Board of Directors
Matt Sorenson
President
A software and technology consultant with a long list of other interests, Matt cares about environmental education and ecologic preservation of natural areas. On his sleeve he often wears his convictions about gardening, green spaces, wild places, sensory experiences, and a certain wanderlust – and the critical impact of these functions on health and healing, mindfulness, gratitude, and understanding the impact of our actions and decisions on the planet.
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As a father, Matt believes it is especially important to foster an appreciation for nature and earth-connectedness to our younger generations. Whether a module of software code or a parcel of land, his ethos is, leave it better than you found it.
Teresa Jesten
Secretary
Teresa has worked with Gate City Bank for 13 years and is currently an Assistant Vice President and Customer Sales Supervisor at the North Fargo location.
An empty nester living in North Fargo with her dog Angel. Her daughter is a junior at NDSU and her son will be in his first year this fall at NDSCS.
Originally from Anoka, MN, Teresa moved to the Fargo-Moorhead area in 1987 to study Psychology and Sociology at MSUM. She fell in love with the area and never left. Teresa has been through many different things in her life and this community has supported her in ways that she feels saved her life. She believes there is a place for kindness in the world and wants to give back to the community she loves.
Marissa Gapp
Vice President
Marissa is a logistics coordinator and lives in Fargo, ND with her two cats, Melvin and Gertrude. Born in New Mexico, she was raised in Alexandria MN and graduated high school in Tulsa Ok. She currently has plans on pursuing a degree in business starting in January. Hoping to create a better world, she helps when able to, keeps a positive outlook and has a kind word for everyone.
Olubusola "Bee" Mittleider
Treasurer
Olubusola "Bee" Mittleider is co-owner of Off The Hook Seafood and Deep Blue Seafood. She’s a Nigerian born native Londoner who was bamboozled by her university sweetheart and persuaded into moving to Fargo (they have been happily married since 2004 and he is a completely amazing guy, everybody says so). Missing the accessibility of seafood she enjoyed in London, she and her husband John started Off The Hook Seafood in 2013 and expanded the business with the opening of Deep Blue Seafood in 2016 becoming Fargo’s first and only seafood market and restaurant. They have a daughter Tabitha, (she’s a pretty good kid), they also have two cats (Jasper and Charlotte) and a husky mix dog named Piper (no clue what she is mixed with, she just has lots of energy)!
Bee is a full-on foodie who loves to cook and get creative in the kitchen and who arguably makes the best cheesecake in the Upper Midwest! She loves sharing her enthusiasm for cooking through teaching her regular cooking classes at Square One Kitchen Rental kitchen. When Bee is not busy running around busing Tabitha around town, she can be found in a kitchen somewhere in town sharing her love of seafood!
Conrad J. Klinkhammer
Board Member
Conrad J. Klinkhammer is the co-founder of Fargo Meets Japan with his wife Minami Klinkhammer.
He studied Japanese at Minnesota State University Moorhead before attending Kanda University of International Studies near Tokyo. He returned to the Fargo area in 2011.
Conrad is a Realtor at Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Premier Properties and operates a Bookkeeping Company with his wife Minami.
Conrad has recently joined the board of the NPBGS to help tie the Japanese and Japan-enthusiast community into the Hina Doll Festival, the Japanese Garden, and beyond.
Mallorie Taylor-Teeples
Board Member
Julia Schott
Board Member
Maddysen Boecker
Board Member
Central Minnesota-native Maddysen Boecker fell in love with Fargo-Moorhead while attending MSUM. She discovered the botanic gardens partway through her studies and it quickly became a favorite spot. While life led her to briefly live in North Carolina after graduation, she made her way right back to Fargo again! She currently serves as Communications Manager at Be More Colorful and tends to a small raised garden at her home with the help of her partner Zack and dog Echo.