WISE Twin Cities Advisory Board

WISE Twin Cities Advisory Board

The WISE Twin Cities Advisory Board is a community of leaders and industry veterans that are passionate about the WISE mission. This Advisory Board serves the WISE Twin Cities community by providing insight, guidance and connectivity! For more information on joining or nominating someone to join the WISE Twin Cities Advisory Board, please contact us at info@wisetwincities.org. 

CHAIRWOMAN

Senior Director, Diversity Equity & inclusion
Minnesota Vikings

Anne is the Director of Inclusion & Employee Investment for the Minnesota Vikings, where she works every day to create a culture where everyone feels a sense of belonging. She is the first full time person dedicated to Diversity & Inclusion working for an NFL team.

In her previous role as the Director of Football Administration for the Minnesota Vikings, Anne negotiated NFL player contracts and was responsible for matters of salary cap compliance. At the time of her transition into D&I she was one of only two women across the NFL working as a contract negotiator.

She has received many honors for her work, including being named one of Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal’s 2020 Women In Business, and has been featured on NBC Sports in an “On Her Turf” segment. (available for viewing here).

Anne founded the Minneapolis-St. Paul chapter of Women In Sports & Events (WISE) in 2017 and continues to serve on the Board as Chairwoman.

Anne lives in St. Paul, MN with her husband, Aaron, and her children Alice (10) and James (8).

ADVISORY BOARD

Co-executive dir, BigTen Basketball Championships
MINNESOTA SPORTS & EVENTS

Andrea is a Minneapolis-based brand experience consultant currently acting as the Co-Executive Director of the Big Ten Basketball Championships coming to Minneapolis in 2023 and 2024. She originally partnered with Minnesota Sports and Events as a member of the Minnesota Local Organizing Committee responsible for bringing the 2022 NCAA Women’s Final Four Championship Tournament to Minneapolis. For this project she was responsible for the VIP hospitality events programming, oversaw the partner advisory council, managed local DE&I priorities, and served as the Title IX Program Director for the Title IX 50th Anniversary campaign. With a passion for community building and a need to create work that positively impacts the world around us Andrea has also been lucky to have worked with the teams at Minnesota Festival and Events Association, Twin Cities Catalyst Music, St. Paul Downtown Alliance, Towerside Business Alliance, the Basilica Block Party Planning Committee, Rock What You Got, Surly Brewing Co, and American Public Media Group. Andrea is also a co-founder of the Great Lakes Association of Musicians and Artists, a membership-based non-profit committed to supporting the contribution of independent artists and musicians in our community by providing the social, mental, and physical support resources that allow them to continue to create a kinder, more beautiful world.

Founder & CEO
Sportsdigita

Angelina Lawton is a visionary entrepreneur, award-winning CEO, and dynamic leader in the sports technology space. Her transformative story as the CEO & Founder of Sportsdigita has been recognized by Forbes naming her one of the "Top 30 Most Powerful Women In Sports" and has also been captured in many esteemed publications including Fortune, Entrepreneur, and Inc. Magazine. Angelina was named to the 2020 Class of Game Changers by Sports Business Journal representing the highest achievement for women in sports business and technology.

Angelina's professional career in the sports industry started with the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning where she served as the SVP, Corporate Communications. During her time with the Lightning, Angelina witnessed the need for a better way for teams to tell their story effectively when pitching six and seven-figure deals to marquee brands. 

Harnessing this experience in the NHL, Angelina founded Sportsdigita in 2011 with a mission to revolutionize the way teams present themselves on "game day" while driving revenue. Today, Sportsdigita works with over 500 brands around the world delivering immersive, trackable presentations through its cutting-edge DIGIDECK platform. 

With a deep passion for mentorship specifically helping women who are pursuing roles in male-dominated industries, Angelina often speaks at Colleges and Universities as well as leading industry events sharing her career learnings so others can benefit. Angelina is also a proud Board Member of WISE TC and is a part of Chief as well as the Female Founders Collective exemplifying her dedication to helping others succeed through shared experiences.

Assistant General Manager
ASM Global, U.S. Bank Stadium

Ann Dunne is the Assistant General Manager at U.S. Bank Stadium. In her role, Ann oversees the revenue generating efforts for the stadium including booking, special event sales, sponsorships and ticket operations. She also leads marketing and communications, event management, human resources and administration.

Shortly after graduating from Hamline University, Ann landed her dream job with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Target Center. She spent six seasons working for both the team and venue manager in marketing and communications. She also spent one season as a Minnesota Vikings Cheerleader and two seasons as a Timberwolves Performance Team Member. 

