Meet our 2024 Growing Local Emerging Leaders

Growing Local: Emerging Leaders

Growing Local: Emerging Leaders is designed to help up-and-coming leaders discover and build on their unique strengths so they can make a difference through local boards, commissions and elected positions. It’s facilitated by SWIF in partnership with University of Minnesota Extension.

“I am so excited about the group of leaders we have for this year’s Growing Local: Emerging Leaders cohort. I look forward to connecting with each leader and growing alongside each of them as they navigate their leadership journey.”
Khou Lor, SWIF Rural Equity Specialist and program coordinator for Growing Local: Emerging Leaders

Abebe Abetew, Worthington

My name is Abebe Abetew. I have been married to Selamawit Gizaw for 15 years. My wife and I moved to the United States in 2013. We have three kids, two girls and one boy. I am a proud resident of Worthington since 2013. I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in development management from Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia in 2008. Following my graduation, I worked as a leader in different positions in the Ethiopian government for a little over 4 years. When I moved to the United States, I started working at JBS as a Production Supervisor. In addition to my regular job currently, I am helping the Worthington Ethiopian community as a leader and Ethiopian Orthodox Church board chairman. I am also a member of the Worthington Cross Cultural Advisory Committee (CCAC). Learning a leadership concept and skill and gaining leadership experience are my expectations and are what I can take away from the program. What inspires me the most is helping others. Community leadership is all about people, to have a community leader that has people skills and understands their values and culture. This demand is increasing at an increasing rate now and that is what inspires me about leadership.

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Marlen Balster, Adrian

My name is Marlen Balster, I am a dog mom to four crazy pups, a plant enthusiast, an artist and a mental health advocate! I grew up in Worthington and currently reside in Adrian, and I am looking forward to continue to help my community grow. I recently signed up for grad school and will be working towards a master’s in social work. I am ready to take on the next chapter in my life as a graduate student. My goal is to come back to my community as a licensed therapist and help bridge the gap many POC (people of color) have when looking for the right therapist. I am excited to be a part of this cohort and learn how to really take on a leadership role, and I’m excited to continue to build a network of people who want to improve themselves and our communities. I have been blessed to witness how diverse the leaders around me have grown to be and only want to continue to add to their hard work. As a young girl, I never really felt inspired because I never saw people who look like me in roles like these, so it really pushed me to want to become a role model for the youth that come after me. I am excited for this awesome opportunity.

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Elizabeth Briones, Worthington

My name is Elizabeth Briones. I have grown up in Worthington since the age of 3 and am originally from Guadalajara, Mexico. I am married to my husband, Oziel, and together we have four children ages 3 to 18. I am most looking forward to learning more effective ways of helping grow and improve the organizations I serve. I am inspired by the endless possibilities of positive change that we can make through volunteering on local boards and committees.

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Alma Conteras Lopez, Murdock

My name is Alma Contreras. I am from Mexico, and I have lived in Minnesota for almost 15 years. I have three kids. I work as a paraprofessional in preschool (8 years) and with Conexiones, a nonprofit organization that helps the immigrants connect with the local community. I also volunteer as a First Responder. I love to be active; that is why I am in a Mexican folkloric dance group. We do presentations around the area sharing our roots. I enjoy both of my jobs. I have the opportunity to meet the families in the area from working with them. I look forward to learning more about the topics that are listed, especially developing effective communication skills, and to know people from the area that are actively involved in the community. As an immigrant I have had to learn how to navigate the different systems in the United States. That is why part of my inspiration is to help families to navigate those systems (education, health, etc.) and in that way to make their experience a little more smooth.

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Savina Gerren, Windom

My name is Savina. I am a stay-at-home mom who enjoys playing and learning with my children. With the Growing Local: Emerging Leaders program, I am looking forward to becoming inspired, curious and encouraged to be involved in the communities around me. What inspires me with community leadership is that with the investment of time, a growth mindset and mentors who care, a leader can grow and thrive wherever they are. I am grateful for the leaders in my life who have influenced me in a positive way and have gifted me hope. My goal is to become an encouragement for my kids and those around me, in hopes that they can make a difference to the people in their lives.

