2016 National Conference

Jim McCorkell is CEO and Founder of College Possible, a nonprofit organization dedicated to coaching low-income students to-and-through college. Known for an innovative approach that brings together hard-working students and idealistic AmeriCorps coaches, College Possible earns the best results in the country and is growing to serve students in 10 cities by 2020. McCorkell leads the organization’s programmatic, strategic, philanthropic and policy direction. McCorkell’s own experiences as a first-generation college graduate motivated him to start College Possible after earning a Master’s of Public Administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. His commitment to a future in which America’s children go as far as their talent, motivation and effort can take them has been rewarded; McCorkell has received an Ashoka Fellowship, he is the recipient of the Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government Alumni Achievement Award and was recognized by President Obama at a convening of nonprofit innovators at the White House. Prior to launching College Possible, McCorkell worked for City Year, a national nonprofit service and youth development organization and served as deputy finance director for U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone’s 1996 reelection campaign. McCorkell lives in St. Paul with his wife, Dr. Christine Greenhow, their son, Jack, and their dog, Milly.

Mary Jane Melendez is the Executive Director of the General Mills Foundation where she leads General Mills’ charitable giving and corporate volunteerism efforts. Mary Jane is responsible for the Foundation’s global strategy; ensuring core corporate values, best practices and innovation inform General Mills’ non-profit partnerships, signature philanthropic programs, global grant-making and community and employee outreach programs. Mary Jane also serves as a member of the General Mills Hispanic Network Advisory Committee and as a mentor in the company’s Diversity Mentoring Program. In addition to her role leading the Foundation, Mary Jane is active in the Twin Cities community serving on the boards of the Minnesota Council on Foundations, Mill City Summer Opera and Partners in Food Solutions. She is a past board member of the Urban Ventures Leadership Foundation. Mary Jane also volunteers with several community organizations including Catholic Charities, Boys and Girls Clubs and Playworks. From 2011-2014, she served on both the Project Implementation and Grants Committees for Hunger-Free Minnesota. Recently, Mary Jane was invited to serve on the Super Bowl LII Legacy Fund Advisory Committee. Mary Jane graduated with honors earning both her MBA and Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. In 2011, she was selected as one of two General Mills employees to attend the Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) Career Advancement Program. In her free time, Mary Jane enjoys travel, learning about wine, reading, cooking and fostering her love of floriculture.

As Vice President of the Travelers Foundation, Mike Newman gives direction to the charitable contributions arm of the company and its foundation. Previously, he was Manager of North American Field Operation where he developed the capacity of field offices to implement the company’s community affairs strategy. He joined The St. Paul Travelers Foundation in February 1997 after spending the early part of his career in the nonprofit and governmental arena. At the state Department of Human Services, he directed community affairs and human resource, management and organizational development for a department of 8,000 employees and 15,000 volunteers. Prior to that, he served as Chief of Volunteer Services for the department, providing training and consultation in volunteer management to local agencies. He has previously directed two local volunteer programs in addition to having done development work with the United Way of Minneapolis. He served from 1995-1999 as President of the international Association for Volunteer Administration and has served in numerous board capacities with the Minnesota Council on Foundations, College Possible, St. Paul Public Schools Foundation, Minnesota College Access Network, Page Education Foundation, Minnesota Association of Volunteer Directors, Dakota Woodlands, Minneapolis Red Cross, Minnesota Social Service Association, Minnesota Children’s Trust Fund, the Arts and Culture Partnership and other organizations.  He has served or continues to serve as a volunteer with a diverse number and type of nonprofit organizations. Newman has a bachelor’s degree in social work from Bemidji State University and his graduate work was in Community Development at the University of Minnesota. He and his wife, Deb, live in Eagan and have two sons, Zachary (30) and Tyler (23), one daughter Sarah (25), one dog (Charlie, a Sheltie), and two cats (Duke and Mia).

Jon McTaggart, chief executive officer, has been deeply involved in Minnesota Public Radio and American Public Media's growth since 1982, beginning as a station manager in Bemidji and serving in multiple capacities since then, including as general manager, as senior vice president for New Media, vice president of Business Development, senior vice president of Content and Media and Chief Operating Officer. In addition to his tenure at MPR|APM, McTaggart has led strategic planning, communications, fund raising and business development as a director for a hospital group and as executive director of the hospital foundation in Reading, Penn. Prior to returning to Minnesota in 1995, he was vice president for Advancement and University Relations of a liberal arts university in Riverside, California. Jon holds a master's degree in public administration from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor's degree in journalism communications from Bemidji State University.

As CEO of the Midwest’s largest hunger relief organization, Rob Zeaske has overall responsibility for leadership, planning and management of the organization. Under Rob’s direction, Second Harvest Heartland has not only grown in size and scale, but also has earned a reputation as an innovator and national thought leader in hunger relief. Rob is helping change the conversation about hunger relief by bringing together partners from private and public organizations that have a stake in closing the missing meal gap. Prior to joining Second Harvest Heartland, he was Senior Vice President of External Relations for Jumpstart, a nationally recognized organization preparing schoolchildren for success. He was responsible for fundraising, government relations and marketing. Prior to that, Zeaske served as a Harvard Business School Service Leadership Fellow with Mercy Corps, where he led program strategy and managed the agency’s monitoring and evaluation for programs in 35 countries worldwide. Zeaske holds an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School and a B.A. in political science from Stanford.