Board and Staff

Justin Beck is a lifelong McLeod County resident from Hutchinson. He took part in the leadership program in 2017 and it motivated him to start serving his community and “being the change”. Since going through the program he has begun serving on the board for the Hutchinson Center for the Arts as well as the Public Arts Commission for the City of Hutchinson. He is passionate about art, specifically music and photography.

Kari Johnson is an alum of the McLeod for Tomorrow Program and currently serves as our board treasurer. Kari is enthusiastic for the cause and believes the different ways the learned leadership skills are being dispersed and applied are extraordinary. “The leadership training we offer is extremely valuable. The learned skills are not only brought back to the participants’ employers to better their work each day, but they are also being diffused into the communities and organizations the participants feel passionate about. We’ve seen some really cool things come from our program graduates, and I’d like to think we’ve played a role in that. I couldn’t be more proud!” Kari lives in Glencoe with her young family and enjoys the work she does for Security Bank & Trust Co. Summer is by far Kari’s favorite season – she spends much of her time at the pool and lake! Life is good.

Marie grew up near Winsted and has lived most of her life in small towns, except for a year of AmeriCorps service in the Twin Cities after college. Connecting people is an important part of her work at Southwest Initiative Foundation, and Marie believes those connections are what makes our communities into what we want them to be. She’s an alum of the McLeod For Tomorrow Leadership Program. In addition to serving as secretary of our board, Marie serves on the Board of Education at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Brownton, volunteers with the Glencoe Area Community Foundation and is an alum of the Blandin Community Leadership Program.

Tim Gratke lived most of his life in the St. Cloud area and became involved with McLeod For Tomorrow in 2015 when he was hired on as manager of the Wastewater Treatment Facility for the City of Hutchinson. The City of Hutchinson routinely places employees new to supervisory roles into the MFT Leadership Program.

Kristin Roepke is an independent consultant who has been partnering with C-Suite leaders for almost 30 years helping to achieve organization effectiveness by developing business strategy, organization structure to achieve the strategy, and the appropriate culture and operating model to grow business. She is a leadership and life coach helping to identify personal growth and development strategies. Kristin also teaches an executive leadership course at the University of Minnesota and holds a masters degree in organization effectiveness and change management. Kristin has lived in McLeod County most of her life and joined the McLeod For Tomorrow Board of Directors in 2020 to offer her time in an area of passion and because of her belief in the power of how leadership development and community engagement can fuel a better tomorrow for our county. Kristin, her husband, and three children reside in Silver Lake.