Lori Tostenson
President/Coronation

Lori is excited that the Willmar Fests Board of Diretors has an engertic board that is trying new activities out for the upcoming festival for 2010.  We are also bringing back a Kaffee Fest event for the Chamber Connection.  A few of the new events include the Minnwest Technology Campus Open House, the Queens Splash, Willmar Stingers baseball game. 

It has been a great experience and honor to serve the community of Willmar as part of the Willmar Fests Board of Directors.  The Willmar Fests city celebration is one of the finest celebrations in the State of Minnesota.   

Deb Hanson
Vice-President  

Deb has been employed by SouthWest-WestCentral Service Cooperative as a School Psychologist for the past 23 years.  Although she has served several surrounding school districts over the years she has been at the New London-Spicer schools for the past 10 years.  Deb and her husband, Rod live in Willmar and have three daughters.     

Deb is chairing the Concert-in-the-Park event this year which will be held Wed. evening, June 23rd at Rice Park.  Bring your lawn chair and enjoy the Prairie Woods Community Band as you munch on an added treat this year... pie and ice-cream!    

Beth Fischer
Secretary

Lynn and Ranae Rahn
Hospitality Co-Chairs

They have had a variety of roles with Willmar Fests including Parade Float Drivers, Chaperones for Ambassadors, Host and Hostess for Dignitaries and Host and Hostess for Judges.  This year finds them in two new roles of Board Member and Hospitality Co-Chairs where they will be involved with organization of transportation, judges, dignitaries, hospitality room, farewell brunch, other events and working with other volunteers to make sure everything runs smoothly.

“We have both enjoyed our volunteer work with Willmar Fests and feel that the best parts are all the wonderful people involved and all of the friendships that have been made with the many people that come into our community for this great festival!” 

Becky Simenson
Board Memeber

Beckie Simenson is a life-long resident of Willmar.  She is employed as a Principal for the Willmar Public Schools.  She and her husband Time live in Willmar and have two grown children,  Kyle and Katie.  They are also proud grandparents of Karter who is a one year old future Willmar “Cardinal”!

This is Beckie’s first year serving on the Willmar Fests Board of Directors.  She became an active member of Willmar Fests as a result of her daughter, Katie’s involvement as Willmar Fests Aqua Princess.  As an ambassador, Katie was given many opportunities  to visit other communities and share what Willmar is all about with others.  One of Beckie’s fondest memory’s of Katie’s reign was being able to accompany the Willmar Fests ambassadors to Winnipeg,  Canada.

Beckie takes great pride in being able to give back to the community she grew up in.  It is an honor for her to be a part of the Willmar Fests Board directors and is looking forward to being able to promote all the wonderful attributes Willmar has to offer its’ citizens.  
 

Brittany Holtberg
Board Member

Brittany Holtberg is a Mental Health Practitioner in Hopkins MN studying for her doctorate in Clinical Psychology. She graduated from Willmar High School in 2006 and from the University of MN-Morris in 2009. She reigned as the Willmar Fest Aqua Princess 2008-2009, actively involved in fundraising and event coordinating, Brittany is a active volunteer and Board Member at large. After her reign representing the city of Willmar, she continues to support the ambassadors and the entire city festival.  

Deborah Larson
Ambassador Program Coordinator   
Deborah is a life long resident of Willmar and has been employed by Rice Memorial Hospital as an RN on the Women’s and Children’s unit for 32 years.  She resides on a farm north of Willmar with her husband Kim.  They have four grown children, Addi, Joshua, Zachary and Kalie.     

Along with volunteering with Willmar Fests, Deborah is a member of “One Accord”, a small Christian vocal group from Calvary Lutheran Church where she and her husband are also members.   

Becoming involved with Willmar Fests came easy as her two daughters have served as ambassadors.  In her role as the Ambassador Program Coordinator she schedules and chaperones appearances, and takes care of many other numerous items that help to make the ambassador portion of the festival run smoothly.

This will be her fifth year in her current role with the festival.  Prior to this she was coronation chair person for two years.  Deborah has enjoyed taking on these duties because of what this program offers these young women.  It gives them the opportunity to travel throughout the state of Minnesota and beyond, giving them the chance to communicate with various community leaders and festival ambassadors fulfilling their primary role of public relations for the festival and the city of Willmar.     

An additional opportunity for growth was added to the program last year. 

Thanks In Action from your Royal Ambassadors (TIARA) was conceived as a way for the ambassadors to pay forward to a local individual, group, or cause of their choice. The project must be completed within their reigning year and all products, time, and services must be donated or volunteered and/or loaned.  It will be exciting to see this project take hold and become a central part of their year of service to this community.    

As festival time approaches, it is always exciting to meet the new candidates that will vie for an ambassador position.  It is encouraging every year to see so many young women willing to give of themselves in this way.   

Kaley Hanson
Candidate Coordinator

Kaley graduated from Willmar Senior High School in 2005.  After graduating from Concordia College in Moorhead in 2009, she landed an Account Executive position with UnitedHealthcare in Minneapolis, MN.  

Kaley first became involved with Willmar Fests the summer of 2006 as a Willmar Fests Queen Candidate.  After being crowned Willmar Fests Queen of Festivals, Kaley went on to represent Willmar at the Minneapolis Aquatennial.  For the past three years she has taken on a role as the Candidate Coordinator of the Willmar Fests board.   Through this role, Kaley spends time recruiting potential queen candidates, while also helping to coordinate their weekly schedule of events.   

She has enjoyed giving back to the Willmar community as the candidate coordinator because of how much the program did for her and her peers.  It is such a unique opportunity for young women to participate in and is always rewarding to see the personal growth each candidate makes throughout the week.