Saint Paul – Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the appointment of John J. Barrett, Victoria C. Dalle-Molle, Lourdes M. Talan, and Dayna L. Wolfe, M.D.; and the reappointment of T. Jeff Bangsberg, Anne H. Dykstra, Ph.D., Gloria LaFriniere, Christina Persons, Wendy K. Rea, Rebecca J. Sunder, Greg Toutges, Cindy Ulven, and Robyn R. Widley to the State Rehabilitation Council.

Bangsberg, of New Hope, retired as the government relations director of the Minnesota HomeCare Association. Previously, he worked in a large home health care agency, and served as coordinator to the Twin Cities Area Labor Management Council. Bangsberg earned his bachelor of applied science degree from the University of Minnesota. Bangsberg, who has been a member of the State Rehabilitation Council since 2007, is reappointed as a representative of disability advocacy groups to another three-year term that expires on January 7, 2013.

Barrett, of Spring Lake Park, is the CEO and president of Rise, Inc., a non-profit that helps individuals with disabilities find jobs and become self-sufficient. He has headed the agency since 1976. Barrett earned his master of business administration degree as well as his bachelor’s degree from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. Barrett replaces Steven Ditschler on the State Rehabilitation Council as a representative of community rehabilitation service program providers, and is appointed to a three-year term that expires on January 7, 2013.

Dalle-Molle, of Rochester, is the executive director of the Southeastern Minnesota Center for Independent Living, Inc. and Choice Home Care, Inc. in Rochester. Previously, she was the executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Olmsted County, and held positions with Zumbro Valley Mental Health Center in Rochester. Dalle-Molle earned her master of public administration degree as well as her bachelor of arts degree from the University of Kansas in Lawrence. Dalle-Molle replaces Ann Zick on the State Rehabilitation Council as a representative of the Statewide Independent Living Council, and is appointed to a three-year term that expires on January 7, 2013.

Dykstra, of Golden Valley, is an independent consultant with 30 years of international and domestic experience with U.S. and international organizations designing, managing and administering education programs, including employment and training programs. Dykstra earned her doctorate degree in educational administration and master of education degree in adult and vocational education from the Colorado State University in Fort Collins, and her bachelor of science degree from the University of Colorado in Boulder. Dykstra, who has been a member of the State Rehabilitation Council since 2006, is reappointed as a representative of business and industry to another three-year term that expires on January 2, 2012.

LaFriniere, of Bagley, is the director of the White Earth Vocational Rehabilitation Program, a project under the American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Section 121, which assists eligible Native Americans with disabilities in becoming employed. She earned her master’s degree in social work from the University of Minnesota – Duluth, and her bachelor of science degree in social work from Bemidji State University. LaFriniere, who has been a member of the State Rehabilitation Council since 2001, is reappointed as a representative of American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Projects in Minnesota to another three-year term that expires on January 7, 2013.

Persons, of Britt, is the information service manager for the Disability Linkage Line’s Northern and the Metropolitan offices. She has worked for the Disability Linkage Line for five years. In the past, she served on the Board of Directors at Northwoods Coalition for Battered Women, Paul Bunyan Transit Inc., and the Community Resource Connection. Persons earned her bachelor of arts degree in sociology from the University of Minnesota, Duluth. Persons, who has been a member of the State Rehabilitation Council since 2007, is reappointed as a representative of disability advocacy groups to a three-year term that expires on January 2, 2012.

Rea, of St. Cloud, is the St. Cloud Area Resources Center coordinator with the Mental Health Consumer/Survivor Network of Minnesota. She is an active volunteer on a number of mental health-related boards and councils at the local as well as the state level. Rea earned her bachelor of arts degree summa cum laude from St. Cloud State University. Rea, who has been a member of the State Rehabilitation Council since 2006, is reappointed to a position for a current or former recipient of vocational rehabilitation services to a three-year term that expires January 2, 2012.

Sunder, of Shakopee, is a vocational rehabilitation services counselor with the Minnesota WorkForce Center in Burnsville. She has held similar positions at other WorkForce Centers in Minnesota over the past 15 year, and previously was a job placement coordinator and supervisor with Rise, Inc. Sunder, a certified rehabilitation counselor, earned her master of science degree from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and her bachelor of science degree in social work from the University of Minnesota. Sunder, who has been a member of the State Rehabilitation Council since 2007, is reappointed as a representative of vocational rehabilitation counselors to another three-year term that expires on January 7, 2013.

Talan, of Brooklyn Center, is the social worker care and transition coordinator at Shriners Hospital for Children in Minneapolis, where she provides psychosocial assessment and services to children with disabilities and families. Talan, a licensed independent clinical social worker, earned her master’s degree in social work from the University of Hawaii in Manoa, Honolulu, and her bachelor’s degree in psychology from St. Paul College in Quezon City, Philippines. Talan replaces Stephanie Morris on the State Rehabilitation Council as a representative of disability advocacy groups, and is appointed to complete a three-year term that expires on January 3, 2011.

Toutges, of Moorhead, is the director of career and disability services at Minnesota State University, Moorhead. Toutges earned his master of science degree in counseling and guidance from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, and his bachelor of science degree from Minnesota State University, Mankato. Toutges, who has been a member of the State Rehabilitation Council since 2008, is reappointed to a position for a current or former recipient of vocational rehabilitation services to a three-year term that expires January 7, 2013.

Ulven, of Hawley, owns Accelerated Engraving and Signage in Hawley, a business that designs and engraves ADA Braille signage for public and commercial buildings, and sells wholesale as well as retail personalized engraved products to stores and funeral homes off her website. Ulven currently serves on the Small Business Development Committee, where she helps people with disabilities start their own businesses. Ulven, who has been a member of the State Rehabilitation Council since 2008, is reappointed as a representative of business and industry to a three-year term that expires on January 2, 2012.

Widley, of Roseville, is the supervisor of interagency services in the Minnesota Department of Education Division of Special Education Policy. Widley, who holds multiple licensures in special education, earned her specialist of education degree in educational administration with an emphasis on special education from North Dakota State University, and her master of science as well as bachelor of science degrees in special education from Moorhead State University. Widley, who has been a member of the State Rehabilitation Council since 2006, is reappointed as a representative of special education from the Minnesota Department of Education to another three-year term that expires on January 2, 2012.

Wolfe, of Minneapolis, is a neuromodulation senior clinical research specialist and clinical advisor with Medtronic, Inc. in Fridley, the lead physician with the Minnesota State Medical Review Team, and a consultant to the Minnesota Department of Human Services’ Health Policy Unit. Wolfe earned her doctor of medicine degree from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and her bachelor’s degree in biopsychology from California State University in Chico. Wolfe replaces William Negaard on the State Rehabilitation Council as a representative of business and industry, and is appointed to a three-year term that expires on January 7, 2013.

The State Rehabilitation Council is created under state law and the Federal Rehabilitation Act. The council assists the Rehabilitation Services Program of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development in making decisions about the state’s Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program. Vocational Rehabilitation serves thousands of persons with severe disabilities throughout the state, helping them reach their vocational goals. The council consists of 19 members appointed by the Governor.