Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the appointment of Karen Anderson, Kate Kelly, Adam Leonard, Shawn Murphy, Martha Jones Sichko, and Christine Wiegert, and the reappointment of Robert Rumpza and Judith Russell to the Minnesota Commission on National and Community Service, also known as the ServeMinnesota Commission.

Anderson, of Independence, is a management and fundraising consultant and has a wealth of experience working with non-profits. Anderson is completing her masters degree in public affairs from the University of Minnesota Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of public affairs. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and a board member of the Friends of the Minnesota Foundation for Student Organizations. Anderson replaces Diane Carlson, who resigned, as a community member to complete a three-year term that expires on August 1, 2007.

Kelly, of Plymouth, is the region president and wealth management director at Bremer Bank in St. Paul. She has over 23 years of experience in the banking industry. Kelly has an MBA in finance from the University of Minnesota and a BA from the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul. She chairs the Business Advisory Council for Minnesota Reading Corp., teaches art enrichment classes, and volunteers on a variety of school projects. Kelly replaces David Nasby as a business representative on the commission for a three-year term that expires on August 1, 2010.

Leonard, of Minneapolis, is a child services specialist with the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation in St. Paul, and had been an AmeriCorps Promise Fellow with the Wilder Foundation from September 2005 to July 2006. Leonard earned his bachelor of arts degree magna cum laude in 2005 from St. John’s University in Collegeville. Leonard replaces Terrell Adams on the commission as a youth member for a three-year term that expires on August 1, 2010.

Murphy, of Inver Grove Heights, is the director of communications for Lee F. Murphy, Inc. Insurance Agency in St. Paul. He is a member of the Minnesota Army National Guard, American Legion Boy’s State Program, and a Boy Scout Leader. An Eagle Scout, Murphy was founder and president of the Sigma Tau Omega Service Organization, founder of the University of Wisconsin – River Falls Management Association, and a member of the St. Thomas Academy Alumni Board of Directors. Murphy replaces Paul Cumings as a member representing national services programs for a three-year term that expires on August 1, 2010.

Rumpza, of Eden Prairie, is senior vice president of public relations with Nicholson Kovac Inc. His extensive experience in brand communications, marketing, public relations and public affairs has earned him the Public Relations Society of America’s Silver Anvil award for his public relations work on behalf of the U.S. dairy industry. Rumpza, who has been a member of the commission since 2003 and is its current chair, is reappointed as a community member to another three-year term that expires on August 1, 2010.

Russell, of Stillwater, is a licensed social worker with over 35 years of professional experience in human services and community organizations. She serves on the Ripley Foundation, and was a founder of the Minnesota Association of Volunteer Administration and currently serves on its board of directors. Russell, who has been a member of the commission since November 2005, is reappointed as a community member to a three-year term that expires on August 1, 2010.

Sichko, of Woodbury, is an executive counsel with The Links Group public relations firm in Minneapolis. She returned to Minnesota in 2006 from Washington, D.C., where she held positions of vice president of media and crisis communications with Hill and Knowlton Public Relations, director of relationship outreach in the American Red Cross’s Communications and Marketing Department, and director of corporate development in the United Service Organization’s world headquarters. Sichko has volunteered at the Walter Reed U.S. Army Hospital, George Washington University Hospital, and the American Cancer Society in Minnesota. Sichko has a masters of public administration degree from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Sichko replaces Terry Hoffman, who resigned, as a community member to complete a three-year term that expires on August 1, 2008.

Wiegert, of North St. Paul, is vice president of marketing and business development with TKDA, an engineering, architectural and planning firm based in St. Paul. She also serves on the firm’s management committee, where she is on a team that manages TKDA’s daily operations, and is responsible for developing marketing plans and objectives to deliver firm-wide business growth. Wiegert is an active member of the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce’s Central Corridor Business Partnership Committee and the Roseville Rotary Club. Wiegert earned her bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Wiegert replaces Jay Esmay on the commission as a community member for a three-year term that expires on August 1, 2010.

The Minnesota Commission on National and Community Service coordinates volunteer learning service programs, administers the youth works grant program as well as the federal Americorps program. The commission consists of 25 members, including 24 appointed by the governor, the Commissioner of Education plus four ex-officio legislative members.