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Petra Jimenez, Fulda

I have lived most of my life in southwest Minnesota. My family is from a small rural town in central Mexico. I have been involved in a few things in my community and the neighboring diverse community around mine and believe that local leadership is important and much needed. I am inspired by the ways in which community leadership works together to accomplish goals for the people and future of that community.

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Darren Lind, Woodstock

I am Darren Lind, married with seven grown children, one still at home and a 4-year-old granddaughter who lives with us. We live in Woodstock on a farm with horses, chickens and a duck. I am the executive director of R.A.Y.S. Unlimited, a sober living house in Worthington for men who are rebuilding lives of recovery from chemical addiction. I am also involved in establishing a certified Recovery Community Organization called Advocates in Recovery Unlimited. I am excited about being a part of the Growing Local: Emerging Leaders cohort in my role as a professional Licensed Drug and Alcohol Counselor (LADC) as well as being a person in recovery. I am eager to learn how to combine my lived experience and my professional expertise with effective leadership skills to bring the voices of recovery into the mainstream in a more significant way. My goal is to become an effective leader who is successful at building a team that makes a noticeable impact on the community.

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Jose Ivan Parga, Worthington

I am a community engagement specialist at Southwest Initiative Foundation. My family immigrated from Mexico in the early ‘90s to Worthington, where I was born and raised. I love southwest Minnesota for its ability to be a home to anyone. I feel the people, the food and its potential for growth are all great reasons to love the region. I’m looking forward to connecting, learning, and growing with great up-and-coming leaders in southwest Minnesota through Growing Local. I’m inspired by the community’s tenacity, resilience and drive to create positive change.

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Michael Peters, Willmar

I grew up on a dairy farm in Lincoln County where I spent several years farming with my father. In 2022, I decided to take a new path forward and am now in the nursing program at Ridgewater College in Willmar. The aspect that drew me to the Growing Local: Emerging Leaders program was the opportunity to meet peers across the region. I look forward to bridging the distance between our regional communities.

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Samantha Prechel, Sanborn

My name is Samantha Prechel, and I am a full-time mom, farmer, township clerk, PTA member and volunteer. I am an avid outdoorswoman and enjoy spending time with my family. I am looking forward to meeting new people and growing as a leader and volunteer in my community. I am looking forward to the doors that could potentially open for my community as well. Community leadership inspires me to create something for everyone. Sometimes being that one person who takes on a role to create a better future for our community is the best feeling of inspiration in itself.

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Mary Anne Wangen, Hutchinson

My name is Mary Anne! I grew up in the Philippines and immigrated to the United States in 2015. I look forward to learning how to be a better and more efficient leader through the Growing Local: Emerging Leaders cohort. I want to meet people who have the same mindset as I do and listen to their experiences. Community leadership inspires me to give back to the community and its people who have supported me from when I moved here in 2015 until today.

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Julia Wright, Fulda

My name is Julia Wright. I enjoy spending time with my two kids, watching their sporting events and teaching them about different cultures. I am excited to expand my leadership skills with Growing Local: Emerging Leaders and learning about different experiences of others from different walks of life. I have been inspired by several leaders in my past and I look forward to being that for someone in the future.

Jaime Salinas, Worthington

I’m a married former radio guy, father of two, working an adult-type “real” job who wants to support and serve his community and keep it moving forward. I’m looking forward to gaining knowledge that’ll help me take what I see as the next step in my development of serving my community. One of my favorite things to say is “Be a part of your community. Don’t just live in it.” It takes all of us to keep our communities strong.

Growing Local: Emerging Leaders is geared toward people who are interested in being more involved in formal leadership roles in their community. Participants meet monthly to learn about board and commission structures, get tools and resources to navigate the leadership journey and connect with a supportive network of emerging leaders and mentors. The sessions take place in communities across the region.