Our Staff and Board

CURE Staff

Our staff, located across the state, help tell the stories of a vibrant rural future, lift up its people to lead, and together, work for policies and practices to make a better future a reality for everyone.

Misty Butler

Misty Butler

Digital Media Communications Director

Clovis Curl

Clovis Curl

Communications & Research Strategist

Peg Furshong

Peg Furshong

Director of Constituent Relations & Special Projects

Mitchell Hancock

Mitchell Hancock

Research & Digital Media Strategist

Erik Hatlestad

Erik Hatlestad

Director of Rural Cooperative Energy

Maureen Laughlin

Maureen Laughlin

Director of Finance & Human Resources

Sarah Mooradian

Sarah Mooradian

Government Relations & Policy Director

Kelsey Olson

Kelsey Olson

Director of Environmental Stewardship

Andy Pearson

Andy Pearson

Senior Organizer, False Climate Solutions

Board of Directors

The CURE Board of Directors is made of up to 15 elected members. The CURE Bylaws state that directors serve two-year terms and are eligible for re-election for up to five consecutive terms as per state law. Board members are elected at CURE’s Annual Business Meeting each year. Learn more here about the role of a CURE Board Member below.

Role of a CURE Board Member

Basic engagement with the organization

  • Attend board meetings either in person or by conference call (4 to 5 times per year). 
  • Be informed about the organization’s mission, services, policies, and programs. 
  • Be informed or willing to learn about best business practices for non-profit organizations. 
  • Be informed of the fiduciary and liability responsibilities of all Board of Directors. 
  • Be willing to represent the organization either formally and/or informally with your other networks and the larger public. 
  • Support the organization’s mission, and do not engage in activities contrary to the mission or to policies set by the Board. 
  • Hold in confidence information given to the Board of Directors. 
  • Demonstrate an ability to work in a team environment. 
  • Be accessible by phone or e-mail to the staff and other Board members as needed. 
  • Be a member of CURE. (pay annual membership dues)   

Preferred engagement with the organization

  • Contribute to the organization’s efforts to raise revenues through individual donations, foundation giving, or by thanking donors and by opening doors to leaders and groups who could benefit from the organization’s programs.
  • Donate to the organization beyond annual membership dues, as you are able.
  • Participate in additional committees, activities, and meetings, as you are able.
  • Share your expertise to lead adventure or educational opportunities for our constituents in conjunction with staff.   

Additionally  CURE will provide reasonable travel reimbursement for members who travel significant distances to participate in board meetings and activities. 

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Anne Borgendale

Anne Borgendale

Director of Communications

Anne Borgendale (she/her) joined CURE in 2017. She directs CURE’s advocacy communications, disseminating CURE’s grassroots, progressive vision as it emerges at the center of CURE’s rural, climate, and democracy programs. Anne is passionate about the central role rural communities can play in creating and leading innovative solutions to the most challenging problems facing the state and nation in these times.

Previously, Anne worked with the Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota and Buy Fresh Buy Local Upper Minnesota River Valley. She is also an accomplished artisan cheesemaker and, food cooperative cheesemonger and buyer. Anne grew up on a dairy farm in Lac qui Parle County and now lives with her family in Willmar, MN. She graduated from the University of Minnesota, Morris, with a B.A. in Chemistry and Biology. In her free time, Anne is an avid home gardener and cook and enjoys spending time with her family exploring her community’s parks, playgrounds, and libraries.

Misty Butler

Misty Butler

Digital Media Communications Director

Misty Butler (she/her) joined CURE in 2023. She leads all aspects of CURE’s communications design and process management, including creation and adherence to brand guidelines and website, video, and print production. Misty also manages the project tracking tools that help CURE plan and manage campaigns and improve internal communication to achieve individual and organizational goals efficiently.

Before joining CURE, Misty worked as Schwan’s Company’s Corporate Marketing Communications Manager for 15 years. Her concern about environmental issues prompted her to serve on the CURE Board of Directors for five years before joining CURE’s staff. Misty lives in Lac qui Parle Village, MN. She has a B.A. in Art with a Graphic Design Concentration from Southwest Minnesota State University.

In her free time, Misty enjoys swimming, camping, and spending time with her family on their land near Lac qui Parle.

Clovis Curl

Clovis Curl

Communications & Research Strategist

Clovis Curl (she/her) joined CURE in 2021. She is a skilled researcher and writer, in addition to bringing her Geographic Information System (GIS) proficiency to CURE’s campaigns. With a background in economic analysis and policy research, Clovis is particularly interested in answering the question “who really benefits?”

Clovis graduated from St. Olaf College with degrees in Economics and Environmental Studies. While an undergrad, she served as the ‘Environmental’ Senator and co-led St. Olaf’s fossil fuel divestment campaign. Before joining CURE, Clovis worked at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) and Solar United Neighbors (SUN) and volunteered with Northfield Against Line 3.

