Board of Directors

Melissa Martyr-Wagner’s education includes a BA in Journalism, Advertising and an MS in Higher Education. In 2011, after having worked for Iowa State University and the University of Minnesota, she and her husband, Sean Wagner, left their jobs to launch together NewStudio Architecture, where she is the Director of Operations. Free time? Not only does she work with her husband, she sails with him on White Bear Lake. She also enjoy waves and water most anywhere from the Midwest to the Caribbean, as well as yoga and barre classes…and, she’s trying to get better at tennis and cross-country skiing. Melissa is one of the founders of Lakes International Language Academy (LILA), K-12 in Forest Lake. She went on to serve, as well as lead, this highly successful charter school’s board of directors, and later its foundation. Founded in 2014 and starting with 174 students, the school’s enrollment is now over 1,300 in updated facilities on two campuses in Forest Lake.

She loves supporting her community – and organizations like the White Bear Center for the Arts, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Solid Ground, White Bear Lake Area Historical Society, and, of course, Century College.

“Century College truly is one of the most remarkable assets of our community and I’m very proud to serve on its Foundation. I am always happy to proselytize with friends, or when I’m networking, of the many successes, stories, and results of Century,” explains Melissa, “My son is just finishing in the paramedic program-so I learn a lot about his experience. And, when I’m on campus I always run into high school and college students I know from the White Bear Lake and Forest Lake schools. I love, as a Foundation member, knowing about the data-informed results and the community impact of Century– but, it is the students who move me. Knowing about their academic stories and journeys always moves me to want to do more.”

Steve Schad is the founder of Optima Advisory, a firm that places part-time contract HR executives and administrative support in small and mid-sized companies. He has more than two decades of HR executive and organizational development experience working across sectors and industries to help organizations get better results through people. Steve has dealt directly with many workforce issues that are or can be solved through the community and technical college system and joined the board to help advance the mission of Century College and the Foundation in serving our communities and businesses. He received a Bachelor’s Degree, majoring in political science and Russian area studies, from the University of Minnesota. As a small business owner, he doesn’t have a lot of spare time, but when he does, he loves travelling and spending time with his wife of 24 years and two teenage daughters.

Bio coming soon.

Liz Moscatelli is currently the Executive Director of Vadnais Heights Economic Development Corporation and Program Consultant for Lead4Change, a privately-funded student leadership program. Previously, spent over 30 years in publishing with USA TODAY/Gannett as General Manager and Regional Director. I was the board chair of the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center facilitating the merger into the National Child Protection Training Center.

When Liz is not working, she loves being on the lake. When she is home, she is on a boat or pontoon, paddleboard, kayak or canoe. When at the cabin, she’s fishing or waterskiing. In the winter, she enjoys snowshoeing, x-c or downhill skiing and she also enjoys golf and tennis. Liz holds a BA in Communications and Business. She believes education gives us opportunity to grow and develop beyond what we think we can. She values Century because “Century College’s reputation is stellar, and gives options to students whether in high school or beyond.”

Julie Barton works at Medtronic and is a Community Impact Champion. In that role she supports employee-led volunteer and fundraising activities through Medtronic Foundation’s matched giving program. She is a current Ph.D. candidate in management and public service at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota . She holds a Master of Public Affairs degree from the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota and a Master of Liberal Studies degree from Metropolitan State University in St. Paul with a concentration in gender studies, sociology, and cultural anthropology. Her Bachelor of Science degree also came from Metropolitan State, in Business Administration. She is most proud of graduating with an AA degree from Century College which laid the foundation for her future educational goals. Julie is most proud of graduating with an AA degree from Century College which laid the foundation for her future educational goals.

Julie is passionate about education, corporate social responsibility, and conservation issues. She also serves on the board of directors for Renewing the Countryside, a Twin Cities-based nonprofit dedicated to conservation and farming issues. In her free time, you can find her happily digging in one of her gardens or planning the next one. Her motto is “Be kind, fight injustice, and use education to build your world.”

Kim Bowman serves as Director of Major and Planned Giving for Way to Grow, an early childhood education organization in Minneapolis. She has 25 years of experience in major gift development, planned giving, endowment building and capital campaigns. Outside of work, Kim loves spending time at the cabin and singing with Magnum Chorum, a Twin Cities choral ensemble. She holds a BA in Political Science and an MBA with a finance concentration. Kim believes education is the key that unlocks each person’s potential to learn, grow, thrive and contribute to the community.

