Meet Our Staff and Board

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chair:  Craig Hansen earned his PhD from the University of Minnesota. He served as a professor and Dean at Metropolitan State University until his retirement in 2020. Craig spent much of his earlier days exploring the woods near his home, a connection to nature that he has maintained throughout his life and is a life-long volunteer in the Saint Croix River Valley.

Pamela Arnold became a bee keeper after casual walks by a friend’s apiary became long sessions of sitting in front the hives whose sweet flurry of bees mesmerized her. Having moved to an old farm on the St Croix River, bees seemed to bring dormant trees into life…flowering and fruiting, attracting pollinators and birds. After years of keeping bees the hives suddenly collapsed, thousands of bees died. A study by the MN Department of Agriculture showed that the bees had been killed by a misstep in a corn field next door. The pesticide seed coating on the GM corn had blown over her hives and organic field, killing a dozen hives of bees in a matter of hours. Today Pam is committed to regenerating the soil with pollinator protection at the heart of her work. She believes that Pollinator Friendly Alliance is among the important efforts bringing people to the necessary stewardship of our beautiful, still blue planet. Pam’s farm is a certified Minnesota Water Quality Certified Farm, she has been honored among state conservation farmers, and is currently working to restore native woodlands and prairies.

Tim Hanson has a life-long relationship with natural biology and ecology. His interests and projects range from building butterfly canopies in Guatemala to counting bald eagle populations on the St. Croix River. Tim has a background in animal biology and an insatiable curiousity for all things in nature great and small. His master carpentry skills come in handy for keeping honeybee hives. Tim is an excellent conservation educator and believes understanding leads to change.

Tara Kelly’s connection to nature began early on as a youngster growing up on a hobby farm, and many camping and hiking adventures with her family. She sought a career with nature at the U of Wisconsin Madison, B.S in Botany and M.S. in Land Resources.  She’s been restoring landscapes in the St. Croix Valley for over 15 years and manages habitat and water quality projects with best ecological management practices for the Washington Conservation District.

Jonathan Kvasnik become interested and intrigued with pollinator conservation since 2015. Jon decided to start his own bee hive on the rooftop of Bank Cherokee in St. Paul. Sadly, Jon discovered those precious rooftop bees could not survive the winter. Learning how important pollinator-friendly habitat and nourishing bee friendly plants can be, Jon became part of PFA. Jon also for over 30 years has advised on Environmental , Social and Governance (ESG) investing.

Matt Lagus first became interested in insects while helping in his grandmother’s garden as a kid. He has been working with PFA since 2020 as an environmental educator after working as a Researcher at the University of Minnesota on monarch butterflies and bumble bees. Matt has a BS in biology and enjoys teaching primary school.  He is passionate about contributing good to the world and also loves playing violin, writing, Spikeball and singing Hamilton.

Margot Monson’s fascination with insects began as a youngster. She nurtured an insect collection of jars that filled her attic bedroom. With the Golden Guide to Insects as her reference, she fed and watched them develop. Appropriately, she earned an MS in Entomology at the University of Minnesota in research focused on diversity and conservation of caddisflies from the Lake Itasca region. Studying these bioindicators of water quality opened up a whole new magical world for Margot. 15 years ago she began also studying native pollinators and beekeeping. Margot teaches about the importance of biodiversity of terrestrial fauna and aquatic insects. Her lifelong fascination continues from St. Paul and beyond. 

Claudia Morgan grew up in a family that took cross country car trips every summer and learned a love of the great outdoors. For 25 years she co-owned a landscaping company and used organic practices to educate her clients, help rejuvenate soil and create backyard ecosystems that thrive.  She continues her work through her new landscape design company with organic best practices.  She loves hiking on the North Shore and other wild areas where she can immerse in the natural world.

EXECUTIVE STAFF

Executive Director:  Laurie Schneider grew up in rural Wisconsin immersed in the natural world as the youngest in a conservation family and learned from her father’s conservation efforts to save the rivers, mayflies and trout streams. As founder of PFA, Laurie grew a grassroots local group into a dynamic Minnesota conservation organization while she supervised research at the University of Minnesota on pesticide effects to pollinators.  During a long entrepreneurial career, she founded her own successful photography studio and helped numerous other business owners start their own ventures. She finds her job with PFA to be by far the most important work she has done. Laurie is passionate and dedicated to preserving the natural world and she finds “home” at her Stillwater hobby farm and in nature.

Secretary:  Carson McEvoy’s favorite childhood memories center on hiking in the woodlands and his favorite adult experiences include gazing upon big bodies of water. While his day job consists of working as a school psychologist, in his free time he likes to learn about and volunteer for the environment (and pollinators!). 

Treasurer:  Christina Arndt was born and raised in Sweden and Swedes are nuts about getting out in nature to the woods or out in the archipelago.  Orienteering, hiking, biking, skating and skiing is big in Sweden and I have always felt,that being out in nature is the best medicine.  At home in Minnesota, Christina continues her kinship with nature and is a busy traveler, volunteer and accountant. She has 40 years experience and degrees in political science and accounting.