Clovis now resides in Minneapolis and can be found biking, contra dancing, and learning the fiddle.

Peg Furshong

Peg Furshong

Director of Constituent Relations & Special Projects

Peg Furshong (she/her) joined CURE in 2012. Today, she is responsible for CURE’s Constituent Relations and Special Projects. These projects include water sustainability, landowner and community engagement for CURE’s NO Carbon Pipelines Campaign and coordinating outdoor engagement. Previously, Peg built the organization’s nature-based educational and experiential engagement programs, including initiatives like the Tallgrass Prairie BioBlitz and Freshwater Mussel Field Days. She also established CURE’s lasting partnership with the Minnesota Master Naturalist Program, where she continues to serve as a volunteer instructor.

Before coming to CURE, Peg worked with young adults in higher education, facilitating leadership, civic engagement, sustainability, and diversity programs. Born and raised in Montana, she holds a Master of Science in Educational Leadership with an emphasis in Information, Process & Communication (IPC) from Montana State University-Billings. Outside of work, she volunteers as a Commissioner for the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks & Trails Commission and spends time with her family participating in cultural arts activities, gardening, and enjoying life on the tallgrass prairie in southwestern Minnesota.

Mitchell Hancock

Mitchell Hancock

Research & Digital Media Strategist

Mitchell Hancock (he/him), Research and Digital Media Strategist, joined CURE in 2022. Mitchell moved to western Minnesota to attend the University of Minnesota, Morris. While at college, he grew a deep attachment to the agrarian and prairie landscape—and the Morris community. He also witnessed the unique problems affecting rural communities and became a local activist. He found himself involved in several organizations advocating for the expansion of the arts, investment in rural infrastructure, and divestment from fossil fuels. He worked with several other area leaders to organize young people to unlock their collective power in university environments and the greater Morris community.

Mitchell graduated from the University of Minnesota, Morris, with degrees in Sociology and Anthropology. Mitchell enjoys producing music, photography, and audio-visual projects focusing on rural issues and culture. An avid outdoorsman who now resides in Duluth, MN, Mitchell’s work is motivated by a desire to preserve our natural resources.

Erik Hatlestad

Erik Hatlestad

Director of Rural Cooperative Energy

Erik Hatlestad (he/him) joined CURE in 2013 and today directs CURE’s Rural Cooperative Energy Program. A long-time rural advocate, his work focuses on fostering democracy and the clean energy transition for rural electric cooperatives.

Erik captured the attention of policymakers with his co-authored 2019 report, Rural Electrification 2.0. The report highlighted the barriers blocking rural electric cooperatives’ clean energy transition. In 2022, building on the report, Erik led a national advocacy effort to secure the Empowering Rural America (New ERA) Program and the Powering Affordable Clean Energy (PACE) Program in the 2023 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). These innovative programs represent the most significant direct investment in rural electrification since the New Deal (1936). Since the passage of the IRA, Erik has led efforts to ensure a strong program design that assures a just, democratic, and equitable energy transition across rural America.

Erik is a graduate of Concordia College and lives in New London, MN. Outside of the office, Erik appreciates time in canoes, on skis, and in the woods. When he’s in civilization, he enjoys live music and the bounty of Minnesota’s robust local food and culinary scene.

Hudson Kingston

Hudson Kingston

Legal Director

Hudson Kingston (he/him) joined CURE in 2023 with a background in environmental law, public health law, and consumer protection. He brings experience partnering with tribes, local nonprofits, low-income advocates, environmental and social justice groups, and local/state/territorial/federal public employees. He has worked in both the Midwest and Washington D.C. on litigation and policy related to climate change, water pollution impacts of mining, pesticide regulation, the environmental and health impacts of e-cigarettes, public records and government transparency, and environmental injustices perpetuated by the administrative state. At CURE, he works on rural energy policy, agency accountability under environmental and transparency laws, and working in coalitions to protect forests from industrialization and over-exploitation.

Hudson graduated from Carleton College and received his J.D. from the University of Iowa School of Law and Master of Laws degrees in Human Rights and International Law from New York University and the National University of Singapore. A born and raised Minnesotan, Hudson lives in the home his grandparents built in the woods outside Ely, where he spends his free time baking bread, chopping wood, and running.

Maureen Laughlin

Maureen Laughlin

Director of Finance & Human Resources

Maureen Laughlin (she/her) joined CURE as the Human Resources and Financial Director in 2021. Previously, she served for 20 years as the CFO and Office Manager for Hasslen Construction. Maureen’s career also includes six years as City Administrator for Ortonville, MN, four years as Financial Controller at Formac Corporation in Minneapolis, one year as Accounting Supervisor at Dayton/Hudson Department Stores, and four years as a Certified Public Accountant for LAWCO. Maureen holds a B.S. in Accounting from Minnesota State University-Mankato.

