Board Members

Dr. Jean Haar

Jean is currently serving as the dean for the College of Education at MN State University, Mankato. She has also been a professor and chairperson in the Department of Educational Leadership. She began her education career as an English teacher and later served as a high school principal. The college is committed to meeting the needs of all students and is focused advancing teacher diversity to match the changing student demographics. The vision of the college is to inspire lifelong learning and professional engagement through racial consciousness, social justice, and inclusion within a global context.

John Harper

Currently serves in the office of the president at South Central College as the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and has been with South Central College since 2016. He has a Master’s of Science in Educational Leadership and Administration from Minnesota State University, Mankato. John actively works with academic deans, faculty, and staff to examine policy, procedure, and assessments with an equity lens. He has conducted over 200 plus training for business partners and campus departments since January of 2021. He also is very involved with our community by being a board member of the Greater Mankato Diversity, a member of the Young Professionals and outreach through the church he attends. He is currently attending Morgan State University, a historically black college and university (HBCU) for his education doctorate in Community College Leadership. His anticipated graduation is fall of 2024.

Jenn Melby-Kelley

Is a Mankato native, a graduate of Women’s Studies and Sociology at Minnesota State University - Mankato, a second-generation entrepreneur, a Mankato City Council member representing Ward 4 for her second term, lead singer/songwriter for the band Sister Gin, one of the area’s most visible LGBTQ leaders, and a well-known local advocate for arts, music, small business, entrepreneurship, and positive social change. For the past 15 years, Jenn has worked tirelessly to grow her business, The Coffee Hag, into the successful coffee shop and cultural force that it is today. Against challenging economic tides, Jenn’s leadership has grown the Coffee Hag from a struggling independent to a thriving, popular, fast-paced establishment that remains true to its roots, exemplifies social responsibility, and provides, in her words, "a place where people can find community and feel good about who they are the moment they walk through the door." Jenn’s work at the Coffee Hag has earned her many awards and accolades, including a Martin Luther King, Jr. Pathfinder Business Award. She lives in Mankato with her wife Anna, and their two yorkies, Patterson and Emmet.

Dr. Mohamed Diab

Is a Professor in the Construction Management Program at Minnesota State University-Mankato and a Construction Management Consultant. He holds a Bacolorate of Science in Architectural Engineering from Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt, a Master of Science in Civil Engineering, and a Master of Business Administration MBA in addition to his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from North Dakota State University. He lived and worked in Asia, Africa, and North America, where he connected with different ethnic and diverse groups of people nationally and globally.

He worked in the vertical and horizontal construction industry for 35+ years in the Middle East and the United States of America.

Professor Diab is a project management professional PMP and holds different leadership positions with the Project Management Institute in Minnesota PMI, MN. He was a chief operating officer elected as a board member in 2017-2019 and PMI MN President in 2018 and is currently a Director-at-large and board member in 2022.

He was elected as construction management department chair from 2018-2021 at Minnesota State University-Mankato. He is also a member of the Global Education Advisory Council at MSU-Mankato. His expertise in Higher Education quality continuous improvement efforts includes his work in the accreditation and programs evaluation process with the American Council for Construction Education (ACCE), where he is currently an educator board of trustee member. He is also an ABET program evaluator.

His focus has been on the future and innovation of project management and construction education for the last years. He is passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Grater Mankato Region, the construction industry, and academia. He focuses on academia and industry collaboration to provide creative, inclusive learning experiences and talent and skills development to the new generation nationally and globally. His partnership with the construction industry and professional organizations has been well recognized in the United States of America.

Cecil Fountain

Cecil is a A native Sudanese immigrant who moved to the states in 2003. She graduated from Ahfad University for Women in Khartoum, Sudan with a bachelor’s degree in Family Sciences, specializing in Community health. She began her career in the US by attending South Central College in Mankato, Minnesota and became a certified Community Health Worker in 2005. This opened many doors for her as she went on to become program coordinator at the YWCA Mankato (Walking in Two Worlds) and served many immigrants and refugees women for almost five years. During that time, she became a member of multiple organizations KIWANIS Club, Diversity Council, and a board member for Open Door Health Center.

In 2011, Cecil moved overseas and lived in Qatar for 5years then Turkey for 4 years. In 2020 Cecil moved back to US and to Mankato to resume her job a Diversity Program Manager at VINE Faith in Action.

Stacy Wels

Stacy is a person-centered educator and equity thought leader with a variety of professional experiences, including DEI leadership in the public and private sector; public school teacher and district wide administrator; higher education faculty, and consultant. Her areas of specialty include leadership development and coaching embedded in cultural competence, organizational alignment with DEI strategies, community development to advance racial justice, curriculum writing, and teacher preparation. She is the co-author of WRITE on RACE to be RIGHT on RACE: Resource Journaling Guide and the companion community engagement effort.

Stacy is currently the Director of Communications for Mankato Area Public Schools. She earned her B.A. in Broadcast Journalism from Drake University, and an M.A. in
Curriculum and Instruction from the University of St. Thomas. Stacy currently resides in
Minneapolis, MN.

Megan Lynn Schnitker

Megan Lynn Schnitker grew up in Milks Camp South Dakota located on the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Reservations. Megan is an enrolled member of the Sicangu Oyate (SEE-chan-GU Oh-YA-te) or Rosebud Sioux Tribe. Her parents are Charles and Marla Bull Bear of Milks Camps South Dakota. Charles, is hereditary chief or Naca (NaCHa) of the Kiyaksaya (KEE - ya-SKa) Band of Oglallas. Megan is the oldest of 4 siblings and the only daughter, it was said by her grandpa Richard Broken Nose that Megan is the first, first born daughter of a Naca Bull Bear in over 300 years.

In Megan's childhood she began learning about plants and their uses from her uncle Neil. When she was around the age of 8 she met her great grandmother Eva Bull Bear who began telling her stories of plants and how Lakota people used them. This sparked an interest in Megan to continue asking Lakota elders about plant knowledge as it didn't seem to be too common, a lot of the teachings. Megan began to learn all of the stories and ceremonies that used specific plants from her elders, a treasure she holds dear as many of her teachers have journeyed into the spirit world.

Megan moved to Mankato MN in late 2015 and immediately began working in the community, over the years Megan has been on many boards for various non-profit organizations such as the YWCA, Twin Rivers Art Counsel and others, volunteered for Mahkato Wacipi, Indigenous People's Day Committee and multiple events in Mankato. Indigenous history and culture revitalization is very important to Megan as she works in Mankato and surrounding communities to provide various educational events throughout the year.

Guadalupe Quintero

Director of community partnerships in the office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Minnesota State University- Mankato

Jack Kolars

Nicollet County Commissioner