SCVRJP Board of Directors – Spring 2010
Front Row, seated: Nick Cartens, Julie Dollahon, Cindy McKahan, Rich Wallace, Craig Morris
Standing: Bill Rasmussen, Janet Ellinger, Bruce Whitaker, Gary Campbell, Max Neuhaus, Steve Leith, Ann Gustafson. Not Pictured: Kent Forsland.
Chair, Bill Rasmussen
Bill is a former River Falls Police Department sergeant with over 28 years of service to this community. He started his work on the St. Croix Valley Restorative Justice board in 2004. He facilitates court ordered adult and juvenile restorative programs through Chippewa Valley Technical College and is an active volunteer for the Pierce County Drug Court.
Vice Chair, Maxfield Neuhaus
Maxfield E. Neuhaus is currently an attorney with the law firm Rodli, Beskar, Boles, Krueger and Pletcher, S.C. Along with serving on the St. Croix Valley Restorative Justice Program board, Max is also on the River Falls Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and the River Falls Area YMCA Community Board. In addition to law, Max has a background in dispute resolution, teaching and non-profit advocacy.
Treasurer, Steve Leitch
Steve is the owner of Leitch Insurance Agency in River Falls, which just celebrated its 25th anniversary. A long-time resident of River Falls, Steve has enjoyed serving on the boards of various organizations that serve the community, including the River Falls Community Fund, River Falls Mainstreet Project, Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau. He is also an active member of the River Falls Rotary Club."
Secretary, Julie Dollahon
Julie is a certified social worker who is employed as a Juvenile Court Intake Lead Worker for Pierce Co. Dept. of Human Services. She has been employed as a social worker for 32 years, almost 30 of them for Pierce County. Julie is a former President of the Wisconsin Juvenile Court Intake Association, where she was on the Board of Directors for 20 years. She is active in many community organizations, and brings experience to this board in the area of fundraising and board development.
Gary Campbell
Gary Campbell is a School Counselor at Meyer Middle School in the River Falls Area School District. He has a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Stout and an undergraduate degree in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Prior to working in a school setting he worked as a case manager in treatment foster care for a non-profit agency. Gary loves working with adolescents and is an advocate for programs and services that create success for children and families. He also sees the many benefits of community involvement for the students he works with and for himself and often stresses participation in activities that support both families and kids. Besides his involvement on the Restorative Justice Board he is a member of the River Falls Partnership for Youth where he is on the Leadership Team, a board member for the River Falls Girls Basketball Association, a co-facilitator for the Strengthening Families Program through the UW Extension Office in Pierce County, a Tri-Chair on the Facilities Action Team for the school district’s comprehensive Strategic Planning committee and helps with the local Relay for Life involving the kids from the Teens As Teachers program that he leads at school. He and his wife Dawn are proud parents of three school aged kids, Mackenzie, Olivia and Ethan.
Nick Carstens
Nick is the Event and Program Coordinator at the River Falls Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau. He has been enjoying helping plan community events like River Falls Days and Town N’ Country Days in his four years at the Chamber. Nick is a graduate of The University of Wisconsin- River Falls with a degree in Marketing Communications. Along with being on the Restorative Justice Board his other community involvement includes being the 2nd Vice President of the River Falls Lions Club and being involved in the River Falls Partnership for Youth.
Janet Ellinger
Janet is serving her second term on the St. Croix Valley Restorative Justice Board. Beyond Board responsibilities, she has volunteered at Underage Consumption Panels and Victim Impact Panels. She has used the “circle process” of restorative justice in her own work setting. Janet is the pastor at the River Falls United Methodist Church.
Kent Forsland
Kent Forsland is a local entrepreneur that founded and is the chairman of the board of Designer Doors, Inc. He also recently founded and is the President of Cabreeco Companies LLC. Other passions include family time, flying, boating, travel and tandem biking with his wife Diane. His involvement with the St Croix Valley Restorative Justice board stems from a belief in the restorative philosophy rather than assuming fines or confinement are the best teaching methods.
Ann Gustafson
Since 1991, Ann Gustafson has been the Coordinator of the St. Croix County Victim/Witness Assistance Program, a prosecutor-based program that assists victims and witnesses of crime. She was a founder and first president of the Wisconsin Victim Witness Professionals; has served on the Wisconsin Crime Victims’ Council, the Wisconsin Interstate Adult Offender Supervision Board, and is the immediate past president of the St. Croix Valley Sexual Assault Response Team (SART). She became interested in Restorative Justice when she participated in a restorative justice conference, Taking Victims and their Advocates Seriously: A Listening Project, in Harrisonburg, VA in 2002. She is also active in a number of community volunteer organizations.
Cindy McKahan
Cindy is the Deputy Clerk for the River Falls Municipal Court. She has enjoyed working in the court system for the past 10 years. She is very involved in the Wisconsin Municipal Court Clerk's Association, since its beginning; as the District X Representative; on the education committee working to continue an education program for clerks collaborated through UW Milwaukee; and established a mentoring program for all new court clerks. Cindy enjoys working with others on the Poskin Lake Association Board.
Craig Morris
Craig Morris currently serves as the Chief Diversity Officer for the UW system at River Falls, WI. He previously served as the director of AA/EEO, compliance and technical operations within the former Bell System and Qwest Communications. Craig is the former Mayor of Lakeland, Minnesota, has served on the Metropolitan Council, and various boards involved with community issues such as housing, security and the environment. Craig’s’ background in mediation and ADR began in 1972, with the Minnesota Youth Diversion Project.
Rich Wallace
Rich is an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin - River Falls, teaching in the areas of criminology, criminal justice, and sociology. He has served on numerous committees within the university and in the community serves on the Sexual Assault Response Team's Education Committee. Rich became involved in restorative justice through introducing students to its goals and philosophies as part of the alternatives to incarceration that are used in dealing with criminal offenders.
Bruce Whitaker
Bruce Whitaker is a 30 year resident of River Falls and has worked as a police patrol officer for the past 11 years. Prior to going into law enforcement, he worked in the finance industry as a mortgage underwriter. He has also been involved in setting up small start-up companies and has consulted with small business owners and entrepreneurs on business formation and budgeting strategies. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and a Master of Arts in Organizational Management. Prior to joining the board of directors, he worked with SCVRJP setting up the Driver Improvement Course offered to teen drivers.
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