2026-2027 Board of Directors
At NSA-MN we are here to help you. Our goal is to provide you with growth, learning, support, and connection opportunities. To reach this goal, it takes a team and listed below is the incredible team that makes this happen for Minnesota.
President
Jill Johnson
Johnson Consulting Services
Jill J. Johnson, MBA, is President and Founder of Johnson Consulting Services, a Minneapolis-based management consulting firm. As an international award-winning author and two-time Business Hall of Fame management consultant, Jill has influenced over $4 billion in business decisions. Known for her expertise in navigating complex business climates, Jill has spoken to hundreds of corporations, associations, and professional organizations. Her presentations are enriched with real-world stories and actionable takeaways that resonate with senior executives and young professionals alike. She combines substance, style, and a touch of humor to deliver practical, strategic insights that drive significant business and professional success.
President-Elect
Kim Nagle
DAMN Plan Coaching, LLP
As an award-winning speaker, trainer, and founder of DAMN Plan® Coaching, Kim helps audiences cut through fear, perfectionism, and overwhelm so they can lead profitable mission-driven organizations and businesses.
For 30+ years, Kim has worked at the intersection of entrepreneurship, nonprofit leadership, and community wealth building — particularly within Native, diverse, and rural communities. She's coached hundreds of small business owners, trained executive teams, and designed programs that put people first and profit in perspective.
Events Kim has presented at:
• Nonprofit conferences and leadership summits
• Women in business conferences and leadership summits
• Entrepreneur and small business networks
• Community development finance and Native-led organizations
Whether she's on stage or in a breakout session, Kim brings real talk and real tools. Audiences walk away with a plan — and the confidence to follow through.
Signature Keynotes & Trainings:
• The DAMN Plan®…Because Life And Business Require A Plan
• Nonprofit Profitability: Making Mission Sustainable
• Plan to Be Profitable
• Business Blueprint: How to Write a Business Plan
Author of The DAMN Plan: How To Find Freedom, Love, and Money In Your Business
Forthcoming book, Nonprofit Profitability™
Immediate Past President
Jasmine Brett Stringer
Carpe Diem with Jasmine, LLC
Jasmine Brett Stringer is a keynote speaker, award-winning author of Seize Your Life: How to Carpe Diem Every Day, on- air TV personality, and host of the podcast and lifestyle blog Carpe Diem with Jasmine. Jasmine is on a mission to help people live empowered and authentic lives. Through her Seize Your Life keynotes, workshops, and customized coaching sessions, Jasmine guides clients and audiences through a simple process to identify their goals and achieve their personal definition of success. She graduated from American University’s Kogod School of Business in Washington, D.C. She was named a Minnesotan to Know in 2021 by Twin Cities Business, Twin Cities Fearless Woman in 2017, and a Woman of Promise by the Girl Scouts in 2012. Additionally, she was awarded Distinguished Alumna of American University. Ebony Magazine featured her as one of its “30 Future Leaders Under the Age of 30 in America.” Jasmine is based in Minneapolis but can often be found two hours south of the city working with her husband at the family farm.
Secretary
Ann Vote
IMPACT to Influence LLC
Ann Vote is on a mission to help companies, organizations, and schools cultivate a positive, inclusive, and engaging culture where people feel valued, trusted, and confident to succeed. As a speaker and culture coach, she supports leaders in creating a workplace environment where they and their teams can thrive. She delivers interactive, high-energy workshops, keynote speeches, and leadership seminars where participants walk away empowered to captain their culture and confident in their actions to build a thriving workplace culture. "Relatable, funny, and invested" are three common adjectives participants use to describe Ann after engaging with her presentations.
Ann is also the host of the leadership podcast, What If It Works, which has new episodes each week. Listeners get a behind-the-scenes look at her IMPACT techniques and how they can enhance life at work, home, or in personal relationships.
Ann started her professional career as a Social Studies educator in southern Minnesota. After a turning point in her classroom, she realized that all students' motivation, engagement, and achievement are possible once a few pillars are established. Today, she teaches leaders, managers, administrators, and educators how to harness these pillars to create spaces where people are motivated to show up, engaged in their success, and believe they can reach their true potential.
