Grants Governance Committee (GGC)

The Office of Grants Management (OGM) works with more than 30 state agencies to strengthen how Minnesota manages and invests public grant funds.

The Grants Governance Committee (GGC) is a cross-agency group that helps guide this work. It brings together representatives from state agencies, along with external partners such as nonprofit and local government associations. The committee provides insights, identifies emerging needs in grants management, and offers recommendations that support consistent and effective grant administration statewide.

Members also serve as liaisons between their organizations and OGM. They help coordinate communication, gather feedback from agency staff, grantees, and applicants, and share updates on OGM initiatives.

Below is the current list of GGC representatives. Contact information for state employees can be found in the State of Minnesota white pages.

Department of Administration
Sara Spiess

Board of Water and Soil Resources
Jake Rossow
Adam Beilke
Marcey Westrick

Clemency Review Commission
Carli Stark

Department of Children, Youth, and Families 
Lindsey Skerrett
Kurtis Parlin
Maycee Xiong

Department of Agriculture
Kaelene Arvidson-Hicks
Jeff Fischer

Department of Commerce
Felicia Cullen
Jill Garcia

Department of Corrections
Michelle Basham
Janeen Oien

Department of Education
Timothy Larson

Department of Employment and Economic Development
Abdullahi Mohamed
Jeff Colonna

Department of Health
Paula Naughton
Amy Bicek-Skog
Shawn Matteson
Jessica Barry
Emily Holt

Department of Human Services
Mary Kim
Brynn Rhodes
John Teske

Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation
Jeri Venne

Department of Labor and Industry
Kristy Swanson
Hannah Zelmer

Department of Military Affairs
LTC Eric Athman

Department of Natural Resources
Katherine Sherman-Hoehn

Department of Public Safety
Nira Ly

Department of Revenue
Sarah Bjorklund
Aparna Mohan
Jessica Delcid

Department of Transportation
Missy Lodermeier
Taylor Besser Fredrick
Anna Borgstrom

Department of Veteran Affairs
Heather Darby

Office of Emergency Medical Services
Dylan J Ferguson
Melanie Riddle

Explore MN/MN Tourism

Michael Meyer
Eleigh Vazquez

League of Minnesota Cities
Amber Eisenschenk

MN Board on Aging (Administratively Housed @ DHS)
Jacqueline Peichel

Minnesota Council of Nonprofits
Laura “Lenny” Jones

Minnesota Housing Finance Agency
Kim Bailey

Minnesota Council on Foundations
Katina Mortenson

Minnesota Indian Affairs Council
Keegan Flaharty

Minnesota Management and Budget
Joshua Botnen

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Katie Christensen

Minnesota State Arts Board
Sue Gens

MNIT
Brandon Hirsch
Kory Thurnau

MnSure
Daniel Li
Katie DeGrio Channing

State Board of Civil Legal Aid
Bridget Gernander

MN Racing Commission
Joseph Newton
Gabby Betzler

Office of Higher Education
Megan FitzGibbon
Jacquelynn Mol Sletten
Laura Benson
Joanna Moua

Office of Cannabis Management 
Jess Jackson
Steph Ritenour

Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board
Yelena Bailey
Melissa Miller

Association of Minnesota Counties
Noah Knapp