Board of Directors

Jake works to improve communities by working in local government and in his current role as Manager, Community Relations and Economic Development. This work includes supporting 30+ communities, serving as a resource in the areas of operations, energy policy, emergency response, social investments, economic development, and business retention and expansion.

Jake is a product of Minnstate Colleges and Universities, receiving his B.A., from St Cloud State University and his MPA from Metropolitan State University.

Jake is an active member of several local chambers of commerce and his current board service includes, Inver Hills Community College Foundation, DARTS, River Heights Chamber of Commerce, and Progress Plus. He also enjoyed serving as a coach with the Eagan Athletic Association, has been an Xcel Energy Day of Service Site Coordinator for six years, coordinates the annual United Way campaign, holiday toy drives and food drives at his office, and enjoys lending a hand at his church. Jake has served on the Board since 2017.

Jake lives in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota with his wife Heidi and their two children.

Angela Lutz Amann is a shareholder at the LeVander, Gillen & Miller, P.A. law firm in South St. Paul. Angela provides legal counsel to individuals on all types of estate planning strategies including wills, revocable trusts, credit shelter trusts, gifting plans, and planning for incapacity. She also assists clients with all aspects of the probate and trust administration process. Angela also guides public and private employers on commercial and employment related matters, including employment agreements, discharges, severance agreements, discrimination claims, breach-of-contract claims, non-competition covenants, and employment policies and advises non-profit organizations and other entities on all aspects of corporate, employment, and health care law. She received her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and her law degree from the University of Notre Dame Law School. Angela is a member of the Minnesota State Bar Association and the Dakota County Bar Association. She currently serves on the board of the Minnesota State Bar Association Foundation. In her free time, Angela enjoys watching her children play sports and spending time with her family and friends. Angela has served on the Board since 2015.

Gerry has 30+ years' experience in finance and accounting in diverse industries including consumer products, distribution, franchising, education, software, banking, insurance and healthcare. He has lived in Inver Grove Heights for over 20 years and his children and wife have taken classes at Inver Hills Community College. He views the college as a terrific community asset that is underutilized.

Gerry has 3 children and one grandchild. One daughter teaches 7th grade English in Prior Lake school district and the other two are in still college. He is also active in a non-profit supporting health services in Guatemala.

Gerry earned a Master’s degree in Finance from the University of St. Thomas and earned a Bachelor's degree in Accounting from St Cloud State University. He is a Certified Management Accountant. Gerry has been a member of the Foundation Board since 2020.

Aaron Lundquist graduated from the University of North Dakota in 2013 with a Bachelor of Accountancy. Upon graduating, Aaron earned his Certified Public Accountant license and has worked at big-4 accounting firm where he is now a Senior Manager within the audit practice. Aaron is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and serves a wide range of large SEC engagements primarily in the consumer and industrial products, manufacturing, and power and utilities industries. Aaron, his wife, and their sons enjoy traveling, golf, boating, winter sports and cabin life. Aaron has served on the Board since 2019.

Susan began her professional career working as an EMT and later as a paramedic. She has worked in large and small EMS agencies in both metro and out state Minnesota.

Susan went on to complete her Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and her Master's degree in Leadership. In addition to her paramedic roles, Susan has been an educator throughout her career.

Today, Susan is the Vice President of Operations for Allina Health EMS, one of the largest EMS agencies in the upper Midwest and has been a member of the Inver Hills Community College Foundation Board since 2020.

Morris was the first rabbi of Beth Jacob Synagogue. He led the congregation from 1986 until 2019 and turned a start-up congregation into a thriving community of nearly 400 households. During the course of his 33-year rabbinate in the same congregation, he was identified by both the Forward Newspaper and Newsweek Magazine as one of America’s 50 most influential Jewish leaders.

Social justice issues were a vital part of Rabbi Allen’s spiritual leadership at Beth Jacob. He initiated the national initiative — Magen Tzedek orJustice Certification — as a means for determining whether workers were being treated with dignity and ethical consistency as they produce Kosher food. From January 2019 until his retirement from professional work in July 2021, Morris served as the Sr. Community Liaison for Rep. Angie Craig (MN02). In that role he was responsible for her district work in Goodhue, Wabasha and a significant part of Dakota County. He handled issues relating to health care, agriculture policy, workforce, small business and housing. He regularly interfaced with both Inver Hills and DCTC as a result of his responsibilities.

He has served on the Executive Committee of the international Rabbinical Assembly, been a leader in the St. Paul Jewish Federation, engaged in extensive Jewish-Muslim dialogue, and involved in a variety of social justice organizations both locally and nationally. Rabbi Allen was Ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1984. He received his BA ‘76 and MSSW ‘77 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

He is married to St. Paul pediatrician Dr. Phyllis Gorin, and they are the parents of three adult children and grandparents to two adorable grandchildren. He joined the Inver Hills Community College Foundation in 2021.