The next opportunity took Ann into media sales and marketing at KARE-11 and then Comcast Advertising. During her tenure in media, her focus was creating sales and marketing strategies, managing premium client events and incentives and leading sales teams to record setting success. 

A Minnesota native, Ann lives in Wayzata with her husband Joe and their three fur babies Winston, Solvi & Jagger.  Traveling, wine, and dogs are a few of her favorite things.

Vice President and General Manager
Xcel Energy Center

Kelly McGrath joined the organization in 2000 as the Director of Sales for the Minnesota Wild. In 2005, McGrath transitioned to the Director of Sales for Xcel Energy Center and in 2008 assumed marketing responsibilities for the venue. Her role expanded in 2022 to Director of Marketing and Communications for all Minnesota Sports and Entertainment-managed facilities including Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul RiverCentre and The Legendary Roy Wilkins Auditorium. In the summer of 2023 McGrath was named General Manager and Executive Director of Xcel Energy Center and promoted to Vice President and General Manager in 2024.

An instrumental member of Xcel Energy Center’s leadership team, McGrath has successfully led bids with US Figure Skating, USA Gymnastics, USA Hockey, NCAA, National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) and Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) governing bodies, landing events that generated millions of dollars in economic impact for the region. 

McGrath lives in Stillwater, Minn., with her husband Wayne Petersen, who serves as Senior Director of Community Relations and Hockey Partnerships for the Minnesota Wild.   

President
Premier Sport Psychology

Cathy Winter is an experienced leadership expert that is passionate about helping individuals understand and fine tune their unique style in order to bring out the best performance in themselves and their teams.

Education & Experience
Cathy brings to her clients the insights and learning from over 25 years of consulting and business management experience in sales, operations, and human resources for a number of corporate and sport organizations. She has become widely recognized for her expertise in assessing and optimizing talent as well as transitioning leaders, athletes and coaches into new roles, teams, and organizations.

Cathy has coached and developed leaders at all levels, from C-suite executives to front line leaders and individual contributors in Fortune 100, Fortune 500, and global organizations. Having been both a business leader and full-spectrum talent consultant, she brings a unique perspective to her advising approach and combines practical business experience with expertise in coaching, facilitating, and assessment to drive individual and team success. Cathy received her undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Minnesota and Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of St. Thomas.

Presentations & Media
Cathy frequently presents on pressing leadership topics and is known for the lively energy of her presentations and her engaging, thought-provoking approach across global audiences. With an emphasis on the unique context and challenges each organization and its leaders face, she helps them recognize and act on opportunities to improve their influence, inspire their teams, and impact performance.

Community Relations DIRECTOR
Minnesota United FC

As the community relations manager for Minnesota United FC, Cori Frankenberg oversees the club’s community programming, events, appearances and charitable donations. In addition, she works with the players to help amplify personal philanthropic initiatives. Joining the club in March of 2020, she was able to reshape the club’s community pillars to better align with the team’s mission of inspiring and united the community through the beautiful game of soccer.

Frankenberg moved to Minnesota from Colorado where she was working in corporate communications for the United States Olympic Committee before joining the Minnesota Twins in 2015, where she served as a liaison between media, players and families, and the public. The Appleton, Wisconsin native is a graduate and from Northern Illinois University where she played collegiate women’s soccer.

SVP, Destination Branding & Strategy
MEET MINNEAPOLIS

Courtney S. Ries is the Senior Vice President of Destination Branding and Strategy at Meet Minneapolis, the city’s tourism board. In her role, Courtney oversees the marketing, communications, partnership and visitor center departments. Since her return to the Midwest, Courtney has led a new direction for these areas of the organization, including the crafting of proactive public relations outreach to place Minneapolis on national, influential “Best Of” lists, overhauling the destination’s marketing approach and messages, creating the organization’s first diversity and inclusion strategy in all areas of her business lines and redefining membership outreach to heighten awareness of Minneapolis’ neighborhoods and small businesses. 

Courtney is deeply invested in the Minneapolis-St. Paul community. She is a graduate of the Leadership Twin Cities program, a mentor through the Women in Sports and Events association and a member of Make It. MSP.’s advisory council. She has supported numerous committees associated with events, including the 2018 Super Bowl and 2019 NCAA Men’s Final Four. 

Prior to her return to the region, Courtney oversaw the $10 million annual marketing budget for Travel Portland, the tourism board in Portland, Oregon. During her tenure, she also led the city’s Downtown Marketing Initiative, focusing on improving the economy and vitality of Portland’s core through strategic development, advocacy, programming, activation and events. 

