Our Board is diverse in race, gender and sector representation. We are always striving for equity, inclusion, and diversity in every way, at all levels at EMERGE.
Board Chair, and SVP, Treasury & Commercial Sales Director, Bremer Bank
Sheila Dowling
Sheila is a visionary finance leader with 15+ years of experience building new teams, opportunities, and revenue in the banking space. Melding valuable corporate exposure and client-focused sensibilities she brings continuous innovation – in both establishing company culture and seizing and scaling the processes and ideas that keep a business competitive. Sheila and her wife have two children.
“As a Board member of EMERGE it has provided me the opportunity to participate in helping thousands of people access jobs and have a deeper engagement with our community.”
Senior Resource Implementation Business Partner, Target Corporation
Elaine Eiland
Sr Resource Implementation Business Partner Target Corporation
Vice Chair, Finance Committee, and Senior Vice President Commercial Banking, Bank of America
Paul Fitzpatrick
Co Vice Chair, Finance – Senior Vice President Commercial Banking, Bank of America
Vice Chair, Social Enterprise Committee, and President of Hamernick’s Flooring Solutions
Jay Gast
Jay was born and raised in Iowa and earned his business degree from the University of Iowa, and his MBA from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. He and his wife Marcy, a professional educator, have lived in multiple major cities across the United States as Jay pursued a diverse executive leadership career with Thomson Reuters. They relocated to Minneapolis-St. Paul from Boston in 2003 with their three children, all of whom now are working professionals in the Twin Cities. In his spare time, Jay enjoys golf, yoga, and biking for exercise. Jay also enjoys time with family, traveling, reading, and music for leisure. When it gets cold in MN, Jay and Marcy enjoy time at their home in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. Jay is also engaged with the American Heart Association Twin Cities and supports its fund-raising efforts to battle heart disease and address health care equity.
“As an Emerge board member, I have come to better appreciate the range of cultural diversity represented in the Twin Cities and the truly good work Emerge does to help members of the Northeast and Cedar-Riverside communities thrive.”
Immediate Past Chair, and Managing Director, Houlihan Lokey
Xander Hector
Xander is a Managing Director at Houlihan Lokey, a leading international investment bank. He is the Global Co-Head of the Power & Utilities Practice and has been an investment banker for 19 years providing clients with various M&A, capital markets, and liability management solutions. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in finance from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. Xander enjoys traveling internationally and spending time with his wife and son.
“Serving on the EMERGE Board is a tremendous honor and has provided me with an opportunity to support the critically important work that the team at EMERGE focuses on each and every day.”
Vice Chair, Fundraising & Branding Committee
Connie McCuskey
Senior Vice President & Marketing Director, US Bank
Project Director at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
Alexander Robinson
Alexander Robinson is a native of South Minneapolis and a Project Director at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis with over a decade of experience in the Financial Industry. His experience includes creating individual financial plans, financial needs analysis and planning and executing Financial Wellness Initiatives for Boston Scientific, Target Corporation, and UnitedHealth Group. He now works in Bank Supervision, helping to ensure efficiency in maintaining a safe and sound financial system. Alexander is active on two boards within the Twin Cities community. In his spare time, Alexander enjoys traveling, reading, exploring new restaurants and working out.
He earned his B.A in Business Management from Iowa State University and a MBA from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Graduate, University of St. Thomas Law School
Esha Syal
President & CEO, Emerge Community Development
Mike Wynne
Mike Wynne is the President and CEO of EMERGE Community Development. He has led the organization since its launch in 2006. Before that, he served in a succession of positions with Pillsbury United Communities, EMERGE’s heritage organization. He was first hired as a direct service staff person in 1988, and then served as program manager, director and vice president before launching EMERGE in its current form. Under his leadership, EMERGE has grown from a $3 million annual budget and 35 FTE staff members to currently $12 million and 80 FTE staff and 50 ongoing paid training employees. During this time, Mike has led the development of a portfolio of highly acclaimed workforce programs, social enterprises and community development projects.
Mike earned his BA in Sociology and Urban Studies from Hamline University in St. Paul. He has completed a variety graduate level/executive education certifications including from the Executive Leadership Institute at the University of Michigan and Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Program in Social Entrepreneurship. He has been recognized with prestigious alumni awards from Hamline University and DeLaSalle High School and has been a featured presenter at many national and regional conferences. Mike is a lifelong Minneapolis resident and grew up in North Minneapolis and Cedar-Riverside neighborhoods.
