Julie (Jules) Annen
What does the role of a board member mean to you?
The role of a board member is about offering strategic, compassionate, and effective support to the entire KFAI community, including the organization, its employees, volunteers, and members. Itās about fostering the growth and success of KFAI through collaborative leadership.
What motivated you to apply for a board position?
Having previously served on the board, I took a break to focus on completing my doctorate. Iām now excited to return and contribute my insights and experience to support KFAIās mission.
What would you like to achieve in this role?
I aim to contribute meaningfully to the ongoing success of KFAI by offering my expertise and support wherever it is most needed. My goal is to help ensure the organization thrives and continues to serve the community effectively.
What experience do you have working with identities and interests different than your own?
Through living and traveling internationally, Iāve gained exposure to diverse perspectives. I also serve on a DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) workgroup at Mayo Clinic, where we focus on valuing the unique identities and experiences of those we serve, ensuring inclusivity in all aspects of our work.
What tools do you use to communicate across different perspectives?
Active Listening Techniques
Nonviolent Communication (NVC)
Cultural Awareness Checklists
Visual Aids and Storytelling
Inclusive Language
Empathy Mapping
Collaborative Platforms
Open-Ended Questions
Perspective-Taking Exercises
Please share more about your professional experience and other qualities that would be beneficial to our organization.
I bring over 25 years of leadership experience, having served on numerous boards and committees. My experience in leadership, combined with my strong commitment to inclusivity and collaboration, would be beneficial in guiding KFAI through its ongoing initiatives.
Anything else you would like voters to know?
Iām deeply passionate about the power of community radio and the vital role KFAI plays in amplifying diverse voices. My long-standing commitment to fostering inclusivity and collaborative leadership aligns with KFAIās mission. As someone who has seen the positive impact of this organization firsthand, I am dedicated to ensuring its continued growth and success.
Michael Milligan (incumbent)
What does the role of a board member mean to you?
Board members are charged with securing the long term viability of the organization. They use tools like policy language, financial planning, oversight, networking, and strategic planning to make sure that the organization remains both financially stable and aligned with its mission. Importantly, board members also refrain from engaging in day-to-day management or directing programming decisions – that arms-length distance is also an important tool that allows staff and volunteers to best employ their own initiative and creativity.
What motivated you to apply for a board position?
KFAI is an enormously valuable institution in the Twin Cities cultural and media landscape that punches well above its weight in the nonprofit world, and at the same time a quirky little community that I care for deeply. I am happy to lend my time and expertise to contribute to its ongoing success.
What would you like to achieve in this role?
Over several years serving on the board, my focus has been on sound governance – making sure the board understands and follows its own rules, lays out clear and well-considered policies for the rest of the organization, and makes decisions in a transparent and equitable manner. I want to continue this work, and through board recruitment and training increase the board’s capacity for governance and oversight work.
What experience do you have working with identities and interests different than your own?
While I acknowledge my privileged position as a highly educated cis man, communicating across interests and identities has been a recurring theme in my life. In my professional life, I serve the University of Minnesota system broadly, supporting researchers in all disciplines and all parts of the state. In the personal, I am a child of an ethnically blended household in a splendidly multicultural city (viva San Antonio!) as well as parent to a child of multiple nationalities and languages.
What tools do you use to communicateĀ acrossĀ different perspectives?
Whenever possible, my ears. I believe the best leaders listen far more than they speak, and facilitate conversations more than they star in them. I strive to create venues – usually metaphorical, in the form of processes and expectations – where people of different perspectives can meet and exchange ideas while feeling safe, respected, and heard.
Please share more about your professional experience and other qualities that would be beneficial to our organization.
The experience that I have found to be most valuable to the organization is my affinity for detail, ability to comprehend and explain complex processes and legalistic documents, and ability to mediate discussion of tricky subjects. Now and then my experience with technology has proven useful as well.
Anything else you would like voters to know?
Full disclosure: I am married to a long-time program host, but am not currently directly involved in programming activities.