She lives near Ortonville, MN. Outside of work, she is an avid reader and gardener and is politically engaged.

Sarah Mooradian

Sarah Mooradian

Government Relations & Policy Director

Sarah Mooradian (she/her) joined CURE in 2021. Sarah works on issues related to false climate solutions, rural electric cooperatives, siting and local power, clean transportation, and natural and working lands, participating in processes before state agencies like the Public Utilities Commission and at the state legislature. Previously, Sarah clerked for the Minnesota Court of Appeals. She has also worked on projects concerning tribal rights and land management, northern Minnesota mining, and New England’s surface water use.

Sarah is a graduate of the University of Minnesota with degrees in Journalism and Sociology and Vermont Law and Graduate School with a J.D. and a Master of Environmental Law and Policy. She is passionate about protecting the environment and believes that success comes, in part, from changing both public policy and societal attitudes about nature. Sarah lives in Minnetonka, MN. In her free time, Sarah likes bird watching, gardening, and spending time with friends and family, including her two cats, Willow and Juniper. 

Duane Ninneman

Duane Ninneman

Executive Director

Duane Ninneman (he/him) joined CURE in 2005. Before his executive appointment in 2013, Duane led CURE’s climate and energy program. As Executive Director, he has taken the lead in deepening stakeholder engagement to achieve meaningful and lasting results across several sectors: watershed sustainability, climate solutions, rural renewable energy adoption, and grassroots rural democracy. He believes that real progress toward sustainability can only come from honest assessments and a genuine understanding of the complex dynamics affecting our rural communities and the environment.

Duane is a recognized rural environmental leader and organizer and enjoys sharing his understanding of rural history, culture, and the environment as a public speaker, educator, and network weaver. Duane graduated from St. Olaf College. His life away from work is tied to his farm and family in Big Stone County, MN, and a passion for rural and political organizing.

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!

Andy Pearson

Andy Pearson

Senior Organizer, False Climate Solutions

Andy Pearson (he/him) joined CURE in 2024. His focus is on “false solutions” to the climate crisis along with fossil fuel infrastructure including crude oil pipelines. He brings over a decade of experience in organizing and base building, especially in the movement against Enbridge pipelines in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest. Andy believes in the power of mass movements and grassroots leadership to build power and bring about change.

Prior to CURE, Andy worked at MN350, supporting pipeline resistance work and many large events and actions. He has also organized with Clean Water Action and MPIRG. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota in Sustainability Studies, Communication Studies, and Environmental Sciences, Policy, & Management, and also occasionally teaches undergrads now at the U of M in the Sustainability Education program. Andy grew up in Golden Valley, MN and lives in Minneapolis now with his partner and two cats. Besides organizing, he loves making food, traveling by train or bus when he can, and playing a little bit of guitar.

Maggie Schuppert

Maggie Schuppert

Director of Strategic Initiatives

Maggie Schuppert (she/they) joined CURE in 2021. She focuses on furthering CURE’s capacity for exceptional communications, winning campaigns, and skilled advocacy. Maggie is a Minnesota transplant. Before moving here in 2015, she worked around the world with communities adversely impacted by large-scale energy and development infrastructure projects, helping them fight for their community’s rights. She brought this commitment to environmental rights, justice, and accountability to her environmental organizing work in Minnesota. She continues on this path as a member of CURE’s committed team.

Maggie graduated from Georgetown University, earned her M.A. from the University of Essex (U.K.), and a postgraduate certificate in Evaluation Studies from the University of Minnesota. Maggie lives near Ely, MN, where she dabbles in cold climate gardening, DIY home improvements, and pet parenting.

Eugene Strowbridge

Eugene Strowbridge

Policy & Outreach Strategist

Eugene joined CURE in early 2025 with a focus on advancing environmental justice and just climate solutions in rural Minnesota communities. Previously, Eugene served as a Tribal Planner and Sustainability Coordinator for the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, leading initiatives around sustainable food systems, energy efficiency, and renewable energy development. In 2024, Eugene authored their first published case study—Tribal-State Collaboration on Sustainability and Solar Development—in partnership with the Clean Energy States Alliance.

Originally from Bemidji, Eugene holds a degree in Integrated Social Sciences from the University of Washington–Seattle. Their work is rooted in systems thinking, social ecology, and collectivism. They believe in learning from the natural world and Indigenous knowledge, and in building relationships that center community care.

Outside of work, Eugene can be found hiking, foraging, or wandering the woods with their partner and their dog.

Sara Wolff

Sara Wolff

Rural Policy & Democracy Strategist

Sara Wolff (she/her) is a lawyer and climate policy strategist. She joined CURE in 2022 to lead on several fronts, including state policy development and CURE’s Democracy and Climate Pledge Project.

