The Marquette County Community Foundation is welcoming Kyle Aho, Alex Flannery, Andy Herro, and Emily Leach to its Board of Trustees.
They will each serve three-year terms.
Kyle Aho was born and raised in Gwinn, graduating from Gwinn High School in 2010. Kyle attended Alma College and graduated in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in integrated health sciences. Following graduation, Kyle remained with the Alma College men’s basketball program as an assistant coach while attending Central Michigan University in the physical therapy program. He earned his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree in May of 2017. Following graduation, Kyle joined the team at Active Physical Therapy and served as the clinic director in outpatient orthopedics for four years. During that time, he and his wife continued to grow a real estate investment company that they started in 2010. It has become their full-time role with the mission of changing the culture of attainable housing in Marquette County. Kyle serves on the Gwinn Area Community Fund, a CFMC affiliate fund.
Alex Flannery is the first Upper Peninsula resident hired on a remote basis to the Michigan Arts and Culture Council, an agency of the State of Michigan. Currently, he serves as Program Manager and works with his colleagues to distribute over $12 million in operational and project-based grant funding to arts and culture organizations around the state. Alex is an alum of both Michigan Technological University and the University of Cincinnati, with an additional certification as a personal finance coach. His career experience has spanned multiple roles in different government, nonprofit, and for-profit organizations including grant management, finance, operations, fundraising, and consulting. He also commits ample time to volunteer in several Michigan arts, culture, LGTBQ+ rights, and other social organizations. Alex is an active musician in several local ensembles including Marquette Symphony, Marquette City Band, and Keweenaw Symphony. He also currently serves on the CFMC grants committee.
Andy Herro grew up in Manistique and graduated from Northern Michigan University. Andy has been in lending his entire career holding leadership positions for the last 10+ years. He has reported to a Board of Directors throughout his career and believes, “the role of a good trustee is to help shepherd the institution and to support the management team while providing referrals and input and guidance, when needed”. Andy is a firm believer in a strong, positive culture, as well as continuous improvement. Andy’s current position is Community Bank President for Upper Peninsula State Bank, which he’s held since 2020. Prior to that Andy was the Executive Vice President for Miners State Bank. During his career, he has covered Marquette, Houghton, Baraga, Delta, Iron and Dickinson Counties.
Emily Leach has had her fair share of impact on our local communities. While studying Environment Studies and Sustainability as well as Native American Studies at Northern Michigan University, Emily also had an internship with the Alger Conservation District. Emily transitioned to a Program Manager position with Superior Watershed Partnership, and after 6 years she advanced to work as Senior Planner with Marquette County. Previously, Emily worked with CFMC on the Marquette County Master Plan 2040, Our Common Future initiative and grants, and the Clean Energy grant through CS Mott Foundation. Emily’s passions for forestry, recreation, and community development have led her to the position of chairperson for the Marquette County Climate Adaptation Task Force since 2019.
Zosia Eppensteiner, Community Foundation CEO shared, “We are grateful for our Board of Trustees and their commitment to community service. We are so fortunate to have trustees with diverse skill sets and backgrounds that complement each other while addressing area needs”.
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