A beneficiary of accelerated learning opportunities available through Minnesota’s public school system, Courtney graduated at the age of 20 from Northwestern University in Chicago. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism.

VP, BRAND MaRKETING
MINNESOTA TWINS

Heather Hinkel, who is in her fifth season with the Twins, joined the organization in 2019 to help shape its future marketing structure, strategy and vision. She was promoted to Vice President, Brand Marketing in February of 2020. In her current role, Hinkel leads the Brand Marketing department, which is part of the club’s collaborative Marketing Communications team. Her key responsibilities include oversight of digital strategy, media, advertising, promotions, experiential, social, fan research and, ultimately, the continued evolution of the Twins brand. Hinkel brings an expertise in brand, business, engagement and experience strategy, along with consumer insights and research, honed through more than 15 years of marketing experience at renowned agencies. A native of Chicago, IL, Hinkel earned a degree in Advertising and Communications from the University of St. Thomas. Heather resides in Edina, MN, with her husband, Jared, and their children, Mason and Harper.

President & Chief Operating Officer
Minnesota Aurora FC

Jessica Poole has been an industry leader in athletics for over 20 years. She believes that sports can change the world and has enjoyed seeing the opportunities created and lives changed when people have the opportunity to participate in sports. While the bulk of her career has been spent in a college setting, Poole has spent time working in professional tennis and the opportunity with Minnesota Aurora FC provides her an opportunity to return to her first sport of soccer. 

“The mission and vision of Minnesota Aurora FC is unique and rare in today’s athletic landscape and culture. The idea that we are able to center all that we do around values steeped in community, equality and boldness is a game changer for our organization. I am grateful to have a front row seat for all that we will accomplish now and in the future.” 

Prior to taking on her role at Minnesota Aurora, Poole served as the Deputy Athletic Director at Chicago State University and also served as Interim Director of Athletics. Poole provided leadership, vision, strategy, direction and management over professional and support staff with oversight of business operations, human resources, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), facilities, events, campus engagement, and capital engagement.  Poole also led in the oversight and management of policy development and strategic planning.  

Poole also served as Senior Associate AD for External Operations at Florida Atlantic University where she oversaw FAU's communications, marketing and corporate sponsorship areas while serving as a member of the athletics leadership team. 

A communications specialist by nature, Poole served in athletic communications capacities in athletic departments in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) at Vanderbilt and Ole Miss, in the Big Ten at Michigan and also in the Ivy League at Dartmouth College. 

When not out and about representing Aurora, Poole is active on the Board of College Sports Communicators (CSC), where she recently completed service as Board Chair and was the first Black woman to hold the position. She is also a member of the Black College Sports Information Directors and serves as a member of the executive team while also serving on the NCAA's Women's Basketball Final Four Media Coordination Committee.

She is also mom to her son William and enjoys spending time with friends and family. As an Ann Arbor, Michigan native, you can also always catch her cheering on her beloved Michigan Wolverines.

 

Senior Delivery Manager
Second Spectrum

Kristin Gow is a sports tech product leader, working as a Senior Delivery Manager for Second Spectrum. In her role, she works closely with business development, engineering and operational teams to track partner data delivery requirements across a variety of sports leagues.

Kristin graduated from the University of Minnesota (Go Gophers!) with a major in Communication Studies and a minor in Journalism & Mass Communication. After graduating, she landed her first job in sports as a community relations intern for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx. Kristin went on to work in television as a floor director for a local TV station and started hosting and producing backstage features with guests of their lifestyle show. In that role, she discovered her love of storytelling and decided to pack up and move to Austin, MN to pursue a job as a television reporter. During her time in Southern Minnesota, Kristin reported on a large tornado outbreak, covered numerous state high school tournaments, hosted a weekly high school sports show and interviewed some of Minnesota’s top professional athletes. Kristin returned home to the Twin Cities in 2012 and moved behind the camera to work in the business side of broadcast sports. During her career in the sports industry, she has held leadership roles in both sales operations and product management. She loves working on projects that allow her to work cross-functionally between business and technology teams.

Kristin lives in the Twin Cities with her husband and two daughters. She enjoys running, drinking iced coffee, listening to audiobooks, traveling with her family and volunteering with her daughters’ sports teams.