Tammey, with her husband Gary, has lived in the Mahtomedi area for nearly 30 years. She graduated from Hamline University in 1984 with a B.A. degree in Psychology and English, and from the University of Minnesota in 1993 with a Master’s in Industrial Relations. She spent more than a decade working government contracts at Honeywell and Hughes Aircraft teaching Army and Navy personnel how to operate complex military systems. Tammey, along with a business partner, ran her own consulting firm, called Training Matters, for over 7 years. The company focused on helping other businesses teach their employees how to comply with procedures and policies and to interact efficiently with their proprietary software systems.

Tamara also worked at Regina Hospital and the University of Minnesota as a Training Director and, finally, at Wells Fargo as an Assistant Vice President in Learning and Development. She enjoyed applying her expertise in learning, change management and leadership in a variety of work settings throughout her 30 year-plus professional career.

Tamara enjoys reading, the arts, theatre and especially travel. As a first-generation college graduate, she is committed to creating avenues to success for students in her surrounding community.

Bio coming soon.

Kevin Donovan is a longtime community member, business leader, civic leader and education advocate. A graduate of Macalester College, he directed Festival Foods from 1990 to 2015. He has served on the Mahtomedi School Board since 2005 and also is a member of the 916 School Board, the former director of development for the Mahtomedi Area Educational Foundation, and chair of the Minnesota School Boards Association Insurance Trust. Kevin previously has served with the National School Boards Association, the Minnesota School Boards Association, the Century College Foundation, East Metro Integration District ISD 6067, and as board chair for the White Bear Area Food shelf.

A member of the White Bear Rotary Club (team co-chair for equity and inclusion, and public image), and the Lake Links Trail Board of Directors, Kevin lives in Grant with his wife, Molly. When he’s not working tirelessly to make the Northeast Metro and the world a more visionary, well-educated, resourceful, and resilient place.

Danielle M. Gathje, MBA, CHFM, currently serves as the Vice President of Hospital Operations, MHealth Fairview St. John’s Hospital located in Maplewood, MN.

In her role, Danielle is responsible for overseeing surgical services and operations and management of the hospital’s ancillary and support matrixed departments. A highly skilled operations leader with widespread experience driving for results, Danielle has expertise in hospital strategy, operational innovation and efficiency, facility management and is recognized for her leadership capabilities and commitment to improving how health care is delivered.

After receiving her Bachelor of Science degree from University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Danielle went on to earn her MBA degree from the University of St. Thomas. She also received her Certified Healthcare Facility Manager (CHFM) certification through the American Hospital Association (AHA) and currently serves as the American Society for Health Care Engineering (ASHE) Region 6 Advisory Board member.

Danielle lives in Afton with her husband and two children, along with two dogs and their cat. The kids keep them highly active with their sports activities including soccer, hockey, swimming and hitting the slopes! They also love to travel to warm weather destinations during the winter months. She especially enjoys the Peloton bike to decompress and reflect.

Danielle considers herself a lifelong learner, continuing to develop both professionally and personally through professional organizations and educational institutions. She believes collaboration through professional boards and leaders provides a profound opportunity and atmosphere to learn from others.

As her career has evolved, she has had the opportunity to participate in committees and executive teams, and to speak at conferences, all of which allows collaboration to drive better outcomes.

She hopes to mentor and support students, no matter where they are in their career journey, to grow and develop personally and professionally as individuals and to do the same by serving on the Foundation Board for Century College.

Sarah Johnson is the Chief Operating Officer, and an Investment Advisor with YES Wealth Management in downtown Mahtomedi. Sarah is also a Registered Dietitian, which she uses to bring a unique perspective to the world of advising by changing and expanding what it means to help a client plan for their future by advising not only on wealth, but health as well. She believes that in order to truly help someone, you must treat the whole person.

Sarah holds a B.A. from the College of St. Benedict, an M.S from The University of Wisconsin Stout, and is a Certified Financial Planner™.

Sarah lives in Mahtomedi with her husband and 3 children. She is a current board member for the Mahtomedi Area Educational Foundation where she leads Student Scholarships and Investments and serves on the Finance Committee for the Century College Foundation. Sarah grew up in this community and feels joy in being able to give back to a community that always put education as a top priority, and provided her with such wonderful educational opportunities.