Between 2017 and 2022, Sara served as the Advocacy Director at the Minnesota Environmental Partnership. She worked with other coalitions on climate, energy, water, soil health, pollination, mining, and transit issues there. Sara previously worked as a policy assistant to Susan Gaertner at the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office.

Sara grew up in Nebraska and moved to Minnesota to attend St. Olaf College, where she met her husband, Doug. Sara plays the cello, likes to sing in large groups, and enjoys cooking with her family.

Andrea Fox Jensen

Andrea Fox Jensen

Planning Consultant

Andrea Fox Jensen (she/her) is an independent planning consultant based in Litchfield, MN and Rudkøbing, Denmark. She provides a range of expertise to organizations that serve the public good, including comprehensive strategic planning, facilitation of planning teams and activities, design of programs and events calling for collective problem-solving, and assessment of specific strategic opportunities. Since 2015, Andrea has worked with CURE to update the organization’s strategic framework, develop key CURE initiatives, and facilitate roundtable discussions on issues critical to CURE members.

Before consulting, Andrea was the leader of Listening and Strategic Planning at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune. Her early career was spent in account management at several national advertising agencies. She holds a B.A. in Semiotics from Brown University.

Kathy Hartley

Chair

Kathy supports CURE’s mission, values & guiding principles—especially that we have a moral and spiritual responsibility to future generations to protect the natural environment and that environmental and social justice are linked. She also holds CURE is an effective organization with an intelligent, organized, and systematic approach to bringing about change.

For the first half of her career, Kathy worked in education in the Twin Cities; for the second half, she worked as an ELCA pastor in the New London/Spicer/Willmar area. She grew up on a farm and learned from her father the importance of caring for the land and water. Kathy is involved in several social justice organizations, including Isaiah, Indivisible, and Protect Minnesota. She has a B.S. in Education from the University of Minnesota and a Master’s Divinity from Luther Theological Seminary.

Kathy and her husband, John, like to camp and travel. They have three adult children. Bicycling is her passion and she’s biked not only in the U.S., but also Norway, Australia, and Iceland. Kathy says biking is an excellent way to travel slowly and connect with the local people and environment.

Kathy Hartley was elected to the CURE Board of Directors in 2018.

Dr. Michelle Montgomery

Dr. Michelle Montgomery

Vice Chair

Michelle is enrolled as a Haliwa Saponi/descendant Eastern Band Cherokee. At the University of Washington, Tacoma she is Associate Professor of American Indian Studies and Ethnic, Gender, and Labor Studies in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences. She is also the Assistant Director for the Office of Undergraduate Education, and the Cohort Director for Muckleshoot Programs in the School of Education. Her community engaged scholarship through the Indigenous Speaker Series focuses on Indigenizing and decolonizing the climate justice narrative, environmental ethics connected to Indigenous Peoples’ identities, and eco-critical race theory to eliminate racial and environmental oppression.

Michelle Montgomery was elected to the CURE Board of Directors in 2023.

Jim Falk

Jim Falk

Treasurer

Jim is the fourth generation to own and operate the family’s grain and livestock farm. Falk’s Seed Farm grows, packages, and markets seed to area farmers. It also grows and contracts growers of edible soybeans for the Korean Market.

Through the years, the family has dedicated sensitive land areas to conservation programs like RIM and CRP and practiced other sustainable farming practices. Several years ago, Jim also invested in both wind and solar to supply power to his operation. He received his B.S. from the University of Minnesota.

Jim Falk served for several years earlier in CURE’s history and returned to the CURE Board of Directors in 2017.

Lori Cox

Lori Cox

Member-at-Large

Lori Cox owns and operates Roots Return Heritage Farm LLC in Carver, MN, leasing land to new sustainable farmers and practicing cover-cropping. A Minnesota native, she spent nearly 12 years in Seattle, attending Washington State University’s Small Farm Entrepreneur program and working at a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm. Before farming, she had a 17-year corporate consulting career.

Lori serves on several boards, including the Board of Water and Soil Resources. She supports the University of Minnesota Bee Lab and College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resources (CFANS) scholarships. Lori aligns with CURE’s mission, advocating for responsible environmental actions. She serves on CURE’s Board of Directors because she believes in their grassroots organizing and community involvement, which she sees as essential for creating a more viable and supportive future. Lori is a frequent speaker and writer on sustainable farming and environmental health, promoting agriculture as a solution alongside nature.

Lori Cox was elected to the CURE Board of Directors in 2025.

Arne Kildegaard

Arne Kildegaard

Member-at-Large

Arne Kildegaard is a Professor of Economics and Management at the University of Minnesota, Morris. He has researched and published on a variety of energy and sustainability topics, including technology feasibility studies, renewable energy integration studies, and electricity tariff policies. He and his wife Athena moved to western MN in 2001 and now live on a small farm near Holmes City.

Arne joined the CURE Board in 2023.