Explore our projects by region and focus area.
We encourage you to reach out to us with your sustainability ideas. Please contact the Executive Director in your region with your local project idea, or our statewide food or energy staff with questions about their work to advance food systems and clean energy across the state. We look forward to hearing from you!
Our staff
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Kathryn Draeger, Statewide Director, RSDP
draeg001@umn.edu, 612-625-3148
Kathryn Draeger, PhD, has served as the Statewide Director of the Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships and an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics since 2005. As director of the Regional Partnerships, Kathy leads a multi-college program with one statewide and five regional and community-University boards to identify and address community issues of sustainable agriculture and food systems, natural resources, clean energy and resilient communities. Kathy's areas of research expertise include rural vitality, small and medium-size farm access to intermediated markets, supply chain models, and rural grocery store capacity and role in the food system. Kathy is nationally known for her expertise on rural grocery issues. Her research on an innovative bi-directional “backhaul” model for increasing farmer access to wholesale markets via rural grocery stores was featured in the University of Minnesota's 2018-19 Driven to Discover campaign. Kathy and her family farm in rural Big Stone County, Minnesota and produce wind power, grass fed beef, and organic grains and edible beans.
Constance Carlson, Assistant Statewide Director, RSDP
carl5114@umn.edu, 612-709-6790
Diane Seefeldt, Executive Secretary, RSDP
seefe012@umn.edu, 218-726-7555
Mary Hannemann, Student Engagement Director, RSDP
oldha012@umn.edu, 612-624-9430
Emily Haeg Nguyen, Sustainability Storyteller, RSDP and CERTs
haeg0028@umn.edu
Molly Zins, Executive Director, Central RSDP
zend0007@umn.edu, 218-828-2332
Rick Meyer, Executive Office and Administrative Specialist, Central RSDP
meye0195@umn.edu, 218-828-2275
Central RSDP web page.
David Abazs, Executive Director, Northeast RSDP
dwabazs@umn.edu, 218-726-6146
Diane Seefeldt, Executive Office and Administrative Specialist, Northeast RSDP
seefe012@umn.edu, 218-726-7555
Northeast RSDP web page.
Shannon Stassen, Executive Director, Northwest RSDP
sstassen@umn.edu, 218-281-8693
Dawn Marinaro, Executive Office and Administrative Specialist, Northwest RSDP
marin424@umn.edu or 320-203-6050
Northwest RSDP web page.
Andi Sutton, Executive Director, Southeast RSDP
sutto364@umn.edu or 857-928-4196
Dawn Marinaro, Executive Office and Administrative Specialist, Southeast RSDP
marin424@umn.edu or 320-203-6050
Southeast RSDP web page.
Anne Dybsetter, Executive Director, Southwest RSDP
adybsett@umn.edu, 320-235-0726 x 2012
Mary Jo Fox, Executive Office and Administrative Specialist, Southwest RSDP
foxxx055@umn.edu, 320-235-0726 x 2001
Southwest RSDP web page.
Greg Schweser, Statewide Co-Director, Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems, RSDP
Specialties: Deep Winter Greenhouses
schwe233@umn.edu, 612-625-9706
Ren Olive, Program Associate, Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems, RSDP
Specialties: Rural grocery stores, backhauling
nolive@umn.edu, 612-624-8452
Carol Ford, Grant Project Coordinator, RSDP
Specialties: Deep Winter Greenhouses
fordcj@morris.umn.edu, 320-226-9435
Swan Ray, Supply Chain Development Specialist, Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems, RSDP
Specialties: Supply chains
swanx078@umn.edu, 612-978-6224
| Name | Title | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lissa Pawlisch | Director, Clean Energy Resource Teams, RSDP | pawl0048@umn.edu | 612-624-2293 |
| Joel Haskard | Co-Director, Clean Energy Resource Teams, RSDP | haska004@umn.edu | 612-625-8759 |
| Shaylyn Bernhardt | Communications and Engagement Manager, Clean Energy Resource Teams, RSDP | shaylyn@umn.edu | 612-626-0556 |
| Maggie Kozak | Event Programming and Seed Grant Manager, Clean Energy Resource Teams, RSDP | makozak@umn.edu | 612-626-0555 |
| Alexis Troschinetz | Behavior Change and Metrics Coordinator, Clean Energy Resource Teams, RSDP | atroschi@umn.edu | 612-626-0455 |
| Peter Lindstrom | Local Government Outreach Coordinator, Clean Energy Resource Teams, RSDP | plindstr@umn.edu | 612-625-9634 |
| Melissa Birch | Rural Energy Development Coordinator and Central CERT Coordinator, Clean Energy Resource Teams, RSDP | mbirch@umn.edu | 218-866-2338 |
| Emily Haeg Nguyen | Sustainability Storyteller, Clean Energy Resource Teams, RSDP | haeg0028@umn.edu | 612-625-3759 |
Our projects
Explore our projects
Reviewed in 2022