Greg Mueller serves as the Director, Global SAP at H.B. Fuller. In his role, he is responsible for leading the global SAP rollout program for the Company. When Greg is not working, he enjoys spending time with his family. He is also enjoys hunting and fishing. Greg holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota and a MBA from the University of Portland (OR). Greg strongly believes that an education is the bridge to a successful future.

Steve Ritt is the Chief Financial Officer and Co Chief Executive Officer of North Star Bank, which is a fourth generation family owned and operated community bank located in White Bear Lake and Roseville, MN.

Ritt, 46, as Co-CEO is responsible for providing an acceptable return for its shareholders while also protecting its depositor’s interests, along with overseeing a management team and developing departmental objectives and corporate goals. As CFO he is part of the asset liability management team and is responsible for the financial, capital, and strategic planning of the Bank, along with investing the excess liquidity of the institution.

Ritt has extensive operational and financial experience within North Star Bank and has served on its Board of directors since 2004, and currently serves on all 12 Board appointed committees. He is active in the commercial lending space, a position he has held since 2002, and enjoys helping businesses start, grow, and prosper.

He is an active supporter in the community and serves as Board Member for the Ritt Family Foundation, the Century College Foundation, Mahtomedi Area Educational Foundation, Lakeshore Players, and serves on the finance committee of the Greater White Bear Lake Area Community Foundation.

Rosa Rodríguez, Associate Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) has served the Century College community since 2019 and is a member of Century’s Executive Cabinet. Rosa has oversight of the DEI Action Plan, the Multi-cultural Center and serves as Century College Affirmative Action Officer and Title IX Deputy Coordinator. In collaboration with the Office of Human Resources and hiring managers, she is assigned to ensure the diversification of the college’s workforce. Working with the Center of Professional Development and Collaboration, she coordinates training, seminars, and other professional development activities that focus on strengthening cultural competency skills for a diverse college community.

With over 25 years of higher education, Rosa has worked at two- and four-year post-secondary institutions in Minnesota and Connecticut. She has served as a Chief Diversity Officer, Vice President for Student Affairs, Student Affairs Manager, and Counselor (tenured). Her diversity and inclusion assignments have included serving as a Counselor, Chief Diversity Officer, Affirmative Action Officer, Civil Rights Investigator and Title IX Coordinator. She also worked at a county social service agency and community-based organizations serving low-income families, and migrant and seasonal farm workers. Prior to her work at Century, she worked in Minnesota at Central Connecticut State University, Metropolitan State University and St. Cloud Technical & Community College. She holds a BSW and master’s degree in counseling from the University of North Dakota and has completed graduate course work in higher education policy and administration at the University of Minnesota.

Bio coming soon.

Sammi Swanson currently works at Xcel Energy where she has worked rotations in a variety of Human Resource related functions. She currently works as an HR Manager over the Disability and Absence team. Sammi began her education at Century College where she attended for a year before transferring to St. Cloud State where she obtained her Bachelor’s of Arts in Applied Sociology. Through her time and experience working in HR, she was able to hone in on the areas that interested her the most and further her education in those areas. In December 2021, she graduated with a Master of Jurisprudence in Labor and Employment Law from Tulane University. As one of the first in her family to graduate college, Sammi sees the value that education can bring and is passionate about helping others see that value as well. Sammi is looking forward to helping build a connection to education for those who might not think it possible for them through the Century College Foundation Board.

Sammi lives in Forest Lake with her husband and dog. When she is not working, Sammi enjoys spending time with both of them exploring the outdoors. She also enjoys running, traveling, and weekends up north at the family cabin.

Bio coming soon.

Jessica is the Global Director of the Privacy Solutions Business at 3M. She has more than two decades of sales and marketing experience in the consumer electronics industry working across the business to business and retail sectors. Throughout her career she has revitalized product categories, built growth plans for new businesses, and re-skilled teams to drive creativity and inclusivity.

She holds an MBA from the University of St. Thomas and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota.

Jessica is passionate about mentoring others and is especially inspired by what can happen when individuals are given the opportunity to learn. She joined the Century College Foundation board to help more students accomplish a great education and careers that lead to self-sufficiency.

She also volunteers for Dress for Success Twin Cities and is a former Board Chair for the organization.

Jessica lives in White Bear Lake with her husband (a Century graduate!) and two teenage children. She enjoys spending time with her family in nature, traveling and boating White Bear Lake.