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Our Team
William McNally, Executive Director
William's strong belief in the power of community, paired with his passion for hunger issues and his background in logistics and management, was the basis on which he founded Harvest Pack. His simple goal is to empower others to help make sure the world's food supply is fairly distributed, both internationally and locally. Facts tell him it is possible, and he doesn't plan to stop until it's been done, one meal at a time. William's on-the-ground experience is his ongoing motivation. He has spent time living and working in Mexico. He has traveled to Belize to work with local communities who are in pursuit of better education and livelihoods. He has spent time in the Philippines, traveling to rural communities to sit with local people for lunches together - and directly experienced the impact food assistance provides. He's been to Native reservations, inner city shelters, and suburban food shelves right here in the United States. Each experience provides opportunities to learn directly about needs at the ground level. William received his Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Northwest Christian University in Eugene, Oregon. He also holds a pilot's license and is a licensed flight instructor. In his downtime, William enjoys biking, and tennis, serving on his local Rotary Board of Directors, visiting places other than Minnesota during the winter, and coaching his children in baseball.
Heather Swanson, Events Director
Heather brings over a decade of work in the non-profit world to Harvest Pack, having previously served as the Director of International Team Ministries and Director of Food Packaging at Youth Encounter for 11 years. She is passionate about building cross-cultural relationships, serving those in need, and working for peace and justice – passions established while working alongside fellow students in India and nurtured and expanded through continued travel and connections in Africa, Asia, and South America. As Events Director with Harvest Pack, she is excited to develop and pursue new relationships with packaging partners – helping companies, schools, churches, and community groups work together to serve their neighbors near and far by packaging healthy meals. She holds a BA in Music & French Education from St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, and in her spare time, she enjoys traveling, outdoor activities, and making music with her husband and two children.
Doris Linnerooth, Financial Manager
Doris joined Harvest Pack in June 2014. She brings many years of accounting and office managerial experience from working in the private sector. Doris is excited to be working in the area of nonprofits. She has had the opportunity to participate in several packing events with Harvest Pack. Doris is a native of St. Paul and served in the U.S. Army Reserve. She has traveled extensively and tutored English in Southeast Asia. While traveling, Doris enjoys being part of the local culture. Doris is married to two Eagle Scouts and enjoys camping, sailing, and exploring historical places. “I am excited to further the mission of Harvest Pack of putting healthy meals on every table.”
Brad Fleming, Partnerships Manager
Brad comes to Harvest Pack with several years of non-profit meal packaging experience. He uncovered this passion for empowering others while organizing a hunger project at his church in South Carolina. He desires to serve where he can make a tangible difference in the lives of other people “on both sides of the funnel.” “Corporate team building from these events results in high employee satisfaction. Churches appreciate the multi-generational aspect of strengthening their congregations, while community groups enjoy coming together to help those in need.” Brad has acquired a blend of operational and business development experience and truly feels he was being prepared for this type of work. A graduate of Eastern Kentucky University, he holds a BBA in Business Management. A resident of Columbia, South Carolina, Brad resides with his wonderful wife, Dana. His daughter, Lauren, works in television news. “Some of my greatest joy comes from providing an exciting, fun, serving opportunity. I have never seen a volunteer with a frown on their face while packaging meals!”
Allie Wichman, Partnerships Manager
Allie joined the Harvest Pack team in December 2022 and is passionate about furthering their mission to combat food insecurity by ensuring access to healthy food on every table. With a focused background in educational administration from Mankato State University, Allie brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise about working with people to her role, and loves the energy and excitement of coordinating meal packaging groups! Beyond her passion for her work, Allie enjoys spending quality time with her four-legged companions, visiting the dog park, and creating lasting memories. Allie's unwavering commitment, vibrant spirit, and genuine love for both her work and personal pursuits make her an invaluable asset to the Harvest Pack team.
