Vesterheim is pleased to welcome new members to its board of trustees— Kari Espinosa, Daniel Fretheim, Gayle Kvenvold, Brian Larson, Martha Gesme Nielsen, and Kenneth Nordan. Vesterheim has a national board with 24 members from 9 states, the District of Columbia, and Norway. We’re grateful for their expertise and service.
Kari Espinosa lives in Edina, Minnesota, but also makes her home in Decorah with her husband Peter. Their family’s Decorah business ventures include Pulpit Rock Brewing Company, 508onJefferson, The Landing, and Bottletree Properties. Dedicated to service, Espinosa has volunteered in the schools; served on Special Education Advisory Boards in Edina, Minnesota, and Overland Park, Kansas; and founded both Mosaic Ministry, a special needs-oriented church service for all ages, and the Tapestry Program, a bi-monthly class serving teens and adults with special needs. She also volunteers at ArtHaus in Decorah.
Daniel Fretheim is an attorney in Decorah, Iowa, at Anderson, Wilmarth, Van Der Maaten, Belay, Fretheim, Gipp, Evelsizer Olson, Lynch, and Zahasky Law Firm specializing in business, tax, estate planning, and real estate law. Fretheim’s volunteer service includes the Iowa State Bar Association Board of Governors, Winneshiek Medical Center Foundation Board of Directors, and Winneshiek County Pheasants Forever Board of Directors. Fretheim also is a lecturer for the Iowa State Bar Association for continuing legal education seminars regarding taxation and is a contributing editor of the “ISBA Tax Manual.” A panelist at Farm Bureau’s “Take Root” farm succession planning seminars, he also speaks to local churches, hospitals, care facilities, and other groups about estate planning, trusts, powers of attorney, and related topics.
Gayle Kvenvold, Minneapolis, Minnesota, is president and CEO of LeadingAge Minnesota, which is the largest association of organizations serving Minnesota seniors. Kvenvold has been devoted to improving and transforming services and support for older citizens since starting her career in Albert Lea, where she grew up. A committed volunteer and board member, Kvenvold serves on the Minnesota Leadership Council on Aging, the Minnesota Alliance for Patient Safety, and the Minnesota Gerontological Society. Kvenvold has been the recipient of many prestigious awards, including five selections by Minnesota Physician as one of Minnesota’s 100 most influential health care leaders and the Dutch Kastenbaum Outstanding Gerontologist Award by the Minnesota Gerontological Society.
Brian Larson is an architect with 30-plus years of experience with commercial office buildings, park and recreational projects, and single- and multi-family housing developments. A graduate of St. Olaf College, Larson received his Master of Architecture from the University of Colorado-Denver, and he has been involved with the design of many projects including the Grand Rapids Community Library, the Jewish Community Center of St. Paul, the Minnesota Judicial Center, and the U.S. Embassy in Santiago, Chile. He was the first recipient of the Rapson Traveling Fellowship—a design competition for Minnesota architects. Under the fellowship, Larson traveled to Olso, Norway, where he studied cold climate design and Scandinavian architecture. Larson is currently a Senior Designer with Pope Architects in St. Paul, Minnesota. A resident of Stillwater, Minnesota, he serves on the Stillwater Heritage Preservation Commission and the Facilities Committees of ArtReach St. Croix and Trinity Lutheran Church.
Martha Gesme Nielsen, Cary, Illinois, is a graduate of Luther College who established her career in the travel industry and served in a variety of capacities ranging from Tour Coordinator to Global Key Account Manager. She received the SAS Scandinavian Airlines Global Sales & Marketing “Colleague of the Year” award and was the SAS lead for a number of multi-market (global) corporate agreements coordinating with travel managers in the U.S. and Europe. She has led and coordinated over twenty Friends’ trips to Europe as well as numerous customer trips to Scandinavia. Martha has been on the Norwegian-American Genealogy Center’s Advisory Council, served as past president and is a current board member of the Norwegian-American Chamber of Commerce-Chicago chapter, and co-chaired the Chicago Area Friends of Vesterheim event. Nielsen’s volunteer service includes Feed My Starving Children and Ronald McDonald House.
Kenneth Nordan is a retired Information Technology and Knowledge Management professional and, along with his wife Julie, recently relocated from the Chicago-area to Surprise, Arizona. Nordan says his passion has always been to learn about his Norwegian heritage, through the study of the Norwegian language, interests in genealogy, folk art, Norway travel, and Viking history. His volunteer experience includes serving as a docent and on the “Friends of the Viking Ship” board, treasurer of the Chicago Torske Klub, and a member of the Chicago Area Friends of Vesterheim committee.