JoAnn Boraas grew up on a farm in western Minnesota. After high school in Appleton, MN (not WI!), she attended St. Olaf College in Northfield, graduating with degrees in Biology and Religion. Following the recommendation of her boss/mentor at Minneapolis Children’s Hospital, she pursued a career in dentistry, attending the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry for both her DDS and MS degrees, specializing in Pediatric Dentistry.

JoAnn had her own private practice in Richfield, MN, for 25 years. Since retirement she has provided volunteer pediatric dental care internationally in Uganda, Belize and Peru. She has volunteered with and served on the Board of Directors of Ready, Set, Smile, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit offering preventive dental care to underserved children through the public school system. JoAnn also served on the City of Richfield’s Friendship City Commission, helping to solidify the relationship with residents of Heredia, Costa Rica.

Renaissance on the River has been JoAnn’s home since 2018. She loves travel (to almost anywhere), improving her Norwegian and Spanish, movies and live music, and promoting “green living.” A goal to participate in Hennepin County’s Master Recycler/Composter program was fulfilled in 2022, and she is now a Community Recycling Ambassador.

Charles Buehler was born in Racine, Wisconsin, the second oldest of 9 children. His education, after high school in Racine, was at the College of St. Thomas in St. Paul (BS) and Michigan State University in E. Lansing, Michigan (PhD Chemistry) where he and his wife Millie created 3 beautiful daughters, Angela, Traci and Sue, who now live all in the Twin Cites and, have given Ute and I 6 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren to spoil.

After Michigan State, they moved to North St. Paul to join 3M and, while there, he was very active in Jaycees and served 6 years as City Councilman. He later took a position in Duesseldorf, Germany as head of a 3M European Lab. After retirement, they moved to Stillwater and, unfortunately, he lost his wife Millie to cancer just after returning to Stillwater. Later, Charles met his wonderful wife Ute in Germany, and she immigrated to Stillwater in 1998.

They moved to Abiitan Mill City in 2018 and really enjoy living in downtown Minneapolis. Charles enjoys Mill City Commons very much and its’ wonderful fellowship.

Kathleen Campbell is a small-town-Wisconsin Norwegian Taurus still trying to figure it out in her seventh decade, and still having fun trying. Squarely in the middle of the introversion-extroversion scale, she is stimulated being with people, but at some moment in almost any evening, wishes she were home in her pajamas reading.

 

Having loved both school and work, writing seems to be the continuous thread (think research summaries, grant applications, minutes, and exhibition text panels, not poetry or novels). Careers have included university teaching, retail research consulting (with husband Paul), and working at a small museum in myriad roles.

 

She and Paul enjoy living at the Legacy, looking out at the Mississippi and Gold Medal Park. Four or five months in winter they enjoy views of the Tonto National Forest instead, at their home in the Phoenix area. As a stepparent of two grown children, she enjoys their four children.

 

Many of her current volunteer projects are at Westminster Presbyterian Church. Church activities include being one of the leaders of the church’s Afghan Refugee Co-sponsorship, membership on the Bethlehem Partnership Committee, studying to become an Elder, ushering, and belonging to a Richard Rohr study group. She is on the board of Middle East Peace Now and still volunteers at the Goldstein Museum of Design, UMN. Maintaining her health and well-being takes up increasing amounts of time, but she stubbornly persists. MCC offers many favorite things, including socializing, learning about the world, moving, and being connected to others.

Although born in an obscure town in Iowa (Hawarden), John Gendler moved to Albert Lea at age 3 and believes he is one of us, knowing that weather is a topic of conversation every day of the year.  John graduated from Carleton College— where he met his wife, Janet—-and Cornell University Law School.  He spent 6 years in the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, where he worked in the less-publicized Welfare and Civil Divisions.  John was in private practice for the last 35+ years of his career, where he spent almost all his time negotiating the value of large buildings—offices, apartments, warehouses, retail--with assessors. 

