kirchoff is an attorney, practicing in the areas of land use law and real estate. Before joining the legal profession, Cynthia worked as a city planner in the Twin Cities.

George Orning

Mr. Orning, of Brainerd, is a well known and respected land use planner with Widseth, Smith and Nolting. He also has a faculty appointment at the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs at the University of Minnesota where he is forming a sustainable development lake planning process for the state.

Michael Wojcik

Michael Wojcik of Rochester, is the owner of Elite Consulting. Michael has Masters Degrees in Electrical Engineering and Business Administration from the University of Minnesota. His expertise in finance and land use issues stems from his experience as a businessman and Rochester City Council member (since 2009). Michael also serves on many community and local government groups. Michael and his wife live in Rochester with their two daughters.

Paul Baltzersen

Title: Ex-Officio Advisory Committee

Mr. Baltzersen, of Minneapolis, formerly a policy planner for the Metropolitan Council brings more than 20 years of experience in comprehensive land-use and transportation planning to the board. He also has considerable experience in the design of neighborhoods and communities and serves as treasurer on the board of the Minnesota Design Team.

Tom Casey

Title: Ex-Officio Advisory Committee

Mr. Casey, of Mound, is a land use attorney in private practice, representing individuals and citizen groups in their efforts to effectuate good land use decisions in their communities. He has more than 35 years of experience and serves on numerous regional and local land-use commissions. His work with communities grappling with growth-related decisions keeps the board in touch with current activities throughout the region.

John P. James

Title: Ex-Officio Advisory Committee

Mr. James, of Little Canada, is a lawyer and former Minnesota State Commissioner of Revenue with extensive experience in Minnesota’s tax structure and its impacts on land use. He is a respected authority on taxation who has authored and been consulted on numerous tax reform efforts. He is a cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School and received a BBA with the highest distinction from the University of Iowa.