Board of Directors

Darlynn Benjamin

Co-Chair

 

Darlynn is the is the Executive Assistant to the Chief Impact Officer and SVP at the Minneapolis Foundation. She has over 30 years of proven leadership within public and private sectors. A strong focus on building solid internal and external relationships, cultivating trust, creating a culture where teams can be effective and work to advance the organization’s mission. She holds a MS in Public Management and Policy from Carnegie-Mellon University and a BS in Business Administration from Duquesne University. Darlynn brings her nonprofit experience, entrepreneurial spirit and love of cooking and baking to Appetite For Change.

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Lee Friedman

Co-Chair

 

Lee is Chief Operating Officer for Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis. He has overall strategic and operational responsibility for JFCS’s 30 programs that serve people of all backgrounds, and he leads wonderful colleagues in human resources, facilities, data and outcomes, diversity/equity/inclusion, and foundation and government grants. Lee was previously Associate Director for Wilderness Inquiry. Before starting his nonprofit leadership career, he was an attorney and partner with Briggs and Morgan, where he specialized in employment law. Lee’s volunteering has included Jewish Community Action, Hopkins Ultimate Frisbee, Nechama, and Golden Valley Little League. He enjoys biking, concerts, and ice cream with family and friends.

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Mike Percic

Secretary

 

Mike Percic is the Sr Director, Divisional Merchandising Manager, Adult Beverages at Target leading the Beer, Wine, Spirts and Mixers categories. Mike is a 15 year Target veteran with experiences spanning many parts of the business including Finance, Property Development, Digital, Technology, Strategy and Merchandising. Mike is known as an energetic leader and has been part of many pivot projects including Fresh Grocery expansion, development of new formats, rollout of omnichannel strategy, transformation and innovation and incubation of strategies like Boar’s Head, Bakery Shoppe and brand development like Good & Gather and Favorite Day. Mike’s early career included stops at General Mills and American Express in Finance and Strategy roles before joining Target. Mike has spent the last 6 years in a variety of leadership capacities for Target’s Food & Beverage business including Transformation, Finance, Chief of Staff and Divisional Merchandising Manager capacities. Mike has undergraduate degrees and Economics and Finance from the University of St. Thomas and his MBA from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. Mike cut his teeth earlier in life in a variety of formative retail and grocery experiences at Rainbow Foods and Target Stores, Catering and as a bartender. Mike currently serves a role as President of the Browndale Neighborhood Association and on the Board of Directors for Appetite for Change. 

Mike lives with his wife Lauren and their 3 kids Anna, Emma and Luca, and their doodles Leo and Charly in Minneapolis, MN. In his free time Mike enjoys being as active as possible – traveling, exercise, sports, reading, and exploring new spots for eats and drinks.

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Ariel Tauer

Treasurer

 

Ari is a Principal at Boston Consulting Group and a leader in their social impact practice with experience in portfolio strategy, digital transformation, operating models and governance. Prior to BCG, she worked at Target and Apple in a variety of merchandising and negotiations roles. Ari is a college basketball enthusiast and enjoys practicing left-handed reverse layups with her young son.

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Lauretta Dawolo Towns

 

Lauretta is a Middle School English Language Arts teacher in the Twin Cities Metro Area. Her professional background is in community and ethnic media, specializing in coverage of underrepresented and underserved populations. Lauretta has worked for Insight News, KFAI-Fresh Air Community Radio, and The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. She has also worked as a program manager for Girls in Action, a curriculum-based leadership program for urban high school girls. On a mission to help youth realize their self-worth, Lauretta aspires to not only be a good teacher but an instructional leader in the classroom and the community.

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Joselynne Fynboh

Joselynne Fynboh leads the Enterprise Integration of Global Impact at General Mills serving as a strategic advisor to global brands and customer teams driving positive environmental, social, and bottom-line benefits at a time when sustainable products are outpacing overall CPG growth. She has spent the last 18 years in the food industry with experiences spanning Brand Management, Communications, and agency support.

A native to MN, Joselynne earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of St. Thomas and a MBA from the University of Minnesota Carlson School. She currently resides in Eden Prairie with her husband, daughter, and their family Schnauzer.

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Dominique Harris

 

Dominique Harris serves as a Strategic Account Manager at Cargill. In this role, she works with large CPG customers supporting their strategic initiatives with Cargill’s salt division. Prior to her role in Salt, Dominique served as the Global Strategy and Business Development Lead for Alternative Proteins and also worked as a Senior Business Development Analyst in Cargill Protein. Ms. Harris started her Cargill career in the company’s Washington, DC office where we she held numerous positions, including Director of International Government Relations where she managed Cargill’s Asia-Pacific and international trade portfolio.

A native of Chicago, IL, Dominique earned a Bachelor of Applied Science in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania and a MPA from The George Washington University’s Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration.

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Gwen McFadden-Vincent

Gwen McFadden-Vincent is the founder and owner of Risk Management Consulting Services, LLC, and focuses on delivering insurance and risk management consulting services to corporate clients. Prior to that, Gwen worked for Norwest (Wells Fargo) Insurance Services as Vice President and National Accounts Manager and Alexander & Alexander, Inc. as Vice President, Senior Casualty Marketing Specialist. Gwen has a passion for improving the lives of children and enhancing opportunities for success of disenfranchised and under-resourced organizations. She has served on the boards and in volunteer positions of non-profit organizations and provides pro-bono risk management and business consulting services to small minority owned and emerging business enterprises.

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Malik Rucker

Malik Rucker serves as the Director of Community Engagement and Strategic Partnerships for V3 Sports. V3 Sports is a non-profit located in North Minneapolis, Minnesota that is working to combat health and wellness inequities, reduce drowning disparities, and to contribute to social and economic transformation in Minneapolis. Malik is passionate about being able to work in the community he was born and raised in as well as being a part of a vision and mission that directly serves the Minneapolis community. Prior to joining V3, Malik held positions working in Community Relations for the Minnesota Twins and as a Program Coordinator for Big Brothers Big Sisters Twin Cities. Malik earned an MBA from the University of North Texas G. Brint Ryan College of Business and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Sport Management from Western Michigan University where he also played football.

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Appetite For Change

2520 N 2nd St #102
Minneapolis, MN 55411

AFC is a 501c3 nonprofit organization.
Our Tax ID is 27-5112040. Your donation is tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.


612-588-7611

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