Treasurer
Jason Lennox
Jason Lennox is a keynote speaker, published author, and strategic consultant in the behavioral healthcare industry. In a space with more companies surviving than thriving, Jason works with organizations to create predictability in cash flow, one of the most critical functions of any healthcare provider. His work and mission to improve the industry are rooted in his own personal recovery results, following a twelve-year battle with addiction that nearly ended his life. His memoir, A Perfect Tragedy: Finding Purpose in Pain, Loss, and Addiction, is an honest and raw look into the depths of addiction and the heights of recovery. In addition to his professional work, Jason currently serves as the Vice President on the Board of Governors for MARRCH, Minnesota’s premier professional association for substance use disorder treatment providers.
Director of Event Experience
Karen Thorpe
Karen Thorpe
Karen is a member of the NSA and the NSA-MN Chapter. She came to NSA with the goal of telling her story. As an attendee of the NSA-MN Speaker’s Academy, Karen is working to build her speaking business with the many colleagues and experts of this organization. After a long career as a trainer, leader, speaker, and national account manager with large corporations, life has thrown some major challenges her way. The mother of 3 children, Karen has endured losing all three at different times in her life. Her most recent loss on January 1, 2021, awakened her purpose to share how to be resilient, R.O.C.K. through the tough stuff and unpack your emotions and live a full life. She has a strong belief in the power of faith and community service. She works on a part-time basis at the Lakes Crisis and Resource Center and other volunteer efforts in Detroit Lakes, MN where she lives with her husband John, and their two lovable cats, Kipper, and Raja. They love the area and enjoy landscaping, traveling, reading, and living life.
Director of Programming
Michelle L Doerr
Anavah Consulting LLC
Michelle Doerr is a sought-after speaker and trainer known for transforming the way conservation professionals, leaders, and organizations engage with their work. With a Master’s in Wildlife Management and decades of experience spanning wildlife agencies, the outdoor industry, and leadership development, she specializes in human connection—how we relate to each other, to nature, and to ourselves.
As the founder of Anavah Consulting LLC, Michelle brings a human-centered approach to conservation leadership and organizational well-being. She is a faculty member for the Management Assistance Team of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and an adjunct faculty member at Adler Graduate School, where she co-teaches Nature in Counseling. She is also a graduate of the National Conservation Leadership Institute and has served as a coach and facilitator for its leadership programs.
Michelle’s speaking and training style is highly engaging—participants consistently express that they leave wanting more time, more discussion, and more depth. She helps professionals navigate difficult conversations, reframe challenges, and create experiences that truly resonate. Whether she’s leading a workshop, keynote, or panel discussion, Michelle equips audiences with practical tools, powerful insights, and a renewed sense of purpose.
Her expertise is rooted in Adlerian psychology, polyvagal theory, and trauma-informed leadership, blending scientific understanding with deeply human storytelling. She believes that great leadership, like great conservation, is about connection—seeing the whole system, understanding diverse perspectives, and fostering environments where both people and planet thrive.
Speaker Academy Dean
Krista Ryan
KfG Coaching, LLC
Krista Ryan, PCC, is a highly sought-after business coach, facilitator, speaker, and Workplace Performance expert known for helping clients effectively navigate uncertainty and promoting collaboration, communication, and confidence. Her global clients include C-suite executives, startup entrepreneurs, individual contributors, elite athletes, and performers. With nearly two decades of experience as a human resources director, Krista is the CEO and founder of KfG Coaching, LLC. She’s a Bravely Pro Coach and a Room Tilter with Limitless Minds, a mental conditioning organization that unites personal growth with business success through the power of neutral thinking.
Director
Laura Best
Passion Collective
Laura Best is a keynote speaker, bestselling author, and founder of Passion Collective, a global community helping professionals reconnect with what makes them come alive in work and life.
A former marketing leader for global brands, Laura launched Passion Collective in 2014 and has since reached thousands through events, talks, and microgrants awarded to Passion Seekers in three continents. Her debut, bestselling book, Born to Buzz (2025), introduces 12 transformational “Sparks” to help readers rediscover their passion without leaving their responsibilities behind.
Featured in global media including Fast Company and known for her honesty, humor, and practical insight, Laura inspires people to build more meaningful, "passion-first" lives—right where they are.