He has been very active in fundraising for Carleton for many years, being co-chair of the Gift Committee for a number of Reunions.  Recently he has been involved with the Facilities Committee at Loring Green East, where he and Janet moved in 2014. They have two children and three grandchildren.  John and Janet like to travel, having been to all seven continents.  They try to spend some part of the winter in Hawaii, and like to visit the grandchildren in California any time of year.  A long time fan of sports, especially baseball, John thinks baseball was much more fun to watch when the game was played more quickly.

Jane Helsing moved downtown in 2017 from St. Louis Park. She owns a condo in Stuart, Florida, and after the death of her husband she decided to move downtown in part to make managing two homes simpler. She joined MCC to facilitate creation of a downtown life. Success!

Prior to retirement she most recently worked for PDI Ninth House (since acquired by Korn Ferry). While there she co-authored the book IMPACT Without Authority around which she designed workshops that she subsequently delivered to senior salespeople worldwide. When working she served for many years on the board of the Strategic Account Management Association, also serving as chair for one year.

Jane loves travel (including about four months a year as a snowbird), playing classical guitar, bike riding, reading and spending time with friends and extended family. She currently serves as a deacon at Peace Presbyterian Church, is on the board of the Treasure Coast (FL) Classical Guitar Society, and helps lead some condo activities.

Bob Rinek is a managing director of Piper Sandler Merchant Banking and a member of the general partner. Bob has worked in the financial services and investment banking industry for more than 40 years. Prior to Bob’s current role, he established the firm’s financial institutions group (“FIG”) in the late 1980s and served as global group head of FIG until December 2007. He is also a former board member of Piper Sandler Ventures. Bob joined Piper Sandler in 1982 and was previously with the Northern Trust Company and ITT Financial Corporation. Bob has served on the board of, or held board observation responsibility for, the following portfolio companies: Infinicept, Graylog, Clinicient, PerfectServe, Harvest Power, LogRhythm, Lattice Engines, GutCheck and Living Proof. Over the course of his career, Bob has served on the boards of many for profit and nonprofit organizations, including RxFunction, Twin Cities Public Television, Heller Hurwicz Economics Institute, The Minnesota Council on Economic Education and The Science Museum of Minnesota Bob graduated from Denison University and earned a Master of Business Administration degree from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He also holds the Certified Management Accountant (CMA®) professional designation. Bob and his wife Marcy moved to the Mill District from Edina in 2017 after raising their two sons. They currently reside at Eleven on the River and enjoy the close proximity to the River, Gold Medal Park and Westminster Presbyterian Church. They enjoy Mill City Commons and its focus on fellowship, education and making Minneapolis a great place to live.

Hal Schroer grew up on a farm in Indiana, was educated as a Chemical Engineer, and came to work for Pillsbury in 1973, where he developed new products and improved organizational processes. For the last half of his career, he worked as an independent consultant with Government Services, Non-Profits, and Business clients on their change efforts.

In retirement, Hal collaborates with others on systemic issues concerning “Aging in Community” and “Systemic Racism”. Hal is especially interested in “helping others find their voice”.

Hal is an active father and grandparent, and he lived for many years in Golden Valley. After his wife died and his youngest daughter moved into her own home, Hal moved downtown in 2019 to live at Stonebridge Lofts. Hal joined MCC in 2020 and enjoys the vibrant community.

In 2009, Katie Searl and her husband Ken decided to sell their Wayzata home and embark on a new adventure by moving downtown. Neighbors and members of MCC gently prodded them to join Mill City Commons and it was the very best thing they could have done. Katie loves how MCC has made it feel like a real neighborhood; she can’t walk down the street without seeing a friendly face.

 

Katie spent two decades volunteering at Mia, beginning with The Antique Show and Sale. She co-chaired the Antique Show, served as president of the Decorative Arts Council, co-chaired Art in Bloom twice, held numerous positions on The Friends board and from 2009 – 2011, she served as president of The Friends. She has also served on The Cowles Center board and the board of The Minnetonka Art Center. Katie enjoys creating botanical art, especially drawing. One of her watercolors of a dahlia named in honor of the Friends 100 year celebration is included in the book “Friends for 100 Years: A Lasting Legacy."  

 

Mill City Commons has been an important part of her life and she would like to see it continue to thrive and contribute to the vibrancy of the community.