Meet Our Board
Our board of trustees is dedicated to lending their skills, insights and passions to serve disability services and advocate for those with special needs, their families and the staff who support them.
Ruth Neuger
Board President
Ruth has served on the board since 2013. She is a print consultant at Engage Print in Northfield. Ruth and her husband, Dave, have three children, two daughters-in-law and one grandchild and are active volunteers in the community. Ruth looks forward to influencing community members to participate with LBSA.
Jim Loe
Vice President
Jim joined the board in 2020. He and his wife, Deb, have three children and are active in the community. Jim is the President/CEO of Community Resource Bank and is honored to support the LBSA vision.
Kenna Schulz
Secretary
Kenna joined the board in 2021. She is currently CFO at Schulz Electric. Kenna, along with her husband, and 3 children have volunteered in different roles at LBSA. She believes every human deserves to live their best life possible and sees this in everyday interactions with LBSA clients both on and off campus.
Meleah Follen
Treasurer
Meleah joined the board in 2021. She is currently the Youth Engagement Director at Healthy Community Initiative. Meleah has a long history of service to the community participating on numerous boards and assisting nonprofit organizations in a variety of ways.
Steve Underdahl
Board Member
Steve is president and CEO of Northfield Hospital & Clinics. He joined the board in 2014, shortly after he and his wife, Lori, moved to the Northfield community. Steve has a family member with developmental disabilities, which drives his passion for advocacy.
Matt Karl
Board Member
Matt joined the board in 2023 and is a resident of Northfield and the proud father of a daughter who attends Northfield High School. He recently retired from a long career in commercial real estate. Matt participates in a variety of volunteer opportunities at LBSA and truly enjoys his engagement with our clients.
Linda Maytan
Board Member
Linda joined the board in 2024. She is a dentist with extensive experience providing oral health care to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She is currently the Medicaid Dental Policy Director at the MN Department of Human Services. Her passion for whole-person wellness, particularly for those with IDD, drives her work.
Michelle Lasswell
Board Member
Michelle Lasswell joined the board in 2024. She is a family law attorney/mediator and practices with her husband Brad Frago at Frago & Lasswell, P.A. They have two adult children. She has been involved in numerous community organizations and is looking forward to being on the board and making a difference at LBSA.
Jonathan Davis
Board Member
Jonathan Davis joined the board in 2023. He is the Associate Pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Northfield, MN. He is a dad to his two boys and the husband of Rev. Lauren Baske Davis, Associate Minister at First United Church of Christ.
TBD
Board Member
Ray DeVries
Board Member
Ray joined the board in 2024. He is a sociologist who taught at St. Olaf College for 18 years, after which he joined the Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He and his wife returned to Northfield in 2021, and they are involved in a number of different community projects, including Starfish, a group – operating under the wing of Habitat for Humanity – that rehabs homes to make them affordable to low-income families.
Jill Metz
Board Member
Jill joined the board in 2023 and is what Northfielders call a “Townie”. She has served on the LBSA Gala committee for over a decade. Jill enjoys working from home as a Customer Success Manager for SmartSense by Digi. She spends most of her time outside of work and volunteering chauffeuring her two kids to all of their sport activities.
Kim Briske
Board Member
Kim joined the board in 2024. Her career has focused on public education and creating opportunities for all learners to access high quality education opportunities to fit their needs and support their ambitions. She is committed to fostering communities that allow everyone to thrive in their own way and is excited to expand her support of LBSA by serving on the board.
Gretchen Ehresmann
Board Member
Gretchen joined the board in 2022. She is a retired family physician who worked in Northfield for many years. She and her husband John raised their sons here. They now have a granddaughter with Prader-Willi Syndrome and are very aware of the needs and challenges of people with disabilities.
Sean Smith
Student Board Member
Sean is LBSA’s student board member for 2024-2025. He is a senior at Carleton College, majoring in political science / international relations with a minor in public policy. Sean was LBSA’s public policy and marketing intern for 2023-2024. He is passionate about not-for-profit work and policy, and plans on pursuing law school after graduation