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Dr. Kate Beane (Flandreau Santee Sioux Dakota and Muscogee Creek) holds a BA in American Indian Studies and PhD in American Studies from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She is the Executive Director of the Minnesota Museum of American Art, and serves as adjunct faculty in American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota. She is a board member at the Jerome Foundation, chair of the board for Vision Maker Media, as well as Wakan Tipi Awanyankapi, and in 2020 was appointed by Governor Walz to serve on the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board (CAAPB), which oversees Capitol complex preservation and development (including public art) in downtown St. Paul. Previously, Kate served on the leadership team at the Minnesota Historical Society where she was the director of Native American Initiatives. In 2018 Kate, and her father Syd Beane, completed a documentary film, Ohiyesa: The Soul of an Indian, which shares the story of their grandfather, writer, reformer, and physician Charles A. Eastman. In 2019 she presented a Minneapolis TEDX talk titled “The Lasting Legacy of Place Names,” speaking to her family’s work restoring the Dakota name Bde Maka Ska at their ancestral village site in south Minneapolis (Bdeota). Most recently she served on the Minnesota state flag and seal redesign commission in 2024.
Designer and IT Administrator
cbjerke@mmaa.org
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Curtis Bjerke moved to the Twin Cities area from northern Minnesota in 2004 and attended Minneapolis College of Art and Design, where he graduated in 2009 with a BFA in painting. Before coming to the M in late 2013, Curtis worked as an installer at various art galleries, as well as handling private art collections and building custom picture frames in his woodshop. He’s an adventurous, outdoorsy person, and when he’s not here at the M, Curtis can be found camping and canoeing in the wilderness.
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Originally from Wisconsin, Jordyn Brennan has called the Twin Cities home since 2020. With a passion for care and connection, Jordyn firmly believes art plays a pivotal role in enriching communities, fostering relationships, and enhancing our overall quality of life. Jordyn thrives in optimizing systems and streamlining processes to drive fundraising efforts. Beyond her role at the M, she enjoys collaborating with businesses and cities to create site-specific murals. Additionally, Jordyn teaches group and individual arts enrichment classes at senior living communities throughout the Twin Cities. Jordyn earned a BA in Studio Arts from Upper Iowa University and went on to obtain a Master of Fine Arts from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
Assistant Registrar
vclark@mmaa.org
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Valerie has worked at various art and historical institutions in Minnesota over the last nine years, documenting and caring for archival collections as well as securing funding for education and preservation projects. She has enjoyed her work supporting a diverse group of Minnesotans to help them preserve their history. She is thrilled to be returning to the M, where she worked just after earning an MA in art history and museum studies at Case Western Reserve University in 2016. She has always had a passion for art and she is constantly amazed with how this creative outlet can foster connections and provide unique insight into the human psyche.
In her free time, she enjoys painting, trying new foods with her friends, and puzzling. She currently lives in St. Louis Park.
Registrar
ndelfino@mmaa.org
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Nicole Delfino Jansen came to the M in the spring of 2022 with 30 years of experience in the museum field, primarily as a registrar for exhibits and loans with the Minnesota Historical Society. She also worked early-on in conservation at the Science Museum of Minnesota and interned in the paper lab at the Cooper Hewitt National Museum of Design in NYC. One of the most cherished aspects of her work has been connecting with people and their stories through the art and artifacts they create or collect and share. With her degree in studio art and art history from St. Olaf, she feels fortunate to be returning now to the arts to serve the talented staff and artists collaborating at The M to boldly expand our understanding of what a museum can be in community.
Nicole lives in South St. Paul with her husband, Chip, and has three children. She enjoys gardening, working on home remodeling projects, and travel. She also loves her family time, and is a strong advocate and volunteer for her hometown.
Weekend Manager
nher@mmaa.org
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Npaus Baim Her (she/her), an educator and storyteller, is known for her work in chronicling the narratives of Asian Americans. She graduated with her Masters of Arts in Creative Writing & Publishing from the University of St. Thomas University. During her spare time, she enjoys reading sappy romance novels and cuddling her four cats.
Visitor Experience Associate
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Rose Ireland (she/her) Has a B.A. in Literature, Language, and creative writing from St. Catherine University. She writes primarily in creative non-fiction. She has a background working as a psychiatric technician and in literacy. She lives in Lowertown, St. Paul with her husband and two cats.
Grants Manager
pmercado@mmaa.org
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Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Pamela has called the Twin Cities home for the past 10 years. She earned her Master’s degree in Advocacy and Political Leadership and is the author of three Spanish-language children’s books that celebrate language, culture, and heritage. Outside of her professional and creative work, Pamela enjoys traveling with her children and is always eager to learn and explore new things.