Scott Armitage is the owner and general contractor of Armitage Homes, a local remodel, carpentry, and design company. Scott attended the University of Minnesota Duluth and has over 20 years of construction industry experience. He spends his time helping clients to improve their homes and create a space they love to live in. Scott is incredibly passionate about the importance of trade careers and introducing young workers to a variety of potential industries.

Scott has lived in Eagan for 20 years with his wife Melissa and their two children. Together, they love to travel, hike, and spend time with friends. His son is a graduate of the paramedic program at Inver Hills Community College. He joined the Foundation Board in 2021.

Steve is an experienced financial advisor with over 17 years helping people reach their goals. He chose Edward Jones because he was able to open his own practice in his hometown, South St. Paul. Steve has a degree in mechanical engineering degree from the University of North Dakota and earned his MBA from the University of St. Thomas. Prior to joining Edward Jones he had careers in the manufacturing and aerospace sectors in business development.

He has been married to his wife Maggie for over 32 years and they have three children.

He enjoys traveling and spending time with family. Steve has been involved with various organizations: River Heights Chamber of Commerce, SSP Lions, SSP Open Foundation, SSP Educational Foundation and has been an Inver Hills Community College Foundation board member since 2016.

As the Community Relations Director for Dakota Electric Association Peggy represents the Cooperative in a variety of roles, engaging locally and helping to build capacity to create stronger and more livable and sustainable communities.

Peggy has served on numerous chamber and non-profit boards, and coordinates Dakota Electric’s scholarship and youth leadership programs, and oversees community giving. She previously worked in business development for the Minnesota Department of Trade & Economic Development. She is a graduate of the University of St. Thomas.

She is a member of a number of organizations, including local chambers of commerce and business organizations, the Economic Development Association of MN, Mid-America Economic Development Council, and the International Economic Development Council. She joined the Inver Hills Community College Foundation in 2021.

Peggy lives with her husband Steve in Rosemount. They have two children in college.

As the HR site leader for the Collins Aerospace Burnsville location Courtney is responsible for maintaining and executing all people focused initiatives for over 2,000 employees. 

She joined the Inver Hills Foundation Board in 2022. In addition to serving on the Inver Hills Foundation Board, Courtney is also currently serving on the Board of Directors for the Burnsville Chamber of Commerce and is active with a number of chamber initiatives in both Burnsville and the surrounding Dakota County area.

She is a graduate of St. Cloud State University where she received both her undergraduate degree in Human Resources Management and her M.B.A

Courtney lives with her husband Kyle in Elko New Market. They enjoy travel and are working their way through visiting all 50 states!

Sonja Simpson is the founder and CEO of iONIS Solution, an action-oriented diversity and inclusion talent strategy company. She has over 25 years working in the private, public, education and non-profit sectors developing innovative design and employment access for people of color throughout the twin-cities. Sonja co-created Minnesota Construction Apprenticeship Preparatory Program that is currently being utilized at Metropolitan Council under the branding of Building Strong Communities. She's also an advocate for education as an adjunct teacher at a state College. Sonja is happily married with three adult children, two boys and a girl. She enjoys family time, reading, gardening and learning about holistic solutions.

Sonja holds an MS in Organizational Leadership and Strategic Management and is excited to be a part of IHCC Foundation Board. Sonja has been a member of the Inver Hills Community College Board of Directors since 2020.

Michael Berndt has served Minnesota State for 18 years in several capacities including as faculty member, dean, and executive leader. Before becoming president of Inver Hills Community College and Dakota County Technical College, he served as the vice president of Academic Affairs at Century College and as the Vice President of Planning and Institutional Effectiveness at Normandale Community College.

Michael was also a faculty member for several years before moving into administration. He taught English at Normandale, the University of Minnesota, and Augsburg College.

He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota Morris and a master's from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

Kim is the Executive Director of Foundations and Community Relations for Dakota County Technical College and Inver Hills Community College. As director Kim leads fundraising efforts for the foundation as well as advocates for students and the colleges by engaging community partners.

Kim earned a Masters degree from the University of Utah and also holds Bachelor's degrees in Psychology and Human Development and Family Studies. Before coming to the colleges, Kim's career focused on working in the Human Service field. She began working at Inver Hills Community College in February 2014 where she was able to combine human service with higher education as the TuitionMatch-MN Program Manager. She sees her current position with the foundation as a continuation of her human service work by engaging the community to support student success at both colleges.

Karina is a first-generation college student studying political science and psychology. She was 12 years old when she started working at her mother’s store. This experience started her journey of developing her strong business acumen. She is passionate about being a voice for the voiceless and advocating for students and women's rights. She is currently president of the Inver Hills Community College Student Senate and is on the governing council of LeadMN, the association of Minnesota public two-year college students. She has a one-and-a-half-year-old daughter and loves to spend time outdoors. Her goal in life is to go to law school, be happy, and help people, especially people of color, women, students and people that come from low-income backgrounds.