The University of Minnesota Crookston recently welcomed new members to the 2024-2025 Campus Advisory and Advancement Board (CAAB) and the 2024-2025 American Indian Advisory Board (AIAB). New CAAB members, Tim Dufault and Lori Marco, join current CAAB members Tom Anderson, Jason Carlson, Theresa Gillie, Roland Hill, Paul Imle, Carrie Michalski, Judy Neppel, Collin Peterson, Sarah Reese, Doug Sandstrom, Judy Streifel-Reller, Dan Svedarsky, Dr. Kari Torkelson, Pete Wasberg, Carl Wittenburg, and Gail Yutrzenka. New AIAB member Whitney Spears joins current AIAB members Lisa Brunner, Derrick Cupp, Brent Gish, Laurie Harper, Annette Johnson, and Desirie Wilson.
Dufault is a fourth-generation grain farmer from the Crookston area who is easing his way into retirement. In addition to farming, he has served on many agricultural, community, and education boards and committees. Dufault is currently serving on the board for Crookston Public Schools and the Northern Crops Council. He is past chair of the Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers, Minnesota Wheat Research and Promotion Council. Dufault is also on the advisory committee of the Northwest Research and Outreach Center on the U of M Crookston campus. He is a proud graduate of the U of M Crookston with a degree in agricultural business plus a degree from North Dakota State University in agricultural economics. Dufault and his wife have three grown children and hope to enjoy traveling, golf and volunteering in retirement.
Marco served as senior vice president and general counsel for Hormel Foods Corporation for 13 years. Following her retirement, she became a partner in the law firm Deer Hill Legal and Mediation, serving food and agriculture businesses as counsel, fractional general counsel, and mediator. She is also principal and general counsel of Red Barn Consulting, LLC, providing business consulting services in the areas of strategy, ESG, sustainability, crisis management, communications and program development. Marco was born and raised on her family’s farm in Brewster, Minn. She earned her undergraduate degree in biology and chemistry from the University of Minnesota and attended graduate school on the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota. She earned her J.D. magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School. In addition to CAAB, Marco serves on the Minnesota State Board of Architecture, Engineering, Land Surveying, Landscape Architecture, Geoscience, and Interior Design; the Austin Public Education Foundation Board, and the St. Olaf Lutheran Church Foundation Board. She is also on the advisory board for the Nexas-Gerard Family Healing and is a senior advisor for On The M.A.R.C.
Spears is an enrolled member of the Red Lake Nation and a direct descendant of the Oglala Lakota and Cheyenne River Lakota. She has three children who excel in their culture, sports and community. Spears has a bachelor of science in indigenous sustainability with a minor in psychology from Bemidji State University. She recently graduated with a master's degree in education from the University of Minnesota Duluth. Spears was fortunate to become a McNair Scholar and a InPsyT (Indians in Psychology Training) Cohort Scholar at Bemidji State University in 2020-2022. During that time, she worked on a research article with another student and a faculty member of the Psychology department covering the traditional medicines and teachings behind traditional plants that Indigenous peoples use, specifically sweetgrass, that later became published in June 2022 in the Journal of Indigenous Research. Her professional background consists of human services, social work, behavioral health, youth mentoring, secondary and higher education in 10 years. She also has collaborated on numerous projects with Dr. Brenda Child on the Jingle Dress and its purpose to the Ojibwe and Indigenous communities which Spears takes great pride in. In her free time, Spears enjoys traveling to powwows and spending time with her family.
About the Campus Advisory and Advancement Board
CAAB was created to enhance and strengthen the relationship between U of M Crookston and the region. The counsel of CAAB members provides insight to help direct decision-making, develop opportunities for collaboration, and build relationships leading to greater understanding. Working together in an active partnership, CAAB addresses both current and future needs in education as well as the enhancement of scholarship.
About the American Indian Advisory Board
AIAB was established to work towards a mutually beneficial relationship among Native nations and U of M Crookston. This relationship is intended to be an active partnership that addresses the current and future needs for education and enhancement of relationships, programming and other mutually beneficial endeavors that benefit the region. AIAB serves as a liaison between the American Indian communities and U of M Crookston. The board will consult with the U of M Crookston Chancellor on matters related to campus programs and services on behalf of American Indian students; interests and concerns of the immediate American Indian community; methods to encourage and foster the educational advancement of American Indian students in admissions, retention, and achievement of educational objectives; and efforts to develop and increase support for American Indian educational advancement through public relations efforts at the community, state, and federal levels. It will also serve as a liaison to the region and will bring educational needs of the Nations to U of M Crookston as well as help to bring students to the U of M Crookston campus.