Communications Specialist
drichard@mmaa.org
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Diane Richard has been thinking and writing about art since her mother took her on field trips to the Art Institute of Chicago as a child. After earning degrees from Smith College and the University of Missouri, she moved to the Twin Cities with plans to work as a print and radio reporter. Simultaneously, she was a writer/editor at the Minneapolis Institute of Art for 20 years. Diane believes that the stories artists tell offer potent insights into what it means to be human, full stop.
When she isn’t in the galleries, Diane is riding her bike, swimming in lakes, finding yarn stores in foreign lands, and enjoying the great beauty of this world.
Visitor Experience Manager
kvandusseldorp@mmaa.org
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Kiaan Van Dusseldorp is a visual artist specializing in sculpture and oil painting. Originally from central South Dakota they moved to the Twin Cities to attend the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Through their work they are engaging and interrogating their own placement and attachment to place. Much of this is manifested through community engagement and through their own art practice. Within their practice they are using labor as a solace to find a place between their identity. With their home stemming from a rural area much of their art comes from repetitive, laborious practices that allow for them to fully understand each piece that they work on.
They earned their Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
Kiaan lives in Minneapolis with their best friends and their cat, Kloei.
Director of Exhibitions and Collections
nwatson@mmaa.org
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Nicole Watson (she/her) has 17 years of experience in galleries, exhibitions, fine art collection management, and arts-related communications. She joined the M in December 2025 after nine years as the director of The Catherine G. Murphy Gallery at St. Catherine University, where she led an exhibition program and fine art collection grounded in women-centered, gender-inclusive visual arts and community-based curatorial practices. Nicole is committed to creating art spaces that foster pedagogical inquiry, relationship building, and empathy.
Nicole studied studio art, graphic design, and art history at St. Catherine University and at the University of St. Thomas. She received an MA in art and architectural history from St. Thomas in 2008. Her thesis uncovered and examined the work of Marion Alice Parker (1873–1935), the only female Prairie School architect in the Minneapolis firm of Purcell & Elmslie. A former manager of Groveland Gallery in Minneapolis, Nicole also specializes in contemporary paintings, prints, and drawings by Minnesota and regional artists.
An active member in the Twin Cities arts community, Nicole serves on the Advisory Council for The O’Shaughnessy in St. Paul. In addition, she was a member of the board of directors for Art Works in Eagan (2018–21) and volunteered for the Dakota County Public Art Citizen Advisory Committee (2018–20) and as a Picture Person for the Minneapolis Institute of Art’s Art Adventure Program (2009–12).
Deputy Director
bwhitehead@mmaa.org
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Bethany Whitehead has served the Twin Cities arts community in an assortment of capacities at various organizations for more than 20 years. Understanding that strong organizations are built upon solid foundations, she especially likes establishing systems and clarity of organizational purpose to allow the art and artists to thrive. She holds an MA in Arts Administration from Saint Mary’s University and a BA in International Studies from Kalamazoo College. Outside of work, Bethany loves attending dance events and gallery exhibitions, exploring new bike trails, doing Pilates at the Y, completing jigsaw puzzles, traveling, and making time for brunch with friends.
Not quite sure who you need to talk to? Email info@mmaa.org, or call the M:
Office: 651.797.2571
OFFICERS
Dr. Kate Beane
Executive Director, The M
Ben Gessner–Co-chair
Adjunct professor, Minneapolis Community & Technical College
Michael Sammler-Jones–Co-chair
Strategic Initiatives & Chief Legal Officer Advisor at Medica
Gerry Stenson–Vice Chair
Retired EVP at Wells Fargo, former board chair of HealthPartners and Habitat for Humanity
Darlene St. Clair–Secretary
Associate Professor, American Indian Studies; Director, Institute for Indigenous Education Studies, Saint Cloud State University
Tim Beastrom–Treasurer
General Counsel, James Hardie Building Products
MEMBERS
Eva Dixon
Chief Customer Officer, Kipsu
Nathan Johnson
Architect, 4RM+ULA
Barbara Klaas
Former president, Minnesota School Boards Association; extensive nonprofit board experience
Patricia Marroquin Norby
Curator
Ho Nguyen
MLIS graduate student, Archives and Special Collections
Qadirrah Seltz
Assistant Vice President, Concentration Risk Program, Enterprise Risk Management – Risk & Compliance
Dr. Chris Taylor
Mark Taylor
Honorary Member
Mayor Kaohly Her
Mayor, City of St. Paul
Minnesota Museum of American Art
350 Robert Street North
St. Paul, MN 55101
Located in the Historic Pioneer Endicott
Office: 651.797.2571
The M thrives because of people like you! Your contribution will support dynamic and engaged partnerships and programs related to St. Paul, Minnesota, and shared experiences across difference in the region.
