KeyStone Search News & Press

Caringbridge Names Three New Board Members

Jan. 29, 2009

Eagan, Minn. (Jan. 29, 2009) — CaringBridge recently appointed Lars Leafblad, Jamie Thingelstad and Andrea Carruthers to its board of directors. CaringBridge is a Minnesota–based nonprofit Web service that provides free Web sites to those wishing to stay in touch with family and friends during a serious medical condition, treatment and recovery.

Lars Leafblad is vice president with KeyStone Search in Minneapolis. KeyStone Search is a full service executive search firm with a unique emphasis on corporate culture. His previous experience includes serving as director of development for the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota, assistant director of alumni and parent relations at St. Olaf College and helping launch Four51.com, a high–tech start–up. Lars earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from St. Olaf College and his MBA from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management.

Jamie Thingelstad has more than ten years of experience overseeing and delivering large–scale financial publishing Internet services such as the Wall Street Journal, MarketWatch, BigCharts and Dow Jones Newswires. He is currently developing a new company and serving as a consultant for growing Internet businesses.

Andrea Carruthers is lead partner of the corporate real estate practice at Faegre & Benson, a general practice law firm based in Minneapolis, with offices in Denver, Boulder, Des Moines, Frankfurt, London and Shanghai. Carruthers has more than ten years of experience as a real estate lawyer. She represents companies in all aspects of transactional real estate, including “green” development and loan workouts.

CaringBridge connects more than 20 million friends and families each year through personal CaringBridge Web sites that have generated more than 800 million visits and 20 million messages of hope and encouragement. For more information visit www.caringbridge.org.

The Twin Cities Salvation Army recently added three new members to its Advisory Board: Jim Davis, Lars Leafblad and Dan Nygaard.

November 4, 2008

Davis has worked for Northwest Airlines Inc. since 1986. He currently manages more than 800 employees as the Director of Customer Service and Airport Operations. He has worked in the airline industry since 1981 in both technical and management capacities. He lives in Lakeville with his wife and two children.

Leafblad is vice president of KeyStone Search, an executive recruiting firm in Minneapolis. Since graduating from St. Olaf College in 1999, he has held marketing and communications jobs with successful companies across Minnesota. He received "40 Under 40" honors from the Mpls / St. Paul Business Journal in May 2007. He lives in Roseville with his wife and two children.

Nygaard works for Xcel Energy as the Director of Supply of Chain Operations.

In 1987 he was the top mechanical engineering graduate at the United States Naval Academy. He has held sales, marketing and management positions with the U.S. Navy, Honeywell Inc. and Exelon Corp. He lives in Big Lake with his wife and four children.

All three men hold master's degrees.

Below the men answer why they became Salvation Army board members:

Jim Davis: "I was searching for a way to leverage my faith, gifts, education and experience to help others. While talking with the Northwest Airlines community relations department, the subject came up and they put me in contact with The Salvation Army. While I knew a little about the Salvation Army, I quickly learned how much good they do every day, working with people who have nowhere to go."

Lars Leafblad: "I became personally connected to the The Salvation Army through the outreach of current board member Sandy Ulsaker Wiese, who invited me to attend a Beyond the Red Kettle Tour of Harbor Light last spring. I was greatly moved by the tour experience and Sandy's own story of her multi-year involvement with The Salvation Army. Sandy is one of the most talented, dedicated and authentic leaders I know. Her personal testimony about the impact and importance of the Army's work in our community inspired me to seek an opportunity to get involved. I'm incredibly honored to be serving with Sandy and my fellow board members on the Twin Cities Advisory Board."

Dan Nygaard: "The work of The Salvation Army is closely aligned with my own personal values. By being involved with The Salvation Army, I can better serve other people by being aligned with an organization and with other people who share the same service commitment. My involvement started with a reference from an existing advisory board member who thought that The Salvation Army and I would be a good match."

The Salvation Army serves more than 200,000 people in the Twin Cities and is a safety net for those with no place to turn. We serve 2,100 hot meals every day and house more than 850 people every night. To volunteer with The Salvation Army or to make a credit card donation, call 651-746-3400 or 1-800-SAL-ARMY. Checks made out to The Salvation Army may be sent to 2445 Prior Ave., Roseville, MN 55113. Click below to make an online donation.

