MEET BOD CANDIDATES

2023 LACC Annual Meeting Details

Three-Year Term

Joe Goetzke, Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center - Advancement Director

I work at Eagle Bluff ELC just outside of Lanesboro where I oversee the marketing and fundraising operations of the organization. I've served on the Lanesboro Chamber board for 3 years, serving as Treasurer and President the last 2 years of my term on the board. I also serve on the Lanesboro City Council and Economic Development Authority board. In my capacity on these commissions I have harnessed my skills and experience, as well as my passion for this community, to help advance and promote the Lanesboro area as the very best place to live, work, and play.

During my tenure on the Chamber we have weathered the pandemic, developed exciting new promotions, increased lodging tax revenue, started the process of overhauling the Chamber's membership offerings, and increased engagement with members & external stakeholders, while working to tear down silos that had previously kept organizations in town from our full potential of collaboration and community cohesion. I look forward to continuing this progress and using the resources of the Chamber to continue to promote local businesses and everything our area has to offer.

Sheryl Johnson, Cedar Valley Resort - Owner

I have been a life-long resident of this area and now a business owner with my husband. I have seen the transformation of Lanesboro from a declining farming industry to a thriving tourist destination. I am committed to seeing our town continue being a treasured piece of Minnesota, enjoyed by all who come to visit.

I have been in the tourism business for 22 years. I bring a history to the chamber and also a desire for success in our area. I have been part of the chamber membership team for over 20 years and part of the finance team for about 10 years. I have also served two terms on the board.

We are fortunate to live in a beautiful area. For the chamber to act as a catalyst for economic vitality and to promote Lanesboro as a desirable place to visit, work and live is what any town would want for its residents. Having an industry of tourism is a perfect way for us to share the place we live and have economic sustainability.

Alison Leathers, Cottage House Inn - Manager

I grew up in Preston working summers with my grandparents at the Cottage House Inn. I have degrees in horticulture and agricultural sciences with hotel experience from Yellowstone National Park and Marriott in Nashville, TN.

I currently serve on the LACC Board, Sons of Norway Heimbygda Lodge Board, and as a board member with the U of MN SE RSDP. I also am active with PEO International, the Lanesboro lodging group and the Lanesboro Businesses Promotion Group. I have been on the LACC marketing team since Nov. 2018.

I am very committed to the efforts of making Lanesboro a premiere destination to live, work and play. We have a solid team, network, and resources ready to move LACC forward to best serve our members, potential members, residents, and visitors.

One-Year Term

Marti Gray, James A. Thompson House B&B - Proprietor

I've been in human services for 50 years, managing volunteers, tutoring learning-challenged children, working in a PMIC facility (Psychiatric Medical Institute for Children) and founded a non-profit called The Tapestry, which was a reciprocity model of volunteer service combined with a much-needed Furniture Bank in the city of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I've lived and worked in Lanesboro for seven years and adore this community and feel very connected to it.

I served two years on the chamber immediately upon moving to Lanesboro. I currently serve on the Friends of the Lanesboro Library committee. I was selected to attend the Blandin Retreat, am a member of the Lodging Group, where I served on the PR committee for the Christmas Inn Tour three years. I have volunteered for History Alive!, Rhubarb Festival, Art in the Park and provided free lodging for musicians who provided entertainment at many public and private events. Prior to moving to Lanesboro, I served on many councils, associations and organizations, also holding leadership and board positions along the way.

I'm a certified conflict manager so I have the ability to gently find resolution through compromise. I've been committed to strengthening community from the second I arrived in Lanesboro. I find creative ways to achieve collaboration, which strengthens multiple businesses and commerce.

Lance Prado, Root River Rod Company


Jeremy van Meter, Commonweal Theatre - Director of Development/Professional Acting Ensemble

In 2023, I will begin my 12th year as a member of the Commonweal Theatre Company and my first full year as the organization's Director of Development. Prior to joining the Commonweal, I enjoyed a 21-year career as an actor on the regional theatre circuit in the US. I hold a BS degree from Milligan University in TN and an MFA in Acting from the University of Iowa. I, and my extremely talented wife, Catherine Glynn, make our home on a gorgeous corner of the planet in Lanesboro.

I have a calm, cool demeanor and a thoughtful style of communication that I believe lends itself well in both brainstorming new ideas and talking through solutions to challenges. My number one strength is responsibility. I will always strive to make the business community of Lanesboro both strong and vibrant. What we do as a Board will create a ripple effect throughout the community and extend to the region and outward to the state of Minnesota and beyond.

Since May of 2022, I have been a member of the Commonweal Leadership Team. As Commonweal's Director of Development, I also take part in Commonweal Board of Directors meetings on a quarterly basis to keep the Board apprised of the current state of affairs within my own team.