Lauren Siefer, Partnerships Manager
Lauren recently made the move with her family from Los Angeles to Minnesota and is loving small-town life! Originally from Sioux Falls, SD, Lauren grew up active in community service, mentorship, and outreach through school and church. She moved to LA after graduating with a Communications degree from Augustana University. Her career as a Creative Executive and Event Producer with The Price is Right and years of experience partnering with nonprofits made the move to Harvest Pack an exciting and inspiring opportunity. The common thread throughout her varied career has always been feeding people - especially on Bacon Friday - a weekly holiday she created to celebrate the end of the work week. She believes in the healing power of food and fellowship and is a Certified Functional Nutrition Counselor. Lauren lives in Northfield with her children Jack and Samantha, her pets Willow and Zelda, and her husband, Josh.
Kayla Sawyer, Partnerships Manager
Kayla is a dedicated advocate for experiential education and youth development. She moved to Minneapolis after spending a few years in Ely, MN, Montana, and growing up in Alabama. She loves crafting engaging curricula and stories that inspire student success. Kayla firmly believes in the power of restorative justice and uses her strong communication skills to create positive change. Outside work, she enjoys exploring the outdoors, reading, and long walks on the beach (along the Mississippi).
Board of Directors
Doug Rude
Doug is a founding board member of Harvest Pack. His eagerness to jump in and accomplish any task is inspiring to all ages as he organizes events at schools and corporations, and his commitment to improving the lives of others is unparalleled. Before joining Harvest Pack, Doug worked for over 30 years at 3M as a locksmith. Before 3M Doug started a successful Lock Smith company and is a leader in the industry on current innovations. Doug spends his free time traveling to his cabin in Northern Minnesota and tear-drop camping with his wife Sandy and dog Oden.
Tanya Beckwith
Tanya brings her 30+ years of experience and leadership in new product and business development to Harvest Pack. Currently, she is an Application Engineer in the Consumer Business Group responsible for new product and business development at 3M, a 31 billion-dollar global company. Tanya holds her undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota and her MBA from the University of St. Thomas. She spends her free time gardening, and reading and enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband, Steve, and two daughters, Maija and Kate.
Enrique Barrera
Enrique joined Harvest Pack in 2017 as a board member. Enrique speaks fluent Spanish and is well-versed in negotiations, planning and development, and relationship management. He has a strong passion for building relationships with others and thrives in environments promoting growth and innovation. Enrique currently manages rental operations for RHOME, an Associa Company, located in Minneapolis. Before working with RHOME/Associa, he held positions with other property management companies in the Twin Cities metro. Enrique is committed to healthy living and his community. For fun, he enjoys spending time with his two kids, hiking the Minnesota state parks, coaching youth soccer, and finding new and fun places to enjoy a good meal.
Athanas Mcha
Athanas, born and raised in Tanzania, joined Harvest Pack in early 2019. Working as a public accountant in St Paul, he is on track to becoming a fully licensed CPA this summer. Before working with Lethert Skwira Schultz, Athanas was a franchise manager with College Pro Painters where he acquired managerial, financial, and leadership skills. He also worked as a volunteer with Building Africa for three years. He together with his team managed to promote and empower women from underprivileged communities to start and run their businesses. His passion to lend a helping hand led him to Harvest Pack where he continues to strive to help his community. For leisure, Athanas enjoys reading, traveling, and playing basketball. "Let's promote healthy living with healthy meals."
Merry Grande, MPH
Merry officially joined the Harvest Pack team in 2017, with a focus on funding development and bringing a public health perspective to Harvest Pack’s work with healthy food, equity, and community building. In 2023 she transitioned to serving on the Board and is particularly interested in the health equity aspect of this humanitarian work as it relates to children and education. Merry earned her MPH in Public Health Practice from the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, and a BA in Biology from St. Olaf College, Minnesota. In addition to her work with Harvest Pack, Merry is actively involved with the Minnesota Public Health Association and enjoys vegetarian cooking, sports, and travel with her two children and husband.
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