Board of Directors Biographies

Andy Arsham

Alan Carlson

Susan Barrett Hello.  Like many of you, I find so much to appreciate at KFAI:  the great music & knowledgeable hosts, the individuals getting involved to make music happen and to address the public issues in our community.  KFAI is community!  I'm Susan Barrett and have recently rejoined the KFAI Board after an eight year hiatus.  I'm a CPA, attorney and a long-time listener-member.  I look forward to helping establish a strong structure for KFAI to thrive in the upcoming years.

Mary Bensman My first brush with radio came at Marquette University where I was a broadcast journalism student.  I went on to print journalism and, eventually, public relations and marketing…all for nonprofits.  I love getting people in touch with goods and services that will expand their minds and improve their lives. KFAI is a perfect place for me to practice that.

In my current job, I market clinical services for Hennepin County Medical Center.  I know just enough about every dire disease to be dangerous.   I live in Southwest Minneapolis near Lake Harriet with my little dog, Leo.

I enjoy music of all kinds and the richness and variety of KFAI’s musical programming is what hooked me as a listener.  Working with the cool volunteers and staff keeps me going as a dedicated supporter.

Chris Dronen

Wendy Gaskill

Jeremy Nichols

Blanche Sibley

Ted Singer

John Slade came to KFAI through media justice activism. He was one of the founders of the Counter-Propaganda Coalition, an activist group that was active during the run-up to, and the first few years of, the Iraq war. “We were holding Media Fairs, bringing together alternative and community media and peace and activist groups, and we knew we needed KFAI to be there” says John.
 Since he’s been on the board, John was intimately involved with the SPLAN process – the in-house, grassroots strategic planning process that the Board is now using to guide the organization through our current challenges. He’s also served on the outreach, the nominations and elections, and the executive committees. (As well as volunteering with the news team for the 2008 RNC – now THAT was a trip!)
 For most of the last few years, John has been working as a community organizer in the Frogtown and Rondo neighborhoods in St. Paul. He feels that the skills needed to make connections as an organizer can serve KFAI as we tie ourselves closer to the communities we serve. This kind of connection is the only way we will survive the current economic hard times.

Dick Stevens has been a KFAI volunteer since 1978 and a KFAI Board member since 2011. For 32 years he was President of Digital Excellence in St. Paul and since 2006 has served as new business development consultant for The ADS Group in Plymouth, MN. He also was an Executive Producer, Director of A&R and Director of Special Services for CBS Records in New York, audiovisual producer for Fortress Press in Philadelphia, and program developer and producer at KUOM at the University of Minnesota. Dick also serves as Chairman of the KFAI Marketing Committee which he joined in 2010.