Annual Meeting Ends 24th Year

Our annual meeting is in the rear view mirror, and CURE is cruising into Year 25.  

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On Saturday, April 23, CURE members came together to wrap up another successful year of grassroots advocacy.  Members gave up a “top ten” weather day  in Minnesota to review CURE’s business year, elect members to the Board of Directors, discuss CURE’s work with staff, award the 2015 River Keeper, and engage in conversation about a Water Ethic Charter for Minnesota.

annualmeeting1CURE Board Chair, Margaret Kuchenreuther, convened the official Annual Meeting of the membership, presented the Annual Report, and opened the floor to discuss CURE’s financial health.  Three members were newly elected to serve on CURE’s board for two-year terms; Karen Flom, Lance Lindeman, and Sue Wika.  Margaret Kuchenreuther, Tom Kalahar, and Brian Wojtalewicz were re-elected.  Staff gave program reports and it was announced that Sarina Otaibi was leaving CURE after 4 years.
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Last year’s River Keeper recipients, Annette and Kay Fernholz, presented Brian Wojtelewicz with this year’s River Keeper Award.  On receiving the award, Brian said, “I’m proud to be working with all of you. It is such a great concentration of intelligence, backgrounds, education, and talent. To be able to work with you and be with you, it’s been an honor. ”

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Later, CURE consultant, Andrea Fox Jensen, convened a member roundtable conversation in service to creating a Water Ethic Charter for Minnesota.  Members discussed graphic images created by CURE member/consultant Audrey Arner as a way to build consensus toward drafting a Minnesota Water Ethic Charter. 

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annual meeting 5 We will celebrate our 25th anniversary throughout the year leading up to a very special celebration event next spring. Call or email if you would like to be a part of our 25th anniversary team.

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Kelsey Olson

Kelsey Olson

Director of Environmental Stewardship

Kelsey Olson (she/her) joined CURE in 2025 as its Director of Environmental Stewardship. As a skilled environmental naturalist, Kelsey’s work focuses broadly on environmental education and advocacy with a keen focus on rural land use and how that use impacts our environment and climate. Working Lands, how land is used to support agriculture and forestry, is a key focus of her work. She brings 15 years’ experience in public communication, environmental education, and rural community engagement – strong communication strategies are core in her work. This includes two terms of service with AmeriCorps in the VISTA program in Oregon and Maryland and a nearly 10-year career as a naturalist followed. She recently worked on communications and marketing for rural economic development.

Kelsey lives in New London, MN, with her young children, husband, dog, and two cats. They enjoy spending time together outside and finding small treasures in nature. Visits to Minneapolis often include visits to one of their favorite historical museums, the Minnesota Swedish Institute. Kelsey enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, whether this is canning local produce, making kombucha, or other treats!