Northwest Area Foundation

• Home
• News
• ST. PAUL, Minn., (July 16, 2010) - Darrell Robes Kipp of Browning, Mont

Northwest Area Foundation Announces New Board Members

ST. PAUL, Minn., (July 16, 2010) -  Darrell Robes Kipp of Browning, Mont. and Mary Jean Ryan of Seattle, Wash. were elected to  the Northwest Area Foundation Board of Directors during the Board’s regularly scheduled July 2010 annual meeting.  Each begins a three-year term. 

Kipp is co-founder of the Piegan Institute, which is dedicated to researching, promoting and preserving Native languages.  A member of the Blackfeet Tribe, Kipp designed programs at the Nizipuhwasin (Real Speak) Center, an internationally-known Blackfeet language immersion school.  He began his education in a one-room school house on the Blackfeet Reservation, later graduating with a bachelor’s degree from Montana State University – Billings and master’s degrees from Vermont College of Fine Arts and Harvard University Graduate School of Education.  Kipp, a Vietnam-era veteran, is a former teacher and former community action program administrator.

Ryan has nearly 25 years of experience in public policy, economic development and education.  She currently serves as director for the Community Center for Education Results, which works to improve student achievement – especially in economically disadvantaged areas of the Seattle Metro area.  Ryan also is a member of the Washington State Board of Education.  Previously she worked as the associate deputy administrator for economic development for the U.S. Small Business Administration in the Clinton Administration and as director in the City of Seattle’s Office of Policy and Management.  Ryan has a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and a master’s degree from University of Southern California.

“Darrell and Mary Jean bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to our Board of Directors.  Their personal paths are fascinating and their professional achievements are remarkable.  They are well versed in many of the strategies that are critical to our work in reducing poverty and building prosperity,” said Kevin Walker, president and CEO of Northwest Area Foundation.

The Northwest Area Foundation board of directors consists of 14 representatives from throughout the Foundation’s eight-state region.  Others serving on the board are: Chair Dorothy Bridges of Minneapolis; Vice Chair Father Kevin McDonough of St. Paul, Minn.; Terrence Glarner, Louis F. Hill, and Linda Hoeschler also of St. Paul, Minn.; Rodney Jordan of Plymouth, Minn.; Nicholas Slade of Minneapolis, Minn.; Elsie Meeks of Rapid City, S.D.; Natalie Camacho Mendoza of Boise, Idaho; Sally Pederson of Des Moines, Iowa; William Thorndike, Jr. of Medford, Ore.; and Sarah Vogel of Bismarck, N.D.  Directors McDonough, Jordan, Glarner and Slade also serve as trustees of the Foundation.

The Northwest Area Foundation is dedicated to supporting efforts by the people, organizations and communities in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable prosperity.  These states were served by the Great Northern Railway, founded by James J. Hill. In 1934, Hill’s son, Louis W. Hill, established the foundation. To learn more, visit www.nwaf.org.