ST. PAUL, MN – Today, Governor Mark Dayton announced the appointments of six individuals to fill vacancies on the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees. The 15-member Board is responsible for governing Minnesota State’s system planning, academic programs, fiscal management, personnel, admissions requirements, tuition and fees, and rules and regulations.
Ashlyn Anderson – Champlin, MN
Technical College Student Member
Effective: July 15, 2018
Term Expires: June 30, 2020
Ms. Anderson is a current student at Hennepin Technical College and works as a nanny and caretaker. Additionally, she is a current Student Ambassador with Hennepin Technical College, a PCA with Accra Care, and a Grassroots Legislative Assistant with LeadMN. Ms. Anderson has also participated as the Treasurer of the Hennepin Technical College Student Senate and completed their Leadership Series. Ms. Anderson was also the 2017 Mark Welter World Citizen Award and recently attended the Power in Leadership Conference.
Alexander Cirillo, Jr. – Woodbury, MN
Trustee Member
Effective: July 15, 2018
Term Expires: June 30, 2024
Mr. Cirillo is currently retired and serves on the Board of Directors of the Wilder Foundation and the Itasca Project Working Group. Previously, Mr. Cirillo was the President of Community Affairs for 3M and the 3M Foundation. Additionally, Mr. Cirillo was previously a Senior Physicist, Research and Design Vice President, 3M Canada President and General Manager, and Vice President of Commercial Graphics for 3M. Mr. Cirillo earned his B.S. from The Catholic University of America and both his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee Laboratory for Surface Studies.
Dawn Erlandson – Minneapolis, MN
Trustee Member
Effective: July 15, 2018
Term Expires: June 30, 2024
Ms. Erlandson is the President and Founder of Aurora Strategic Advisors, a public affairs and communications consulting company. Previously, she served as the Senior Director of North Woods Advertising, Senior Director of Himle Horner, and Executive Director of the Great Plains Institute and the Center for a Sustainable Economy. Ms. Erlandson is the current Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees and the Chair-Elect of the Association of Community College Trustees. She earned her B.A. from Hamline University and was a Policy Fellow at the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs.
April Ho-Nishimura – Apple Valley, MN
Trustee Member
Effective: July 15, 2018
Term Expires: June 30, 2024
Ms. Ho-Nishimura is the Global Finance Director for Ecolab Corporate, where she serves as the Senior Leadership Term Finance Director and Continuous Improvement Deployment Director. Previously, she was the Product Innovation Director for Ecolab Texas, a Senior Marketing Manager for Ecolab, and a Sales and Marketing Director for Virtual Velocity. Ms. Ho-Nishimura is an Ecolab Executive Mentor and previously served on the Dallas Asian Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. She earned her B.A. from the University of Hawaii and her M.B.A. from Pepperdine University.
George Soule – Minneapolis, MN
Trustee Member
Effective: July 15, 2018
Term Expires: June 30, 2024
Judge Soule is a judge of the White Earth Tribal Court of Appeals and a founding partner of Soule & Stull LLC, where he is a civil trial attorney handling cases involving product liability, commercial, and negligence claims. Previously, he was a founding and managing partner at Bowman and Brooke LLP, and an associate at Gray, Plant, Mooty, Mooty & Bennett. Judge Soule is a member of the Boards of the Division of Indian Work, Infinity Project, and the Minnesota State University Moorhead Alumni Foundation. He is the former Chair of the Commission on Judicial Selection, and he earned his B.A. from Moorhead State University and his J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Samson Williams – Brooklyn Center, MN
Community College Student Member
Effective: July 15, 2018
Term Expires: June 30, 2020
Mr. Williams is a current student at North Hennepin Community College and an intern at Solution-Focused Family Law. Additionally, he is the chair of the Government Relations Committee with the Minnesota Paralegal Association, Secretary of the African Student Association, and is the Founder and Executive Director of Liberians United for Future Empowerment.
