HumanistsMN elected four people to fill two-year, at-large positions on the Board of Directors at the annual meeting on May 11. Seth Engman, Christine Retkwa, and Marcy Woodruff were reelected to their second terms and John Walker won his first term. Read about the board candidates here.
Category: Chapter News
HumanistsMN Moves to Online Gatherings
By Audrey Kingstrom
HumanistsMN has gone viral! Well, in a manner of speaking. As most of you know by now, in this era of social distancing, we have stopped meeting in person and are offering a good share of our programming online.
Paying Your Dues Just Got Easier
HumanistsMN has worked hard to keep your annual membership dues affordable and easy to pay. We have now introduced two options to make payments even easier and more affordable. For all HMN members (excluding Student and Trial members). If you pay your annual dues online, you can now choose to have your membership automatically renewed on …
In Memoriam: Dick Segers
Harlan Garbell
As many of you know by now, our friend and long-time HumanistsMN member Dick Segers died last week in an automobile accident. Although I was not a close friend of Dick’s, I did have many occasions over the years to be in his company at HMN meetings and other events, including his several appearances at my Coffee and Current Events Meetup group.Colorful and articulate, Dick had a unique view of the world around him.
New Member Spotlight: Tanner Firl
Joined HumanistsMN: December 2019, after the Festivus for the Rest of Us event. Profession: I work in the software industry doing a mixture of data engineering and data science. How he discovered us: Meetup recommended some of HumanistMN’s events to me.
New Program Aims to Promote Humanist Connections
By Audrey Kingstrom
HumanistsMN has started a new program designed to offer more opportunities for connection within the humanist community. In recent years, we have offered an ever-increasing number of programs, but some members and friends seldom meet. One person might be interested in one program, and someone else in another, that meet on totally different days, at different venues.
Member Spotlight: Our In-House Creative “Star,” Seth Engman
By Audrey Kingstrom
Many HumanistsMN members may not know Seth Engman, but he played a huge part in the success of our organization’s re-branding initiative last year. This involved creating a new logo, tagline, t-shirts, bumper stickers, business cards, and other materials.
New Member Spotlight: John Walker
Joined HumanistsMN: July 2019
Profession/residence: I can go by several different titles depending on whom you ask. Generally, I say I’m a software developer. To those who know the buzzwords, I’m a DevOps Engineer. To those who really know what’s up, I’m an Infrastructure Engineer. I live in Edina.
May 2019: Annual Meeting and Board Election
The HumanistsMN membership elected a new board at the May annual meeting, including a new president, Harlan Garbell, and vice president, Suzanne Perry. Nick Haylund and David Guell were re-elected treasurer and secretary. Two new at-large members, Jerry Smith and Mitch Thompson, joined the board, and Ellie Haylund was re-elected.
New Member Spotlight: Katherine Johnson
Joined HumanistsMN: April 2019
Profession/residence: I’m a Licensed Psychologist who specializes in crisis intervention. I’ve worked for Curry County (Brookings, Ore.), Atascedero State Hospital (San Luis Obispo, Calif.), Canvas Health, North Memorial, and Abbott Northwestern, among others. I’ve also done a lot of volunteer work, including at the Walk-In Counseling Center. I’m currently doing telephonic counseling and crisis intervention for a multinational organization.
In Memoriam: Greg Hart
By Harlan Garbell
As many of you know, HumanistsMN member Greg Hart died in early June. At a humanist memorial service shortly afterwards, many of his friends described a quiet, unassuming man who always stepped up when something important needed to be done. Personally, I will miss Greg terribly. His sweet nature, intelligence, and commitment to humanism always made me feel comfortable in his presence.
New Member Spotlight: Meet Mary Brill
Joined Humanists of Minnesota: August 2018.
Profession/residence: Retired oncology nurse. After becoming a nurse at age 50, she worked at Abbott Northwestern Hospital for 20-plus years. She has lived in the Minnetonka/ Eden Prairie area for a long time.
How she found us: The American Humanist Association website.
New Member Spotlight: Meet Ed Caldie
Joined Humanists of Minnesota: February 2019.
Profession/Residence: After retiring from a lengthy career in architectural design, I have recently directed my pursuits toward the mastery of creating fine art. Family (and especially grandchildren) lured me back to Minnesota after a 20-year hiatus from winter. Phoenix was my home until this past year when I moved to Woodbury.
New Member Spotlight: Meet Ross Meisner
Joined Humanists of Minnesota: August 2018.
Profession/Residence: Managing Director inside Navigant’s Minneapolis office (which we established two years ago). My team serves the med-tech industry, using proprietary analytics we developed to better inform market opportunities and growth strategies. I’ve lived in Fridley for 18 years. Before that: Silicon Valley, Boston, and Tokyo.
Marcy Woodruff Joins Board of Directors
The Humanists of Minnesota board has appointed Marcy Woodruff to fill a seat vacated by Sharon Tornes. Many thanks to Sharon for her service. Marcy describes her background and goals below:
What an honor and tremendous privilege to join the Humanists of MN Board of Directors. I am a 15-year Minnesota resident, having spent the bulk of my life in the southwestern US. After retiring from 28 years federal public service (in the air-traffic profession) in mid-2016, I was looking forward to travel, reading, and spontaneous adventures.
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