EVP & Chief Marketing Officer 
Minnesota Vikings

Martin Nance serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for the club, where he's responsible for developing fan engagement strategy through marketing, content and brand initiatives. Nance manages multiple departments, including marketing, sponsorship activation, events, premium services, creative, sales analytics & engagement and Vikings Entertainment Network.

Nance joined the organization in 2020 with over 10 years of leadership experience in strategic marketing programs, advertising, branding, fan engagement and customer relations for PepsiCo/Gatorade, previously serving as the Senior Director of Marketing and Sports Intelligence. Prior to his move to senior director, Nance served in a number of roles for PepsiCo/Gatorade from 2011-20, including Director of Marketing and Head of Gatorade Athlete Activation (2018-20), Senior Marketing Manager of Gatorade Brand Strategy (2015-18), Marketing Innovation Manager (2013-15) and Marketing Associate Manager (2011-13).

VP, Marketing 
Minnesota United FC

Megan Gunderson is the Vice President of Marketing with Minnesota United, focused on leading the strategy surrounding club-wide marketing and events. During her tenure, she helped transition the club through its inaugural season into Major League Soccer in 2017 and opened Allianz Field in 2019.

Prior to joining Minnesota United, Megan spent ten years at creative agencies working with clients from telecom to the Minnesota Twins.

Megan is a proud graduate and former Women’s Soccer player of Gustavus Adolphus College. Currently, Megan likes to spend her free time with family and friends, enjoying the outdoors as much as possible.

Chief People Officer 
Minnesota Timberwolves & Lynx

Sianneh Mulbah is in her 11th season with the Timberwolves and Lynx and third as Chief People Officer. Mulbah is responsible for the development and execution of the organization’s comprehensive human resources strategy. During her tenure, Mulbah has played a crucial role in the transformation of the organization’s culture, using human resources to develop business strategies, guide decisions, and meet the needs and goals of the organization and its employees. 

In 2019, Mulbah became the first Timberwolves and Lynx employee to receive the prestigious Sports Business Journal “Game Changers” award. Mulbah was one of forty women across the nation who were honored for their work transforming the sports industry and leading the next generation in sports business. In 2018 Mulbah was named to Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal’s prestigious “40 Under 40” list, which recognizes high-achieving business leaders in the community. Most recently, Mulbah was named a Twin Cities Business 2021 Notable BIPOC Executive for her leadership throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Mulbah leads the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx Women in Sports Leadership Council, which focuses on the professional growth and development of women in the workplace. She serves on the board of directors of the Twin Cities chapter of Women in Sports and Events (WISE) and is secretary of the Native American Parent Council – School District 196. 

A graduate of Bemidji State University, Mulbah received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She received a double Master’s degree in Organizational Management–HR and Business Administration from Concordia University St. Paul. Mulbah resides in Burnsville, Minn. with her son and daughter.

EVP, External Engagement 
MATTER

Professionally: Tami Hedrick spent decades in the professional sports industry, as Director of Women’s Initiatives, Strategic Development and Cheerleading for the Minnesota Vikings (NFL).  She also worked for over seven seasons with the Minnesota Swarm (NLL) when the Minnesota Wild brought them to the Twin Cities. She served on the Minnesota Vikings Innovation Committee, and her professional experiences include work in sales, marketing, event management, operations, and production. 

Now, Tami is the Executive Vice President of External Engagement at MATTER, a global non-profit.  She is focused on expanding their MATTERbox volunteer and food supply program nationwide, in addition to assisting with strategic growth around the world. She is leading the MATTER Pro initiative, building a portfolio of working with professional athletes to launch projects that improve communities.  Tami is also a real estate agent in the south metro area with eXp Realty and the Property Geeks.

Additionally: Tami’s passion for dreaming big, seeing those dreams realized and building something from nothing have served her well!   Tami served as the President of the Women in Sports and Events Twin Cities chapter since its inception and is now honored to be serving on their Advisory Board. Tami was named one of the Top 50 Women in Business by the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal and is active with several local professional women’s groups.  Tami has been a volunteer with the American Heart Association for over a decade, even being named volunteer of the year in 2009-2010. Tami was a home shopping network television on-air host for nearly four years with ShopNBC and ShopHQ. Her motto is “Work hard. Trust God. Do good.” As a former Mrs. Minnesota America and International, Tami has experience turning goals into realities.    

Personally:  Tami is a proud wife to her husband Matt, a Sergeant in the police department.   They have a blended family with seven children, plus a “fur baby” – a Yorki-poo, who is the princess of the house.   They love to go boating and traveling, fishing, kayaking, reading, attending their kid’s events and eating out at new places.