MINNEAPOLIS (February 16, 2022) – ServeMinnesota, the state commission for AmeriCorps, announces Phil Rutherford as its new board chair. The nonprofit is led by a board of 27 leaders from community organizations, local business, and state legislature. Rutherford was appointed to the board in January 2021 by Governor Walz and replaces Kate Kelly of PNC Bank as board chair.
Rutherford, of Rochester, is the Chief Operating Officer at Faces and Voices of Recovery. Prior to that, Rutherford spent most of his career in corporate sales, marketing, and management at Microsoft, Micron Electronics, and companies within the Taylor Corporation. As an active member of the Minnesota recovery community, he has considerable experience in the areas of Substance Use Disorders, Recovery, and Re-entry. Rutherford first got involved with ServeMinnesota as a member of the Opioid Response Task Force, a committee that guided the creation of Recovery Corps, an AmeriCorps program providing peer support to individuals in recovery.
“Over the past few years, I have fallen in love with the ServeMinnesota mission. I look forward to my new role, and given the breadth of programs, I’ll spend my early tenure learning,” Rutherford said. “My central goal for the organization is a continued commitment to excellence and a focus on equity at program, staff, and deliverable service levels.”
ServeMinnesota CEO Audrey Suker thanked Kelly for her service and welcomed Rutherford to the role. “We’re grateful for Kate’s ingenuity and collaboration over the years that has led to creative partnerships benefitting our communities,” said Suker. “Phil has a true passion for service and we’re looking forward to all that we can accomplish together.”
About ServeMinnesota
ServeMinnesota creates positive social change by deploying the people power of AmeriCorps to translate research into on-the-ground implementation. Each year, thousands of individuals commit to transformative service opportunities focused on improving the lives of Minnesotans through education, affordable housing, employment, the environment, addiction recovery and response to community crises. Two of its innovative strategic initiatives, Minnesota Reading Corps and Minnesota Math Corps, demonstrate speed to implementation in their work to close the achievement gap and help struggling students become successful learners. By leveraging federal dollars, building strong community partnerships, and continually improving programs, ServeMinnesota ensures national service is positioned to make meaningful contributions to our state. For more information, visit www.serveminnesota.org.
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