Lars Leafblad named Humphrey Institute Policy Fellow

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (10/08/08)- Lars Leafblad, a resident of Roseville, MN, has been named a Policy Fellow at the University of Minnesota's Hubert H.Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. He is one of 33 individuals selected for this year's program.

Leafblad is a vice president with KeyStone Search, a Minneapolis based retained executive search firm with a unique emphasis on corporate culture. Prior to KeyStone, Leafblad served as director of development for the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota, assistant director of alumni and parent relations at St. Olaf College, and as a market development manager with Four51.com. He serves on the boards of Faith's Lodge and The Salvation Army-Twin Cities, and is active in a number of other organizations. Leafblad earned a bachelor's degree from St. Olaf College and a master's degree in business administration from the Carlson School of Management. He resides in Roseville with his wife Maren and their two children.

The Policy Fellows program prepares individuals from all professional sectors to assume leadership roles in public affairs. Through a nine-month educational experience that includes workshops, seminars, and leadership development activities, Policy Fellows gain practical training in public affairs leadership while examining national and international issues confronting the United States. Fellows are selected from Greater Minnesota as well as the Twin Cities, increasing interaction and understanding among those who affect communities throughout the state of Minnesota.

The Policy Fellows program is characterized by a distinguished tradition of training the best and brightest emerging leaders in Minnesota. Begun by Vice President Walter Mondale and Geri Joseph in 1990 and co-directed for a dozen years by former congressmen Tim Penny and Vin Weber, the program is now directed by nationally prominent political science Professor Lawrence Jacobs, the Walter F. and Joan Mondale Chair for Political Studies at the University of Minnesota.

Says Jacobs, "We are thrilled to be working with this impressive group of Fellows, representing government, business, and nonprofit sectors. The program for the coming year will equip these individuals with the leadership skills to advance the common good in Minnesota and beyond," said Jacobs. "These new Fellows represent Minnesota's changing demographics and trends, and they join a distinguished group of over 500 prominent Minnesotans who are alumni of the program."

The program is housed in the Humphrey Institute's Center for the Study of Politics and Governance. The Center strives to increase public understanding of politics and promote an informed and engaged citizenry through research and by offering a wide array of public events and programs.

The Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, the University of Minnesota's graduate school of public affairs, prepares individuals for public service and designs more effective public policies and institutions. The institute offers four graduate degree programs and is home to 16 research and outreach centers and programs.

Marcia Ballinger cited as Industry Leader

KeyStone Search is proud to announce that Marcia Ballinger, Ph.D., has been named one of this year's "Industry Leaders" by the Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal. This honor is awarded to 25 women in the region every year who have proven to be strong leaders in the for-profit, non-profit or public sectors. Since joining KeyStone in 2002, the company has seen growth of 600%. What may be even more impressive is her leadership in the community. Marcia currently serves on the board of directors of the Twin Cities Red Cross, Capella University and the MN Adoption Network. In the past, she has also served on the board of the Crisis Connection and has generously given her time and talents to other charitable causes along the way.

KeyStone Search welcomes Diane Meskan as Director of Administration

KeyStone Search is pleased to announce that Diane Meskan has joined the team as Director of Administration. Diane will be responsible for coordination of all office activities, research projects and database management. Diane previously worked for the Bloomington Arts Center and earlier spent a number of years with Mackay Envelope in Minneapolis.

Rebecca Yanisch Joins Board of YWCA

KeyStone Search Principal Rebecca Yanisch has been named to the board of directors of the Minneapolis YWCA. The YWCA of Minneapolis focuses on empowering women and eliminating racism through a variety of community-based programs. The YWCA has been established in Minneapolis since 1891 and has continually made an enormous impact on the lives of girls and women, as well as the community at large.

Lars Leafblad joins the board of Faith's Lodge

Faith's Lodge, a non-profit organization dedicated to serving those who are facing the serious illness or death of a child, announced that Lars Leafblad, vice president, KeyStone Search, was elected to its board of directors.

Faith's Lodge provides a place where parents and families facing the serious illness or death of a child can retreat to reflect on the past, renew strength for the present, and build hope for the future.

Faith's Lodge is the only organization of its kind in the country. Collaboration with the Ronald McDonald House Charities - Upper Midwest, and other generous contributors, has enabled Faith's Lodge to serve over 125 families during its first year of operation.